New Apple Vision Pro headset: A weighty subject
Everyone and his dog are saying how uncomfortable the new Apple Vision Pro headset is. But what else would you expect when you strap a pound-and-a-half object to your face?
Apple hasn’t revealed the exact weight yet, but 1.5 pounds is a good estimate, says tech expert David Pogue. If the weight doesn’t get to you after 20 minutes, the motion sickness and eye strain will. Or so say the people who returned the $3,500 product, according to the Verge.
Newbies may be wondering exactly what the Vision Pro does. Basically, it combines both virtual reality and augmented reality. When in VR, you’re totally immersed in a setting other than the one you’re actually in. When in AR, you can still see your own living room or any other place you’re occupying, with objects superimposed upon it. Your eyes act as a cursor. Your forefinger and thumb come together to click. To zoom in, you pinch the air with both hands coming together. To zoom out, you pinch the air with both hands moving apart.
Apple says the Vision Pro could replace the Mac, but that sounds unlikely to me. So what is it good for? I Googled “Best uses for the Vision Pro” and came up with this list from a Reddit user: personal theater for Apple TV, YouTube, etc.; virtual monitors to give you extra screens for computing tasks; web browsing; virtual sheet music; drawing or tracing the forms you see in augmented reality; scanning bar codes; augmented reality enabled workflows (whatever that means); and “unreleased cool/fun apps.” I think most of us will wait for the cool/ fun apps, a lighter headset and a lower price.
ROBOT NAGS
Do our gadgets nag us too much? You bet.
I’ve heard of cars that nag you to keep your eyes on the road using random pop-up messages that force you to look away. Home gadgets nag you too. My old microwave beeped at me until I took the food out. Even Google scolds me.
Google’s “ImageFX” is a new artificially intelligent website that creates pictures based on your prompts. When I typed “English girl, cozy setting, cup of tea,” for example, I didn’t get a picture. I got a nag from Google saying I’d violated their policies. I was also in violation when I typed “Chinese” or “Asian” girl, using the same cozy tea setting. But Google didn’t mind if I used the word “British,” “Japanese,” “African,” “Korean” or “Muslim.” Robo nags can be arbitrary.
SCREEN LOCK
Until recently, I had to enter my password dozens of times a day, every time my screen timed out. So I went to “Settings,“and searched for “Extend Unlock.” Next, I created a list of “trusted places,” starting with my home. This eliminated the need to type in my PIN over and over. I’m in heaven. To prevent excess password prompting when I’m away from a trusted place, I extended the Screen Lock timeout to 30 minutes, up from five seconds. On my phone, I went to “Settings,” then “Security & privacy,” then “Device Unlock,” then “Screen Lock.”
On an iPhone, go to “Settings.” Under the “General” tab, select “Passcode Lock,” and “Require Passcode.” Then choose a grace period.
WHO’S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD AI?
Will artificial intelligence take your job? According to a study by DevRev, a customer support service, U.S. lawyers are more worried about it than any other profession. After that come artists, accountants, doctors and data scientists. But what can these robots do?
In law, artificial intelligence bots revise and analyze contracts and communicate with clients. In art, they create book covers, album art and music videos. In accounting, they generate financial reports and budgets. In healthcare, they scan medical images and patients’ records. In data science, they create algorithms and complex models.
A TIP AND A TRICK
Attention teachers everywhere: If you want to show someone how to do something on a computer, consider recording your screen movements as well as your voice, using Windows Game Bar, a free feature in Windows 10 and 11.
To start, go to the program or website you want to record. I opened “Peggle,” my favorite video game, to record my latest moves. Next, when you’re ready to record, hold down the Windows key (looks like a flag), while you tap the “G” key. When a menu pops up, click the “Record” key. Click it again to stop the recording.
Next to Record, there’s a button that turns on your microphone. Click it if you want to talk during your demonstration. Later, you can find your video recordings in your computer’s Video folder. It’s in a sub-folder called “Captures.”
Finally, you can use Gmail to send the recordings. Large files are automatically converted into Google Drive links. Alternatively, you can upload your new recording to Dropbox or one of the other file storage sites. For more details on video recordings in Windows see the ZDNet article “How to Record the Screen on Your Windows or Mac.”
NUMBERS REPORT
YouTube is the most engaging of social media, according to data analyzed by DigitalSilk, a web design firm. On Youtube, users stay an average of 19 minutes and 35 seconds. Reddit is second, then Snapchat, X.com, Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky, LinkedIn, Tumblr and Pinterest. Tiktok viewers average just three minutes and 37 seconds.