12/11:  Selected Technology for seniors

What are they?

Virtual assistants are AI-powered software that can perform various tasks and answer questions using natural language processing (NLP) technology. They can be integrated into various devices such as smart speakers, smartphones, and smart home devices. Some common tasks that virtual assistants can perform include setting reminders, sending messages, making phone calls, and controlling smart home devices. 

Virtual assistants live on their respective clouds, where your data lives as well.  Clouds include Apple (Siri), Amazon (Alexa) and Google (Google Assistant).  

These friends know quite a bit about you, especially if you have shared information with them.  If you are set up with an account, then they have access to that account.  So, if you have an event on a Google calendar, and you ask “Hey Google, what is on my calendar”, they will know.  They can call anyone of your contacts (see above!) and they can remind you to do things.  They are pretty amazing.

They can also offer you answers to questions.  However, this is where it gets a little dicey.  Just as you can’t just go to Google, type in a search term, and choose the first answer, you can’t necessarily rely on the first answer that Google or Siri give you.  There are lots of factors that play into the results of your searches.  Most noticeably, they rely on your personal history.  So, when finding answers to your questions, they will look at your profile and try to provide answers which are in line with you.  They will look at your search history, your previous questions, your previous requests to find a solution.

If I ask Alexa to play me some music, she will choose something similar to what I have requested in the past.  (And I have to say, she is pretty good at that!).  If I ask Siri, I will get different results, because I have listened to different music on Siri.

All of these rely on your willingness to provide your virtual assistant with information.  When you sign into your account, you will have the option of letting the account have access to your calendar and your contacts.  If you deny that, your assistant cannot tell you what is on your calendar or cannot call Bobby for you. 

How do they work?

We know what they do (answer questions, provide information, keep us on track) but how do we get each of them to work?  Most of them involve a wake-up word.  They may also require a speaker (more on that in a bit).  Here is a breakdown:

Siri (Apple):  You can set it up to answer to your voice.  You then say, Hey Siri and proceed with your question.  If you don’t say anything after Hey Siri, she will remind you (“I’m listening”).  You access Siri on your iPhone, your iWatch, your Mac computer and on one device, Apple Home Pod.

Google:  You would also set this up to answer when you say, Hey Google.  It will then respond.  If it is hooked up to a smart TV or other automated home device, it can be activated by your voice.  I say that because sometimes my smart TV turns on automatically, and the easiest way to get it off is to say, Turn off the TV.  You can also wake up Google by clicking on the microphone and speaking.  No need to say Hey Google then!

Alexa (Amazon):  Probably the most popular virtual assistant, and has had an enormous impact on voice assisted devices.  The wake-up work, “Alexa”, opens her listening capability and you can ask her things.  She also has skills which take you to a specific ability.  So, if you have enabled a skill (like “Cat sounds”), you would say, “Alexa open Cat Sounds” and she will play a series of cat sounds.  My cat loves this (maybe?)

With the introduction of AI, the possibilities are increasing dramatically.  But here are some of the things that virtual assistants can do now:

• Managing your calendar

• Researching topics

• Suggesting products which might help you

• Playing music

• Calling contacts

• Controlling home devices

• News and weather reports

• Setting alarms

• Help in sounding out words

• Read books

• Help with math questions or unit conversions

• Create to-do lists

Alexa 

Tweaking your privacy settings in your Alexa app can help improve your privacy. Keep in mind, though, that by improving Privacy, Alexa will not be as smart as she could be. The simplest way to control what she hears of course is to Mute her (a feature on your device), or unplug her.  Otherwise, you would look at privacy settings.

To keep her from listening:

• Open Alexa App and click on settings.

• Go to:  Settings > Alexa Privacy > Managing Alexa Data

• Looking under Help improve Alexa, deselect “Use messages to improve transcriptions” 

• From Alexa Privacy, you can also automatically delete recordings. 

• You can also review your voice history, where you can see what you have recorded up to the beginning of your relationship with Alexa.

• Alexa can also hear sounds (glass breaking, smoke alarms).  You can find these in privacy as well (history of detected sounds).

• Finally, see what permissions you have given Alexa.  You can take them away as well.  She may know your address, your name, your Amazon account pay info, and more. 

Siri:

Apple allows you to delete Siri and dictation interactions associated with each of your devices.  You can find that in Siri & Search settings> Siri & Dictation History.    

And now, you have to opt in to have humans review your transcriptions to improve Siri.  You can opt in (or out) by going to:   Settings>Privacy>Analytics & Improvements>Improve Siri & Dictation

Of course, you can disable the ability for her to listen to the wake word, Hey Siri.  This is done by going to Siri & Search settings> deselect Listen for “Hey Siri”.  (While you are there, try using a different voice!  How fun is that?)  If you have a HomePod, however, you may choose to mute her or even to give her a command “Hey Siri, stop listening”.  When you are ready to resume, you can then say “Hey Siri, start listening”.  You can also adjust settings in the Apple Home app to change Siri settings.

At this point, there is no way to view or delete your interactions with Siri or the HomePod without deleting all of the information associated with your account.

Google Assistant:

Like Apple, Google paused the practice of humans listening in on interactions with its digital assistant. However, as of this month, the process has returned.  It isn’t exactly wide spread, just .2% of all snippets are reviewed by humans.  Still, there are ways to improve your privacy.

To prohibit Google from accessing your voice and audio activity:

• Go to myaccount.google.com

• Select Data and Personalization on the left sidebar

• In the activities controls section, select “paused” next to voice and audio activity

To delete video and voice activity:

• While in the account, scroll to activity & timeline and select my activity

• On left sidebar (or on the smartphone on the menu in the upper left corner), select delete activity by

• Click on the pull-down menu and select which data to delete. 

Standard TVs:

We should start by explaining the alternative to a Smart TV, which is a standard TV.  A standard TV is a traditional television that does not have “smart” capabilities or Internet connectivity. 

Features of a Standard TV:

• Display technology: Various display technologies such as CRT (cathode ray tube), plasma, or LCD (liquid crystal display) to produce the image.

• Resolution: Standard TVs typically have lower resolutions than modern smart TVs. The most common resolution for a standard TV is 480p.

• Screen size: Standard TVs are available in a range of screen sizes, from small portable models to larger ones for living rooms or bedrooms.

• Audio: Standard TVs usually have built-in speakers that provide basic audio output. However, the audio quality may not be as good as that of a modern smart TV, and external speakers may be required for a better audio experience.

• Inputs: Standard TVs typically have a limited number of inputs for connecting external devices such as DVD players or gaming consoles. The most common input types are composite and component video, and RCA audio.

• Remote control: Standard TVs usually come with a basic remote control for changing channels, adjusting volume, and controlling other basic functions.

• Content:  Options for content for a standard TV include antenna (basic service), cable, streaming devices (for standalone and streaming services.

Smart TVs:

Smart TVs are internet-connected televisions that allow users to stream video content, access apps, and browse the internet.

Features of a Smart TV:

• Cost:  Ranges from inexpensive ($200) to very expensive ($1000 or more)

• Brands and operating systems:  Different brands offer a different screen with different apps. This is because brands use different types of operating systems.  Options include:

  • Sony, TCL and Hisense:  Android OS

  • Samsung:  Tizen

  • LG:  webOS

  • TCL, Hisense, RCA:  Roku

• Picture quality:  Varies among devices.  Options may include:

  • Resolution (pixels):  HD (1280X720), Full HD (1920X1080), 4K (3840X2160), 8K (7680X4320)

  • Display technology:  LCD (limited viewing angles and poorer contrast), OLED (deep blacks and vibrant colors), QLED (quantum dots and backlight), MicroLED (newer, small LEDs for an image), Plasma (older technology), Mini-LED (thousands of tiny LED lights, more precise than LED)

• Connecting to Internet:  Should offer Wi-Fi or Ethernet.  Can be connected via hotspot

• Sound quality:  May suggest sound bar for better sound

• Also consider:

  • Color accuracy (should have wide color range and good color accuracy)

  • Viewing angle (how far off-center you can sit)

  • Motion handling (how well TV displays moving contents)

  • HDR (High dynamic range), wider range of brightness and color

Introduction

A smartwatch is a portable device designed to be worn on a wrist.  Like a smartphone, they use touchscreens, offer apps and may even record your heartrate and other vital signs.

There are many players in the smartwatch field, including Apple, Samsung, Sony and more.

Types of smartwatches:

There are generally two types of smart watches.

The first is the general-purpose smartwatch like Apple Watch and Google powered watches.  These are designed to replace traditional wristwatches and are smartphone dependent.  They include Apple watches, Wear OS watches (uses Google Wear OS operating system) and Tizen watches (designed by Samsung for the Galaxy line of smartwatches).

The other niche of smartwatch includes specialty devices intended for a specific use.  These often offer a more robust version of a fitness tracker and are somewhere between a phone-dependent smartwatch and a stand-alone fitness tracker like Fitbit.  Examples include hiking watches and diving watches.

Features of most smartwatches:

• Pair with a smartphone

• Customize watch face

• Passcode (optional)

• Notifications

• Apps (load on smartphone)

• Media (i.e. music, but need Bluetooth to hear through headphones)

• Voice dictation

• Fitness tracking (might need to download apps)

• GPS

Health related things

• Fall detection

• Heart rate check and notification

• Atrial fibrillation

• Blood oxygen level

• Modify activity (moving, standing, exercising)

• Sleep quality

Comparing Apple Watch to a Samsung watch

On the fence between Apple and another smartwatch?  Here are some similarities and differences between the two.  For comparison purposes, we will compare the Apple watch with a Samsung watch.

Similarities:

·         Costs are similar (Apple watches from $250 and up, Samsung from $200 and up.  

·         Both offer GPS, ECG monitor, sleep tracking

·         Always on screen

·         OLED touchscreen, visible even in direct sun

·         Health tracking (heart rate, blood oxygen monitoring)

·         Trip detection is now on both

·         Fitness workouts:  both offer large number of preset workouts

Differences:

·         Apple watch can only pair with iPhone, while Samsung can pair with iOS and Android

·         Battery life:  Samsung has a longer battery life (2 days vs 18 hours)

·         Apple offers more music storage (32 GB vs 8 GB)

·         Mobile payments (Apple pay vs Samsung Pay)

·         Design (Galaxy is more of traditional watch)

·         Bands (Apple sport bands vs Samsung leather-like bands)

·         Music:  Galaxy supports Spotify, Apple has Apple Music you can download and stream playlists

Fall detection:

According to the CDC, one in four adults aged 65+ falls each year, at a cost to the US healthcare system of $50 billion annually.  Many independent but vulnerable seniors have wearable devices, such as call buttons or smart watches.  These simple devices track falls and can respond with emergency help if needed. 

There are also additional possibilities.  One of these is Vayyar Care.  This is a wall based detection tool which uses artificial intelligence to detect falls and notify help, without wearables. 

Emotional companion:

Although robots are not yet a thing, there are companion pets which can bring comfort to older adults, especially those who live alone and may have cognitive issues.

One option can be robotic dogs and cats.  These products provide sound and movement and can calm agitated behavior.  Not to mention no need to feed them or to potty train them.

 Joy for All offers companion pets to bring comfort, companionship and fun to elders.  At a cost of $124.99 for cats or $139.99 for dogs, you get a companion pet with built-in sensors and speakers. Sensors respond to motion and touch.  And they respond by purring or barking. 

Lots of information today!  Make sure and research those things which are important to you, and pass on information to those who might benefit.