Honor’s new phone can check your temperature for you
To copy ArsTechnica, this “… is the most 2020 phone of 2020”. That’s because the Honor Play 4 Pro can test human body temperature using an infrared (IR) sensor.
You’ve probably heard about the current pandemic the whole world is facing? Yeah, it’s called the coronavirus and one of the telltale signs of contracting the virus is a fever. Honor’s new smartphone can be used as a thermometer because it has a temperature sensor built-in. Okay, it’s not so much a thermometer as a basic IR sensor, but you’d be surprised by the variety of uses for these little sensors — this includes the ability to sense heat with impressive detail.
To use the temperature sensor, you’ll use an app and put the phone against your forehead like a nitwit. There is a video on the Chinese social media network, Weibo, showing exactly how you’d need to place the phone to take your own temp. “ Just aim the phone at someone’s forehead, tap through the app, and the phone will give you a temperature reading. Temperature checks aren’t a guaranteed way to screen for COVID-19, but a fever is a symptom in the majority of hospitalized cases, and it’s very easy to check for,” ArsTechnica explains. Easy enough right?
We also know that an IR sensor will be able to pick up a wide spectrum of heat — anything from -20°C to 100°C. But your temp should definitely not reach either of those, or you’re dead, fam.
Sauce: ArsTechnica
Apex Legends, arguably the most inclusive game, backs Black Lives Matters
If you haven’t played Apex Legends, the battle royale game from Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts, you won’t realise just how inclusive this game is. Its characters make up mostly people of colour, and they’re all bad-asses.
It’s one battle royale game that has taken the world by storm and is one of the most streamed games on Twitch at the moment. Following intense social unrest in the United States, Respawn rallied with protesters by showing its support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Over this weekend, developers published a message on the launch screen of the game across the globe, helping spread even more awareness about the cause. “Social unrest has rocked the United States, triggered by the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis after police office Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck. Most major video game publishers and developers have denounced racism and oppression, and Respawn’s message on the Apex Legends boot-up screen is the latest example,” Digital Trends reports.
Even more, Electronic Arts, the publishers behind Apex, has pledged a donation of $1 million to several organisations that are fighting against racial justice. Good guys EA fighting the good fight. We know that a message on a game won’t bring about change instantly, but considering the sheer amount of people who both play and stream the game, this is bound to help increase awareness about the cause.
Sauce: Digital Trends
Apple is working on software to enable social-distancing selfies
The pandemic has caused most of us to become homebodies, which means that there are far less social gathering selfies being posted online unless they’re #throwbacks.
But worry no more, social butterflies, because Apple is reportedly working on a social-distance selfie feature that might just come to an iPhone near you. According to The Verge, Apple has been granted the patent for software that would generate synthetic social distance group selfies. This will allow users to take group selfies while not being in close proximity to one another. Isn’t technology amazing?
According to the patent, the software will work like a group facetime call — all you’ll have to do is invite your buddies to take part in the selfie, take the picture, and the software will arrange the whole crew into a single image. “Users could keep the original selfie as well as the group version, and the original user and recipients of the group image could modify the selfie, for instance, putting themselves in a different position in the group,” The Verge reports.
This will probs give everyone a reason to get out of bed and dressed up like the old days — especially now that alcohol is legal to buy again. Each can have a Brannas in-hand, kitted out in the best threads and ready to not hit the town. Thanks to Apple the fantasy is alive and well, and people can brag about their social lives online again.
Sauce: The Verge
Dropbox is apparently testing a password manager, and we’re keen
If you ever want to get a techy excited about something — tell them about a new password manager on the market. It is probs one of the least talked about features of any software that just makes life that much easier.
It now looks lie the cloud storage file manager, Dropbox, is reportedly testing a password manager app. Last week, someone at the Android Police spotted that Dropbox uploaded a new app to the Play Store — precisely what you’d expect the Android Polic to find out. The new, sneaky app seems to be called Dropbox Passwords. It also looks like anyone can actually go and download the app, but according to Engadget, you’ll need an invite from the company before you can log in and use the software.
“Dropbox doesn’t describe the app as a password manager, but all the hallmarks of one are there. You can use the service to store your passwords, as well as generate new ones when needed. With automatic syncing between different devices, Dropbox says you can access your credentials anywhere,” Engadget reports.
While we can’t access the app at this time, we don’t know how well it works or if it’s worth using in lieu of your current password manager (our favourite is LastPass). But we’ll let you know once we can use it.
Sauce: Engadget
