home office
Latest
A data-sharing agreement between the US and UK is now in effect
The countries say the pact will help combat serious crimes, but privacy advocates have raised concerns.
UK may use facial recognition smartwatches to monitor migrant criminals
Offenders would need to scan their faces up to five times per day, according to The Guardian.
Logitech Lift hands-on: A vertical mouse for the rest of us
Inspired by the MX Vertical, the Logitech Life is a slick new ergonomic mouse that's designed for people with smaller hands.
AfterShokz OpenComm is a bone conduction headset for the Zoom generation
AfterShokz’s OpenComm bone conduction headset seems an ideal accompaniment to the world we live in today. It's a communications-focused product by virtue of its boom mic, good for today’s busy home or mobile workspace in the age of endless Zoom calls.
Facebook will train its content-removal AI with police camera footage
Facebook will use footage from police body cameras to train its automatic detection systems to spot and remove footage of mass shootings. The company announced Tuesday that it will partner with law enforcement in the US and UK to obtain footage from their firearms training programs. Data from those videos should help Facebook's systems detect real-world, first-person footage of violent events.
iPhone-owning EU citizens are still waiting for Brexit residency app
The Brexit situation in Britain isn't only causing chaos in the areas of politics and business, but is causing its share of technology woes too. The latest issue is with the government app which allows EU nationals residing in Britain to apply to stay in the country, which is only available for Android and not iPhone.
Snapchat admits its age-verification system doesn’t work
Confronted by the UK's Parliament, Snapchat admitted its age verification process doesn't keep users younger than 13 years old from signing up. That's not exactly a big secret. Users are simply asked to enter their birthday, which could easily be fudged. But Snapchat's admission is significant.
Ask Engadget: Where should I put my router?
The support shared between readers in the comments section is one of the things we love most about the Engadget community. Over the years, we've known you to offer sage advice on everything from Chromecasts and cameras to drones and smartphones. In fact, our community's knowledge and insights are a reason why many of you participate in the comments. We truly value the time and detail you all spend in responding to questions from your fellow tech-obsessed commenters, which is why we've decided to bring back the much-missed "Ask Engadget" column. This week's question comes to us from a reader who needs help setting up a home office. Weigh in with your advice in the comments -- and feel free to send your own questions along to ask@engadget.com! I am considering moving my office from the basement and converting a room on the second floor. I have lots to move, but single strength is a make or break. I did some quick shot tests and found that I am dropping about 45 percent signal in the new office. I plan on stringing new coaxial and Ethernet up to the room so that I can maintain the best signal for my work. Would it be better to leave the cable modem (Thomson) where it is (in basement) and use Ethernet to string the router (D-Link AC3200) to the second floor, or does it not matter? My preference would be to keep the modem and router together just for troubleshooting. You know, when the network goes out and you call your ISP and the first thing that they want you to do is power down the modem and router. I will be stringing 50-foot lengths for both. I am not sure what type of coaxial I should get. Which one should I select, RG-6/U or The RG-59U? The Ethernet will be Cat7; I'll use that to hook up a range selector and/or my Apple TV in the basement.
A home office that looks like a mini Apple Store
People toss around the term "fanboy" to the point where it means almost nothing, but if you're looking for a real fan of Apple's retail store aesthetic, check out David Wu's home office. Not only did he have a replica of the Apple Store's iconic Fetzers tables made, but in his version the drawers actually work! David is clearly a major Apple fan, as the boxes from his previous purchases line the shelves. The diminutive Hong Kong office is surrounded by glass walls, too. Most impressive. [via @jaredigital]
MacTech Boot Camp 2011 coming to four more cities
If you missed MacTech Boot Camp before Macworld this year, you may have a chance to attend if you live in or around Dallas, Boston, Los Angeles or Chicago. In fact, there happen to be major airports in all of those towns, so if the cost of flying to San Francisco was out of reach, you're in luck! What is MacTech Boot Camp? A one-day session geared towards the home user, small business users and anyone who may assist those users (your family's computer guy, for example). We've been quite impressed with the MacTech events we've attended so far, and attendees at the San Francisco Boot Camp were quite enthusiastic with what they learned. Full press release on the next page, but we've listed the locations and dates of the upcoming events below. Dallas, Texas: April 27, 2011 - Sessions Chair: CV Rao, and Nathan Toups Boston, Massachusetts: May 18, 2011 - Sessions Chair: Andy Espo, and Leon Lincoln Los Angeles, California: July 27, 2011 - Sessions Chair: Sean Colins Chicago, Illinois: August 31, 2011 - Sessions Chair: Douglas Ward, and Ben Greiner
T'Light lamp for major nerds with good taste (should such a thing exist)
The T'Light lamp isn't the first one we've seen which boasts things like chargers, docks and USB. It is, however, the nicest looking one we've ever seen. The modern stainless steel lamp has an iPod dock in its base, plus a USB port and a jack for charging laptops -- though there's no adapter for MacBooks as of yet, apparently. The T'Light is available now for $90 -- hit up the source for more details.
Mac + desk = Match made in heaven?
This article is old, but is still full of inspiration. I stumbled across it a few weeks ago when I was turning my dining room into a home office, and it's always neat to see how other people set up their work spaces. The News in Print selected these in 2008, but the advice in here in still relevant and you can see how people tackle different issues -- everything from small spaces to multiple monitors and how to use your Mac Mini in conjunction with two 50-inch plasma screens. My favorite? Check out the one featuring a MacBook Pro, four Apple Displays and several digital SLR cameras with zoom lenses.Unplggd also did an article back in 2008 on desk/computer combos, including pairing a MacBook Pro with a SOLo Lounge, a side table that uses solar power to charge your laptop if you have a spare $9,900 in Canadian dollars lying about. TUAW also had a Rig of the Day feature showcasing reader's setups. How have you dealt with the issue of finding a desk that's worthy enough for your Mac? Please share your thoughts (and photos) in the comments!
England's helmet camera initiative to go countrywide
As if the police and traffic wardens across the pond didn't have enough gadgetry to unwillingly tote around on the job, the Home Office is reportedly set to dole out £3 million ($6.1 million) "to equip police forces across the country with head camera technology." The decision has been made after earlier trials supposedly resulted in a reduction in violent crime, increase in arrests and convictions, and best of all, "less paperwork for the police." Notably, a set of guidelines will recommend that cops inform the culprits that they are indeed being taped, but that the footage won't end up on C.O.P.S. without their expressed written consent. Wait, we thought that human police in England were being phased out?[Via The Register]
