Category 21st Century Techniques

Found song or audio clip you like on another user’s Reel and want to make one using the same audio/music? Just tap the music and select ‘Use Audio’.

On Instagram Reels you can upload your own audio clip or use music tracks from Instagram’s audio library. With the new update, you can now save audio clips used on Reels. The process is the same as saving posts on Instagram. Tap on the audio, and then select the save icon on the top right corner of the screen. You can then go to your saved posts on Instagram, and find all the audio files clubbed under an ‘audio’ folder.

Now when you make a new Reels video you can use audio from your saved collection. Instagram lets you use audio from other Reels but you have to do it at that time, and not save the clip in your library. The new audio page created on your saved collection can also be shared over DM. You’ll see the DM icon appear on the audio page of Reels made using that particular audio clip.

Picture Credit : Google

American computer scientist Russell Kirsch revolutionised digital images with his invention of the pixel and then the world’s first digital photograph. He is also recognized as the developer of the first digital image scanner. Pixels are digital dots used to display photos, videos and more on phone and computer screens. In 1957 Kirsch created 2×2-inch, 172 x 172 pixel image of his baby son. Using a device he created at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards, this was the first image ever scanned into a computer and was made up of just 31,000 pixels (the latest iPhone captures images containing 12 million pixels). Kirsch made his pixels square which meant that image elements were not as smooth as real life, giving rise to them “pixelated”. Kirsch’s discovery laid the groundwork for digital photography, satellite imagery, CT scans, barcodes, virtual reality, and more. 91-year-old Kirsch passed away in August 2020 in Oregon (USA).

Kirsch later developed a method to smooth out images by using pixels with variable shapes instead of the squares. Initially, the images were binary, capturing only black or white, but Kirsch and his team discovered that by scanning the image multiple times at different thresholds they could create a grayscale image by stacking multiple scans, as per DPreview.

This technology allowed Kirsch and his team to develop algorithms that laid the foundations for image processing and image pattern recognition. Kirsch’s invention also helped NASA with its earliest space explorations, including the Apollo Moon landings.

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Audio quality is the most important feature consumers consider while buying a smartphone, according to a report by CyberMedia Research. The group surveyed respondents aged 18-40 across six cities in India. Consumers ranked battery life and camera quality as the next important features while physical appearance of the smartphone ranked lowest. Smartphone users consume audio mostly through listening to music on popular audio OTT platforms (94%), watching video, movies, OTT content, or videos on social networks (96%).

Consumers ranked battery life and camera quality as the next important features while physical appearance of the smartphone ranked lowest in the survey.

These consumers use smartphones for more than 20 hours a week, and are heavy users of streaming services and gaming, the report said.

More than 90% consumers use the smartphone’s audio for listening to music on popular audio OTT platforms and for viewing videos on social media.

The survey highlighted that these users expect audio to be an immersive experience while less heavy users consider voice and dialogue quality as top priority.

Picture Credit : Google

Billed as “the world’s smallest Android 10 4G smartphone”, the Unihertz Jelly 2 is roughly the size of a credit card, with a 3-inch, 326-ppi screen, an 8 MP front camera abd 16 MP rear camera, and weighs just 110 gms. It supports dual SIM cards, microSD expansion of its 6GB internal storage, USB-C charging for its 2,000 mAh battery, NFC support for contactless payment, GPS, and nearly every possible band of LTE, plus fingerprint unlocking and 128 GB storage. This mini smartphone is designed to act as a companion device to your regular cell, for times when a large smartphone would be inconvenient or when taking a break from your full-sized smartphone.

Starting at the front, we have the three-inch LCD screen, which is 51% larger than the first Jelly display. Colors look great on the display and text is crisp and clear. I was very surprised to see how readable this tiny display is and I never had a problem reading content on the display.

The headset speaker and front facing camera are above the display. Below the viewable screen we see a circle in the senter with two dots on either side, indicating where the haptic buttons are for back, home, and the task switcher. Obviously, the phone is very easy to manipulate with a single hand thanks to its size and the responsive display.

It is a great phone to take running and with many watches not supporting GPS, such as the Fitbit Versa 2 or new Polar Unite, GPS and music served up from the Jelly 2.0 is something to consider. It’s a solid emergency phone, as long as you keep a battery pack around to top off the small capacity battery for extended use.

Picture Credit : Google

Sharp’s RoboHon is a prototype robot that doubles as a smartphone.

The RoboHon (a mix of the words robot and phone) stands just 8 inches high and packs a camera and a 2-inch LCD screen on its back. There’s also a mic, speaker and a facial and voice recognition system.

It runs Android 5.0 and supports 3G, 4G LTE and wi-fi connectivity options. It can follow voice commands to place a call, take a picture and display it through its projector. It lets you know when there’s a call for you (“Hey! There’s a call for you.”); reads out text messages and lets you reply verbally to them. It also acts as an alarm and can tell you what you have planned on your calendar.

It is basically the personification of the idea that your phone is your best friend.

Picture Credit : Google

Phazon has created the world’s first one-size fits all earbuds.

The company says there’s an inner-ear pattern that everyone shares and that by giving the earbuds a little twist once they’re in the ear, wearers can ensure they won’t fall out while jogging, working out or even swimming. The earbuds are wireless and use Bluetooth to link to your mobile device for music streaming and receiving phone calls. Its internal rechargeable battery can be charged to 80% in only 20 minutes using a USB charger; the charge lasts upto 6 hours.

One of its most interesting features is the one that only works when they’re not being worn — if a user has misplaced their earbuds, the Phazon app can tell them how far away they are and point the user in the right direction.

Picture Credit : Google