I expect Google to do away with the Fitbit within the next 24 months. It has already removed features: 1) Fitbit Charge 5 lost the stair climbing counter that was in the Charge 4. 2) It shutdown the community driven daily challenges for groups this year.
This is a follow-up to questions that were unanswered in MobileViews Podcast 456 & 457
Question: How can you point a device directly to the Amazon Eero’s 2.4 or 5GHz frequencies. Answer you can’t. In my experience, other WiFi access point/routers let you designated separate SSIDs for each frequence. This is the reply I received from Amazom:
eero Mesh network does not split the bands for .24 and 5ghz – Both bands broadcasting at the same time – the Device itself chooses what band to connect to.
Google VPN is now part of the Google One subscription bundle. This is true for even the less expensive subscription tier ($20/year). Google VPN supports Android (of course), iOS/iPadOS, Windows, and MacOS. However, it does not support Google’s own ChromeOS/Chromebooks. This is Google’s reply to my question.
Please be informed that Google One VPN is not yet available in Chromebook as of the moment, but we are thankful about the idea. Currently the VPN by Google is available in Windows, MacOS and Android phones but please know that our Engineering team is working very hard to enhance the product and I’ll be glad to send this feedback to our specialist hopefully to make this possible in the near future.
How can you use time durations in calculations? E.g, add 50 minutes to 20 minutes. The site Office Watch has an excellent article explaining how to do this using cell Custom Formats.
In this podcast, Todd Ogasawara and Jon Westfall discuss:
Todd finally created a Mastodon account: @mobileviews
Google VPN now part of Google One lowest tier package ($20/year). Took it for a spin. It works on Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac. But, oddly, it does NOT appear to work with a Chromebook.
Bard now helps you code
Catching up with Bing/GitHub Copilot. It can also help write function for Google Sheets
I can help you write functions for Google Sheets in a few ways. First, I can help you understand the syntax of Google Sheets functions. Second, I can help you debug your functions. Third, I can help you improve the performance of your functions.
Here are some specific examples of how I can help you with each of these tasks:
Understanding the syntax of Google Sheets functions: I can help you understand the syntax of Google Sheets functions by providing you with examples and explanations. For example, I can show you how to use the SUM() function to add up the values in a range of cells.
Debugging your functions: I can help you debug your functions by identifying and fixing errors in your code. For example, I can help you identify errors in your function arguments or in your logic.
Improving the performance of your functions: I can help you improve the performance of your functions by optimizing your code. For example, I can help you avoid unnecessary loops or calculations.
Thinking aloud: Can Bing/Bard help keep mainframes running?
Harking back to my misspent youth thinking about how to emulate/preserve domain-based knowledge.I wonder if LLM + old-school rule-based expert systems might be useful in domains with few human experts.
Discussion Topic: What do you want to see at WWDC (6 weeks away) Rumors starting to heat upMacRumors Roundup
Jon’s Mini Rant: Why is duration calculations such a stupid thing in MS Excel (e.g., See this)
In this podcast, I speak with Kieran Garcia, Microsoft Senior Modern Work Specialist. We discuss Microsoft Copilot, Loop, and Designer. All are in preview releases. And, interestingly, Loop and Designer previews are currently only available for consumer subscriptions (vs. enterprise/government).
ABSGEEGA wireless lav vs. iPad mini 6 built-in mic volume difference
The main problem using this wireless lav is its low volume audio. In this test, I held the lav mic about two inches from my face instead of clipping it to my collar. And yet, the volume levels were still very low. You can see the differences in audio recoding volume in the first figure here showing the lav and iPad mini 6 mic (held about 6 to 8 inches from my face) recordings.
Audacity adjustments to deal with ABSGEEGA wireless lav low volume & “muddy” sound quality
The second issue with this lav mic is its muddy audio recording quality. This might be a combination of its low cost components (which, of course, keeps its price low and affordable) and the foam wind shield. I might try removing the wind shield and see if the trade-off of more volume with more ambient sound is preferable.
You can see in the second figure here that extreme adjustments I made to bass, treble, and volume using Audacity to try to improve the audio quality.
The first segment of this mini-podcast was recorded using the wireless lav. And, the last 30 seconds were recorded using the iPad mini 6’s built-in mic for comparison. Note that there is a short 5 second segment at about the 10 second mark of the podcast that let’s you hear unprocessed recording. The volume is so low that it might seem like silence. I should also note that I needed to amplify the lav mic recording’s volume a second time using a separate Audacity tool.
Despite these shortcomings, I think the post-processed audio is “listenable” and suitable for infrequent outdoor podcast recordings of conversations. However, if I would recommend purchasing a higher-end product for “serious” recordings.
As a sidenote, I recorded this mini-podcast on an iPad mini 6 using the Just Press Record app to test its speech-to-text transcription feature. You can see a transcription of the segment recorded using the iPad’s mic below.
Alrighty still if 11th move these mini podcast 36 I’ve switched to the iPad mini six is built-in microphone and I’ll just see a few words. It should be nice and loud although the you should be able to hear a lot of ambient sound, which is what you would expect I don’t think you’ll hear much ambient sound when you listen to the first part of this mini podcast recorded using the inexpensive some $30 wireless laugh Mike that’s it. Thank you.
