Techme101.com

Do you like the idea of connecting all of your smart devices to your home network? With so many different devices that can become part of your connected world, it’s worth considering.
For example, it sounds nice to use an app while grocery shopping to see what’s inside your refrigerator so you don’t forget to buy anything.
Although it brings convenience, there’s also a downside. For instance, anything you connect to the internet can potentially be hacked and might violate your privacy without your knowledge.
Consider These Points Before Connecting Your Devices
Before you set up a network of smart devices in your home or office, consider the following points.
1. Is your network stable?
The first concern you need to think about before connecting many devices is the stability of your network. If your network goes down frequently or is slow, don’t connect any devices that you need to rely on without fail.
For example, it might be nice to connect a smart thermostat to your home network so you can control the temperature in your house while you’re on vacation, but if your network goes down you’ll lose control of your thermostat. You might end up stuck with the heater or air conditioner running and you won’t be able to turn it off if nobody can reboot your router.
For other devices, like smartphones and tablets, being disconnected isn’t really a big deal. Just be cautious about connecting devices that will cause problems if your network goes down.
2. There will be troubleshooting.
Anytime you’re trying to connect multiple devices to each other and the internet, you can expect to go through quite a bit of troubleshooting. For instance, the setup process will be different if you have a Macbook compared to a Windows laptop and any type of smartphone.
You’ll need to know your way around your network settings for all the devices you want to connect. If you didn’t save the user manual, you can probably find a video tutorial online. There’s a high chance you’ll need to do a bit of troubleshooting to make everything work properly. That’s not a bad thing, but just be prepared because it can be frustrating.
3. Privacy
There are quite a few news stories about online privacy and smart devices. For instance, one consumer exposed a well-known smart TV manufacturer for recording conversations and potentially recording video without permission.
Smart speakers and smart assistants have also been exposed for recording private conversations. After several major leaks exposing this privacy concern, some smart assistant manufacturers have admitted to recording conversations. They say the audio is only used to train their algorithms to recognize commands. Others claim customers agreed to be recorded by purchasing the device. However, that only applies to instances where the command is given to activate the assistant.
Google is among the companies that admitted to recording customers without consent or awareness. Several years ago, around 1,000 private Dutch conversations were leaked by Google’s partners to a Belgian news company. The leak included private conversations that occurred without the users activating the device by saying, “OK Google.”
According to Google, audio recordings are made and stored when customers converse with their smart assistant devices. Until the leak, they didn’t disclose that employees and third-party partners have access to those recordings. Google only admitted to the fact that employees can listen in at any time after the leaked conversations were exposed.
Since you don’t know if you’re being recorded against your wishes, it’s best to disconnect your devices when not in use. If they’re not connected to the internet, they’re not transmitting data back to the manufacturer’s server.
If privacy is a priority for you, don’t get a smart assistant and turn the comparable feature off on your phone.
4. Cybersecurity Issues
As stated earlier, any devices you connect to a network are potentially at risk of being hacked. While your home network might be secured with a password, if your devices communicate with the internet, they are vulnerable.
All it takes is a cheap laser pointer to hijack smart assistant devices from up to 360 feet away. This was exposed back in 2019. Hackers used a $14 laser pointer to start people’s cars, purchase items online, and open garage doors. Simply shining the light into a microphone can make a device think it’s receiving sound. It can be activated to take further commands given as light.
Between the security risk and the potential for recording your private conversations, you may want to think twice before getting a smart assistant for your home. However, your security cameras and smart locks may also get hacked.
5. Smart technology can go down.
 The main problem with smart technology is that while it’s extremely convenient and useful, it’s also risky and malfunctions can create massive problems. For example, if your smart lock stops working because the battery dies or your network goes offline, you’ll need the manual backup key that came with your system to open the door. If you don’t keep this key on your person or somewhere outside of your house, you’ll be out of luck and you might have a problem finding a locksmith to get into your house.
Anytime you rely on a piece of technology for something in your daily life that has no alternative, you’re going to be extremely inconvenienced if that technology goes down. To avoid massive disruptions to your life, it’s better not to rely on smart technology too much.
6. Do you really need all of your devices connected?
There’s definitely a big convenience factor involved in connecting all of your devices, like laptops, tablets, and smartphones. It’s nice to have several devices on your network at once so you can browse those devices from any other device. For example, you might be on your iPad and need a file from your laptop, and instead of getting it directly from your laptop, you can use an app to access your laptop remotely.
Making your daily life more convenient is beneficial, especially when it helps you save time and reduces your stress levels. The only question is whether or not you really need to have everything connected.
Since it takes quite a bit of effort initially to set up a smart home network and connect a handful of devices, there’s no reason to go through all that trouble if you’re not actually going to make use of those connections.
7. Your devices will compete for bandwidth.
Your internet connection only has a finite amount of bandwidth to offer, and the more devices you connect, the more bandwidth you use. When you have a bunch of connected devices, they will be competing for bandwidth against each other. This isn’t a big deal for devices like smart televisions, lighting systems, and coffee makers. It’s more of a concern with devices that are used to actively consume content, like streaming videos and downloading files. More specifically, the more smartphones, tablets, and computers you connect to the same network, the slower each one will perform.
If you’re not using all of your devices at once, you don’t need to worry about not having enough bandwidth. However, if those devices are being simultaneously used, you could see a drop in performance on your devices.
Connect for convenience, but be intentional
There’s no denying the benefits of connecting all of your devices, but it’s important to weigh the pros and cons before going all in. While it might make sense to keep some of your devices connected all the time, make sure you disconnect the devices you need to keep secure.
Don’t go through all the trouble to set up a connected home if you don’t need to use some of the devices you want to connect. Not everything has to be part of your home network just because it has the capability of connecting.
The post 7 Considerations to Make Before Connecting Your Devices appeared first on ReadWrite.

Amazon has significantly increased the number of robots working in its fulfilment centers, with the US tech and e-commerce giant also claiming to be the world’s largest manufacturer of industrial robots. 
A report from Business Insider has indicated robot numbers have spiked from 350,000 in 2021 to 750,000 by the middle of 2023.
Amazon has several different robots at its disposal to deploy as part of its relentless and high-volume operations to sort customer orders. Robotic arms, called Robin and Sparrow, were brought into service at the company’s Robotics Innovation Hub, near Boston after the full design and manufacture process was completed in-house.
Robin was described as “one of the most complex stationary robot arm systems Amazon has ever built”, assisting in different stages to scan and sort packages for dispatch, whilst Sparrow is a state-of-the-art robot that streamlines the fulfilment process.
The company also benefits from the Proteus and Hercules robot models which can move containers, complemented by its Sequoia robotic system which goes further to sort and shift containers around to reduce the physical impact on human staff. These machines are said to reduce strain on employees’ bodies, including repetitive movements such as bending and stretching.

Amazon delivers on productivity with robots proving to be a solution
Amazon has stated Sequoia increases productivity by identifying and storing inventory at a rate of 75% faster than employees can at present, meaning products can be listed quicker on Amazon’s online marketplace. Once an order is placed, Sequoia can then save up to 25% of the time it takes for an order to be processed,  acting as a catalyst for better lead times for shipping.
Recorded incident rates and ‘lost-time incident rates’ (how often injuries happen at work and subsequent time away from work) fell by 15% and 18%, respectively, at Amazon’s robotic sites in 2022, compared to non-robotic plants.
Scott Dresser, VP of Amazon Robotics commented on how robots are creating opportunities for employees, challenging perceptions of the threat posed to workers by artificial intelligence.
“Ensuring robotics are collaborative and support employees is central to how we design or deploy systems like Sequoia and Digit” he said.
“Over the last 10 years, we’ve rolled out hundreds of thousands of robotics systems while also creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs within our operations. This includes 700 categories of new job types, in skilled roles, which didn’t exist within the company beforehand.”
According to the company’s 2023 annual report, Amazon’s growing legion of robots is still much smaller than the total number of employees, which stands at 1.525 million (full-time and part-time workforce combined).
The company has axed jobs within Amazon Web Services this year, despite an overall revenue figure of $143.3 billion for the first three months of the year which is a 13% increase from last year. Amazon was expected to reach $142.65b but operating income surged more than 200%, bringing this metric to $15.3 billion.
Image credit: Ideogram
The post Amazon’s robot workforce more than doubles in three years appeared first on ReadWrite.

Arrowhead Game Studios, the maker of Helldivers 2, is responding creatively to the recent controversy roiling the game’s fans which has resulted in large numbers of negative reviews left by users on the game’s Steam page.
It all stems from Sony Interactive Entertainment’s decision — since aborted — to require Helldivers 2 players on Windows PC to have a PlayStation Network account and link it to their Steam accounts. Sony has since canceled these plans, but it came after a weekend in which Arrowhead’s developers were caught in the middle of the fans’ outcry.
The “review bomb” leveled in protest against Helldivers 2 dropped its user score to an “Overwhelmingly Negative” rating, which Arrowhead notice. Over the weekend, the studio’s CEO, Johan Pilestedt poked fun at himself and the controversy by saying a cape design based on the barrage of negative reviews might soon join the game.

Also, the accidental cape design is pretty cool. From a community member. pic.twitter.com/7LQZA6Rekw
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 6, 2024

The design, originally created by a community member, draws inspiration from the three orange lines on the recent review graph for Helldivers 2 on Steam. When these lines are isolated against Steam’s bluish background, they resemble the type of cape typically worn by the game’s characters.
When a fan asked if this would actually be implemented into the game, the CEO responded, “The team is talking about a good name for it right now.”
Helldivers 2 Steam page shows onslaught of negative reviews. Credit: Steam
Pilestedt joked that the cape might cost $999.99, but quickly clarified that this really did come to the game, it would certainly be free to all players.
Several players from the Helldivers 2 community on Reddit say they hoped the novelty cape would become a reality. “Do it Pilestedt, it would be a genius play!” wrote one user, while another commented, “THIS cape is what shows our effort, unity, and power in our community. This IS the cape to wear.” Some even created their own versions of it.
Photoshopped this to see how the review cape design might look like in-game byu/ibbidibbidoo inHelldivers

Reversing reviews for Helldivers 2
The self-deprecating gesture seems to have generated goodwill for the strongly acclaimed game, which launched Feb. 8 for both PC and PlayStation 5. Some have stated that it’s time to “reverse the reviews back to positive,” following SIE’s U-turn on the account-linking requirement.
Steam reviewers and Reddit users urged players to flip their review scores. “Gotta get the reviews back! Cmon helldivers!” wrote one Steam reviewer. A Reddit user added: “Now with Sony backtracking on their decision, surely now is the time everyone shows the appreciation by changing their Steam reviews back to positive?”
Featured image: Canva
The post Helldivers 2’s notorious ‘review bomb’ might end up in the game as a cape design appeared first on ReadWrite.

Google recently paid tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog on X, only to apologize for making bizarre errors, which they claimed were not due to AI.
The official Google Play X account took it upon itself to create an impromptu Sonic The Hedgehog appreciation thread. Their aim was apparently to show Sonic as “he gets older and older,” which is logical given there are quite a few Sonic games on its Play Store.
However, the thread, which sporadically covers the blue creature’s evolution from 1991 to 2022, sparked a wave of corrections as it cited incorrect years and strange inaccuracies. While the original post has since been deleted, there are still users commenting on the wild posts.

Google’s world-changing AI cannot make a coherent Sonic the Hedgehog thread pic.twitter.com/1rkwLjGltt
— Paul Tassi (@PaulTassi) April 28, 2024

In one instance, a picture of Sonic from 2014 was mistakenly labeled as being from 1993, and the caption alongside it made no sense. Consequently, the thread is now filled with community comments criticizing the social media account for its numerous factual errors.
“2018 Sonic,” stated Google, “weirdly looked like 90’s Sonic.” The image was actually a screenshot from the original 1991 game. When posting an image from the Sonic movie, Google claimed that it came from the 2020 film. However, eagle-eyed viewers noticed that the frame came from the second Sonic the Hedgehog film which came out on 2022.

every single post in this thread has a community note https://t.co/v9ENETAqMV pic.twitter.com/cmmzDihTqZ
— community notes violating people (@cnviolations) April 29, 2024

Fans even speculated whether AI was involved in creating the peculiar thread, especially since one of the images appeared to be poorly altered to remove background characters.

I’m convinced the entire thread is AI generated, theres no way a real person wrote all that
— L M (@Raisins_r_sour) April 29, 2024

The final word on this entire debacle came from the official Sonic account itself, which responded to Google with a simple question: “What are you doing?”

what are you doing
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) April 28, 2024

Google claims Sonic posts were not AI
A Google representative told Android Police: “Our team got it wrong, and we are sorry for the errors.” However, the tech giant denied that the mistakes in the thread were the work of AI. The company also claimed that this was a human oversight. AI has been known to hallucinate content, hence it isn’t surprising that users were quick to claim it was written by a bot.
Some have suggested that this could be considered the most effective engagement bait ever devised, as the passionate Sonic community jumped in to defend the games.
Featured image: Canva / Ideogram
The post Google denies Sonic tribute riddled with errors was made by AI appeared first on ReadWrite.