 |
|
|
|||||
Ankers lifestyle brand Eufy has already swallowed a big chunk of the robot vacuum market and now its got its sights on your yard. The company has been sharing details of its first two robot mowers since the start of the year, and now theyre ready to start selling them. Eufys E15 and E18 are designed to automate one of the most tedious jobs around the home if youre able to pay. Ive been testing an E15 for the last few weeks ahead of their retail debut today and Im fairly impressed. Early robot mowers needed a boundary wire to tell them where they were allowed to mow. But digging a trench around your lawn is time consuming, costly and less than ideal if you eventually move. It prompted companies to pivot to other methods, such as GPS or RTK (real time kinematics) to navigate. Eufy, however, is harnessing its computer vision know-how to trim your lawn with even less fuss, calling its technology visual full self-driving, or vFSD. Yes, I know. Anker says there are plenty of benefits in using cameras over GPS, like more reliable mowing and better obstacle avoidance. Daniel Cooper for Engadget The E15 is capable of covering lawns up to 800 square meters while the E18 will conquer lands as broad as 1,200 square meters. If you assumed, like I did, that the difference between the two is battery size, youll be mistaken both have the same 4,200mAh battery, but the E18 has more on-board memory to accommodate a bigger map size. Otherwise, they are the same machine, with an adjustable cutting height between 25 - 75mm, a maximum climb of 18 degrees and a combined GPS / 4G anti-theft system. One feature Im very partial to is that the garage (the mowers charging station) comes with a rain cover, meaning fewer worries if youre out and the weather suddenly gets a bit intense. Not that its necessary, since the hardware is rated IPX6 enough to withstand being cleaned with a hose. Setting up the E15 is painless so long as your lawn is nicely mown, with the grass no taller than 3.5 inches. All youll need to do is fix the garage in place with some hefty ground screws, hook it up to power and connect it to your homes Wi-Fi. Then all youll need to do is send it out for one or two mapping runs in order for it to get a sense of your space. Daniel Cooper for Engadget My lawn is cut into a hill, with a sunken pathway and a 1.5 meter drop at one end, which is a problem. Since it maps visually, I opted to babysit the mower during the process to make sure it didnt hurl itself into the chasm. I also have a small lean-to wood shed with a green roof (at the bottom of the chasm) that I reckoned a computer vision system could easily mistake for grass, so I wanted to keep an eye on it. Once it had made a few too many furtive advances toward that roof, I paused the mapping, sent the E15 back to its garage and set up a keep out zone in the app before finishing the job. Once that was done, however, the E15 very easily staked out the rest of the space and made sure it could get nicely close to the path without going over. From there, youre doing everything of note within the app. You can set the cutting height as low as 25mm or as high as 75mm, and can also set the units movement and cutting speed letting you use more power if youre pressed for time. Plus, you can schedule mows, and if the device detects rain or too much wet in the grass, itll head back to base until things have dried out. One feature Im a big fan of is that its the first such machine Ive encountered that lets you set a cutting direction for stripes. Its not that I have an issue with most robomowers chaotic mowing per se, but Ive always seen striped lawns as desirable. While the unit isnt going to give you the sort of over-manicured, inch-perfect stripes youd find at a tennis club, you can at least see the contrast. Daniel Cooper for Engadget An additional benefit of remote control is that if it does run into an issue and youre not at home, you can activate a remote control mode. Not only are you able to access the camera feed, but you can trigger on-screen controls to navigate out of any tricky spots it might have wound up in. It's funny, but something I didn't notice, but my in-laws did when they visited, was how shockingly quiet the E15 was. When I set the hardware running to satisfy their curiosity, they were baffled that the thing was scuttling around on the lawn making almost no noise whatsoever. It's certainly a perk, especially if you choose to set this thing off for a scheduled trim in the early morning it's quiet enough that even the ants probably won't complain. All in all, I like the package Eufy is offering, and it even handled some of my misgivings about its computer vision system. If I have gripes, its not really about the E-series at all and more about this category of product generally. For a start, robot mowers may not get every square inch of your lawn, especially if some of your edges neighbor deep crevasses, like mine. That means youll still need to go out there every once in a while with a weed wacker to trim the borders of your turf. And Id still love nothing more than to be able to exert more control over the initial mapping phase to eliminate some of the trial and error. I wish for a system that would let me use my phone as a tool to trace the outside edge of a space myself, to set some basic expectations. Sure, the hardware would still have to scuttle around making sure it can get where I need it to go, but itd save some of the busywork for both of us. The Eufy E15 (800 sqm) and E18 (1,200 sqm) are available to order today from Eufy and Amazon. The E15 will set you back $1,599, while E18 is priced at $1,999. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/eufys-new-robot-mowers-use-smart-vision-to-trim-your-grass-130008542.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
The iPhones lock screen isnt just the place you check the time or your notifications anymore its a fully customizable space where you can express your personality, highlight your favorite photos and even stay on top of your day with helpful widgets. With iOS 18, Apple has given users even more control, letting you personalize your home screen and adjust lock screen controls.. Whether you want something functional, minimal, photo-heavy or playful, well walk you through exactly how to make your lock screen your own from changing fonts and adding widgets to switching between screens throughout the day. How to create a custom lock screen To start personalizing, youll first need to create a new lock screen or modify an existing one. Wake your iPhone, then touch and hold anywhere on the lock screen until you feel a buzz and see the wallpaper editor. Youll see a carousel of lock screens youve created. Tap the + (Add New) button to start fresh, or swipe to an existing one and tap Customize. A gallery of wallpaper options will appear. Choose from: Photos (pick one from your library) People (iOS intelligently finds portraits) Photo Shuffle (select multiple images that change) Emoji, Weather, or Astronomy Suggested themes like color gradients or Live Photos Once youve picked your background, you can dive into the fun part: customizing fonts, colors, widgets and more. Georgie Peru for Engadget Photos and People You can set a favorite picture as your wallpaper and tweak its color or crop to make sure you have the best view of your loved ones. Note that these steps will only allow you to select one picture if you want a rotating selection of backgrounds, skip to the Photo Shuffle section below. Tap Photos to bring up a list of Photos and Collections. You can search for specific images, or filter by All, Featured, Live Photo, People, Pets, Nature and Cities. Once youve selected a photo, you then have more options. You can Pinch to Crop the image, change and customize the filters (Natural, Black & White, Duotone and Color Wash) You also have the option to Add Widgets and remove the Flashlight and/or Camera. You can also set a photo as your wallpaper directly from the Photos app by tapping the Share icon, and then selecting Use as Wallpaper. Photo Shuffle With Photo Shuffle, you can select multiple photos that change depending on the frequency youve selected. Select the types of photos you want to include, e.g. People, Pets, Nature and Cities, or select an Album. Tap the Shuffle Frequency option and choose between On Tap, On Lock, Hourly or Daily. Select whether you want to Use Featured Photos or Select Photos Manually. It would be worth going through your selected photos separately to make sure they are cropped correctly (e.g. if you have a mix of landscape and portrait images). You also have the option to Add Widgets and remove the Flashlight and/or Camera. Emoji and Color If you dont want to use a photo, you can select an emoji or color instead. Select Emoji and choose up to six emojis. Alternatively, if you want a single color, you can select the Color option. Choose between Dynamic, Grid, Large, Radial and Spiral to customize how the emoji background will appear. Once youve selected an emoji or multiple, you can change the color of the background. You also have the option to Add Widgets and remove the Flashlight and/or Camera. How to change the clock style The default iPhone clock gets the job done, but it doesnt have to be boring. In iOS, you can customize the font, weight and color of the clock to match your aesthetic. This small change can have a big impact on your lock screens overall vibe. In the lock screen editor, tap the time. You can do this before or after youve personalized your lock screen with photos, weather, etc. Choose from a selection of font styles. Drag the slider to increase the font weight and tap the available fonts to see what they look like. Use the color picker or swipe through presets to find something that fits. How to add widgets to your lock screen Widgets are a game changer for lock screen productivity. Whether you want to see your calendar, the weather forecast, activity rings or even battery levels at a glance, widgets can make your lock screen both pretty and practical. Widgets are compact, but you can fit up to four small ones or a mix of two medium and one small on a single lock screen, depending on the layout. While editing the lock screen, tap the field below the time or select Add Widgets if the option appears (sometimes it can be tricky to see). Choose from Apples widget library or supported third-party apps. Drag and drop widgets into the space where youd like them to live. You can also tap the date above the time to change or remove the default calendar widget. Georgie Peru for Engadget How to customize controls at the bottom of the lock screen In iOS 18, Apple lets you personalize the quick access buttons at the bottom of the lock screen the ones typically reserved for the flashlight and camera. You can set different controls for different lock screens and tie them to specific Focus modes as well. Touch and hold the lock screen, then tap Customize. Tap one of the bottom controls to select it. Tap the Remove icon (-), then tap the Add (+) option to open the controls gallery. Youll see a gallery of available buttons for tools like Calculator, Translate, Shazam, Notes and more. Pick the one you want, then tap Done. How to link a Focus mode to your lock screen One of the smartest features in iOS is the ability to link different lock screens to Focus modes. That means you can have a minimalist screen for work, a bright one for weekends and a sleep-ready design for winding down. If you dont see Focus options when you edit your lock screen, go to Settings then Focus to set up a new one first. Touch and hold the lock screen, then tap Focus. Choose a Focus mode (e.g., Work, Sleep, Do Not Disturb). That lock screen will now automatically appear when that Focus is active. How to switch between lock screens Once youve created a few lock screens, you can swap between them on the fly. If youve linked a Focus to any of them, switching lock screens will also switch the Focus automatically. Touch and hold the lock screen. Swipe left or right to cycle through your saved designs. Tap the one you want to use. How to delete a lock screen If you want to delete a lock screen you no longer want or need, you can do so very easily. Touch and hold the lock screen until the carousel appears. Swipe to the screen you want to delete. Swipe up on the lock screen. Tap the Trash icon, then confirm with Delete This Wallpaper. Dont worry this wont delete any photos from your library. It just removes the layout. If youre looking for more iPhone customization tips, you might also enjoy our guide on how to make the most of the iPhones Action Button.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-personalize-your-iphone-lock-screen-120015173.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Blackmagic Design has unveiled DaVinci Resolve 20, the latest version of its editing app with free and paid versions that's a popular alternative to Adobe's Premiere Pro. The update offers over 100 new features including many powered by AI, along with improved cloud support and major quality-of-life updates to the cut, edit, color and fusion pages. One of the key new features is called AI IntelliScript that can automatically generate a timeline based on the original project script. "AI IntelliScript will match the transcribed audio in media clips to the script and construct a timeline of the best selected takes, with any alternative takes placed on additional tracks for editor review," Blackmagic wrote. That new feature could drastically speed workflow for editors (like myself) who often use standup or voiceover clips. Another key feature is the AI Set Extender that can create a scene extension to fill an entire frame based on a text prompt. If you want to reframe a shot or delete something, for instance, you can simply tell DaVinci Resolve what you want and it'll fill in the blanks. "Customers can even create new backgrounds behind foreground objects," the company wrote. Other new AI features include AI Animated Subtitles, AI Mulltcam SmartSwitch (which can assemble a timeline based on who is speaking) and AI Audio Assistant. The latter can create a "professional audio mix" with a single click, according to Blackmagic Design. Finally, the AI Detect Music Beats feature does just that, analyzing music and automatically placing beat markers in the timeline. Along with the AI stuff, DaVinci Resolve has a number of quality-of-life improvements in the cut, edit, color and fusion pages. Davinci Resolve Studio 20 (the paid version) now supports Apple Immersive Video on Apple Vision Pro, allowing creators to edit, color grade, mix audio and deliver Apple Immersive video capture on the company's recently launched URSA Cine Immersive camera. Blackmagic Design Other updates include improved Blackmagic Cloud support with improved collaboration tools, easier editing for vertical video, new voiceover palettes, a dedicated keyframe editor in cut and edit, a new Text+ tool, direct voiceover recording and more. On the color page, there's a new chroma warp function that lets you adjust color and saturation with a single motion. And the Fairlight audio page has a new feature that lets adjust a target clip's audio to match a reference clip, dynamic EQ to match tonality throughout a clip and Level Matcher to ensure that levels remain consistent in a given timeline. A full list of features can be found on Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve 20 product page. It's now available to download in a public beta, and as usual, DaVinci Resolve 20 is free to download while DaVinci Resolve 20 Studio costs $295 with no subscription required. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/davinci-resolve-20s-latest-ai-feature-can-create-an-entire-timeline-based-on-a-script-120009351.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||