We feel that smart homes are going to be more common place in 2018 and beyond. With the introduction of Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home and of course Apple’s Siri, there’s always going to be something new that’s smart or designed to make your life easier. The Eufy Robovac 11 is the latter, an automated robotic vaccum cleaner that will clean your house with the click of a button. With that we were very impressed! We know that robotic vaccum cleaners have been around for some time, but the technology has come a long way!
Eufy Robovac 11
The Eufy Robovac can:
78mm ride depth, allowing the Eufy Robovac to get into areas other vacuums can’t
Clean every nook and cranny with the use of versatile cleaning modes
3 point cleaning system: Side brushes, rolling brushes and a powerful suction ensures a thorough clean:Dirt is loosened and then extracted from the floor, which consequently is vacuumed into the dust collector.
3 Cleaning modes: Edge, Spot and Max.
Clean for up to 1.5 hours due the the high-capacity li-on battery
Anti Scratch tempered glass cover for protection
Infared-sensor for obstacle evasion
Drop sensing tech to avoid falls and the ability to ride over rugs and uneven flooring (We were so impressed with this!)
Recharing automatically feature
Triple-Filter System: two regular filters and one high performance filter
We love the Eufy Robovac 11, the fact that it can clean autonomously is a wonderful little feature. We know that robotic vacuum cleaners have been out for some time now. But, we’ve never tested them ourselves. We wish we had tried them out sooner! We don’t think we’d hoover up without one now, it saves so much time! Especially the Eufy, a great little device!
To purchase your own Eufy Robovac 11 please click here!
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We have received some pretty cool stuff into the How To Kill An Hour offices and the Nanoleaf Light Panels are no different! They’re super interesting and really make the office stand out, they’re a lot more than just a set of lights too! They’re smart but, they’re also more than just smart!
Nanoleaf Light Panels are different to other smart lights, like the Philips Hue too. As they’re huge triangles of lights that are modular. Therefore allowing you to personalise them to whatever design you wish. You can wake up to the sunrise, improve your mood with an array of colours while automating your lighting throughout the day!
But there’s more….
Rhythm
There’s a small module attachment, called the Rhythm module. This little device can transform your music into light for the light panels. Simply turn on the device and watch it move with the music.
Nanoleaf Light Panels are:
Trianglular Panels of light that can piece together however you wish
Easily be mounted on to any flat surface using the mounting tape
Fully customizable with the use of the companion app: set schedules, download scenes
Activate with the use of Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant
If you don’t have a smart system, it can be toggled using a button on the controller
With the use of the Rhythm module, immerse yourself in a symphony of light!
To purchase your own Nanoleaf + Rhythm module please click here! They can also be purchased without the Rhythm kit, to do so, please click here!
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Listen to the guys chatting about this here! (Link LIVE from May 31st)
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We love our coffee here at the How To Kill An Hour offices and when we saw this coffee maker, we had to try it out! It’s elegant in design and minimalistic in tech. A little different than what us tech enthusiasts usually use. However, we are a place that’s more than just tech. We’re the place to come to find out the best ways to spend your free time. Drinking coffee is one of those past times that can be done whilst working or when away from the desk! Without teasing too much, we tested the Chemex 3 cup classic coffee maker and we loved it! But how do they achieve this?
Chemex: Taste
It claims to deliver the ‘purest flavour experience’ and it does just that! The coffee from the Chemex coffee maker is absolutely lovely! It certainly delivers a different taste than the coffee that we usually use out of an electronic coffee maker. The way that Chemex deliver such a great tasting coffee is due to one thing. Working in tandem with the Chemex Bonded filters the coffee that’s delivered is pure. Like filtered water. No sediments or any bitter elements like that, just pure gloriously tasting coffee.
Included with the Chemex Three Cup Classic is a polished wood collar and a leather tie, providing great grip. The coffee maker is glass, so it helps prevent a user burn their hands on the glass. All in all a great design that doesn’t look out of place in your kitchen. We were very impressed here at the office!
Purchase your own Chemex 3 Cup Classic Coffee Maker here!
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This is the Mikme Microphone, a supremely powerful microphone that boasts studio quality sound. From experience, we can tell you first hand that this microphone, really does produce some amazing sound quality! Consequently, in a tiny package too, we were seriously impressed when we reviewed this awesome little device! It’s touted as the world’s first wireless mircrophone and audio recorder in one. Simply press the button and voila, you’re recording. While you’ll need a smartphone to connect it to, to monitor what you’re recording, but other than that, you’re set! However, that’s no stress either! Simply connect your headphones to the Mikme to the reverse of the device to listen to the crispy clear audio!
Features
The internal 16GB memory stores recordings anywhere. The 1″phantom-powered, gold-plated condenser capsule delivers 24Bit/96kHz studio-grade audio.
Their App receives the audio wirelessly to give you total freedom to move. The patented Bluetooth protocol ensures all samples arrive safe and sound.
Also, their App syncs the audio from the device with the video from the iPhone in realtime. Create, edit and publish content in studio-quality on the go. (Credit)
The Mikme is perfect for everyone be that a creative, a musician or a journalist anyone can take use of this amazing little device. Since, no longer is there a need for people to carry around expensive gear. All you need is a smartphone and the Mikme device and you can create content that rivals that of which has been recorded with high end products! Great for on the go, on field recordings!
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Listen to the guys chatting about this here! (Link LIVE from May 31st)
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Well turns out we’re all screwed. We may not even know what free will is even more, mind control could be happening!
Ok enough movie quotes, let’s get on to the real reason as to why we may be seeing Jedi mind tricks in the real world at some point in the future. Hope you’re sitting down for this, scientists have suggested that we humans could tuen into mindless ‘cyborg’ type super consumers. The same technology has been used on rats – successfully. Well, it’s time to turn off all technology. It was nice knowing you!
Mind Control: Shopping
It relates to shopping. A team of researchers working at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology discovered that by stimulating a certain part of a mouses brain. The process triggered a craving, a craving for possessing unnecessary objects. Looking at you impulse buyers! The intended use of the discovery of this process is intended to treat people. The idea is to treat people with brain disorders such as kleptomania or hoarding. However, they also stated that it could be used to ‘control human behaviour’
You may think that craving objects is quite scary in and of itself. Prepare to be bamboozled. The team said that it can control the behaviour with a technique known as MPA-Induced aDrive Assisted Steering. This, when used, made the mice chase whatever is in front of them whenever the same region is stimulated.
Psychological
The joy that we as children got when we recieved a toy from our parents has followed us into adulthood. We experience the same sort of lust for objects – one example of this would be if you have a shopping addiction. Which of course, could be used to exploit us, coroporations couold make us shoppers just grab anything, mindlessly. Though, would mean shops would have access to our brains. Which isn’t going to happen.
Professor Kim noted that:
‘This study provides evidence to treat brain disorders such as compulsive hoarding and kleptomania. ‘It also contributes to the development of technology to control the behaviour of animals and humans using strong innate motivation, and thus could impact neuro-economics, defence and disaster relief.’
So there is some good to the mind control news. Of course, the treatment of brain diseases. But disaster relief could be good if it got more people to safety. But again it needs access to the brain!
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We are not doctors so do not take our advice! Then mess up your eyes and then sue us. Please take this and use the information about staring at screens damaging or not damaging your eyes at your own risk.
So allegedly according to a report by some scientists staring at a screen all day doesn’t damage your eyes. With the Verge reporting that, Nielsen reports that we spending up to 10 hours a day in front of a screen. So we can all sigh a collective sigh of relief that we all won’t go blind! Yay! However, there is a chance that you may feel uncomfortable after a period of time. That’s due to the backlight. There is also a chance that you will experience symptoms of eye strain and discomfort. Scientists call that Computer Vision Syndrome.
With Dr Rebecca Taylor stating in their video report that “The devices that we use, do not appear to cause any long term eye damage”
The reason we feel some discomfort is due to our eyes blinking less when we look at a screen. Dr Bozung reporting in their video report. That we can blink up to 67% less or slower than we would without looking at a screen.
Staring at a screen: Discomfort
If you are experiencing discomfort, the guys over at the Verge suggest that you can adjust the height of your monitor and/or desk setup to help ease the pain. Could even use moistening eye drops. The Vege also suggest a 20-20-20 rule. (Which we’ve never heard of before here at the How To Kill An Hour office!)
The rule is, for every 20 minutes you stare at a screen, you should stare at something 20ft away for a total of 20 seconds. The Verge also report about some special blue light filtering glasses that can help, but scientists don’t believe in those claims at all!
Our screen’s refresh rate can also affect our eyes, so for example a 60hz refresh rate monitor will cause your eyes to focus more often. Therefore causing you to tire quicker. The faster the refresh rate, the less often your eyes will need to refocus. The Verge are also reporting that positioning of your monitor also can affect your eyes discomfort. A 20degree angle at an arms length away is a good distance to eye health ratio. Brightness and contrast can also have an affect. Also fonts that you use can cause a problem! (Size most often) Lighting and the environment your in also has an affect. So staring at a screen isn’t so simple after all!
Apple have gone someway to combat discomfort in recent years with things such as Night Shift and Truetone, designed to lessen the blue hue in your phone’s screen!
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Alexa is great and is one of our favourite smart voice assisstants available today! However, would you like it if you could make Alexa, just that little bit more personal? Would you like to make your own Alexa commands? Even your own Alexa, voice controlled games? Now you can with a new feature and website from Amazon! Head over to bluerprints.amazon.com to get started on your very own Alexa commands. Furthermore you don’t even have to know how to code! Plus you can make as many different Alexa skills as you like!
Alexa Blueprints: How To
Alexa Skills are just like the apps you have on your smartphone, but are placed on your Amazon smart speaker instead. There’s already loads available on the Alexa Skills Store! You can download apps which help fit your lifestyle, order a pizza, order a cab even pull down the latest football scores!
Once you start using Blueprints you can use templates that are available to you to create your own personal Alexa skill within minutes! You can create anything that your heart desires. Be that custom games, to-do lists, learning! Furthermore you can get creative with them and make things such as a learning and knowledge skill but make it about your family. Such as a trivia game “Alexa, open My Family Trivia”
There are a whole host of skills that you can make, simply browse the blueprints that are available to you in the following categories:
Fun & Games
At Home
Storyteller
Learning & Knowledge
What skill are you going to make? Let us know by contacting us via our social media pages, we’re @howtokillanhour across all socials!
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So, it turns out that Robots are here to take over and there’s nothing we can do about it. They’re even going to be taking over our pets lives. Maybe even their jobs! (Can being our pet be classed as a job?) Well, it might as well be because they’re about to be booted from existence in our lives in favour of their metal counterparts!
Here are 5 Robots that may come take over the world:
Pet Robots
Zoomer Kitty. Yes that is it’s real name.
It’s a smart pet cat, a robot cat. It can feel your touch and purrs in response to it. Zoomer Kitty even does things that your own cat cannot. It can sing! Well hum. It hums three blind mice. (Poetic Irony? Or just trolling)
The Zoomer Kitty is described as a ‘tailed cushion that heals your heart’ So, at least the cat won’t poop in your house. Consequently, saving a lot of money on cleaning materials.
Wait? A tailed cushion!?! Since when did people use their cat as a cushion?!?!?! Most of all, WHO is using their cat as a cushion?
Babysitter Robots
The Cocotto from Panasonic is being described as a robot that can act as an ‘educational companion’ for your kid. Yes that’s called a Playstation 4.
It can talk to your children in a weird robotic sound that sounds something out of a horror movie.
But it can chat to our children and understand what is being said and even ask to go to the bathroom!?
However, the main aim for Cocotto is to build a child’s conversational skills through motion and communication.
Colon Robots?!
Robots are coming to the medical industry too!
Instead of having a finger up your bottom, or even a camera. Now you can put a robot up there to look for any problems instead!
All joking aside though. The robot can do really good and is designed to ease the passage of colonoscopies to prevent cancer.
Assistant Robots
CLOi from LG is their aim at being Alexa’s smarter sister. CLOi will recognise each family member and interact with them accordingly. Furthermore the smart robot will interact with all the different smart technology in your home. Also, there are Waiter, Porter and Shopper concept versions even exist too!
So, CLOi is kind of like a smart hub, that will interact with every other LG enabled smart tech in your home. Looking at the video above. LG are indeed looking to make their own Alexa. Not just a smart assistant but with a more talkative, human like experience, Smart hub.
Book Reading Robots
Firstly, you don’t even have to read your child a bed time story.
This is Luka. Luka is an intelligent robot that can help your child read any book. As well as this educational aspect, Luka can also teach them good habits. Also, Luka can play interactive games (which are educational too!) As one of them is called the ‘Tooth-Cleaning contest!
Human Robots
This is Simroid. Simroid has been designed to help practasing dental surgeons hone their skills before being let wild at your teeth. The robot is designed to act like a human. It sits in a dentist chair, following orders from budding surgeons. Also, it would even make facial expressions if they make mistakes and cause pain!
Simroid is not just for teeth either. Another version was created to simulate the effects of swine flue. The robot was coated in human like skin. Furthermore, it sweats, moans, cries, convulses – just as us humans would if we were infected with H1N1. Lovely. What’s even more crazy is that the robot can DIE! If the robot is not treated correctly symptoms worsen and then the robot dies.
Astronaut Robots
Furthermore, IMB have created Crew Interactive Mobile Companion. CIMON for short. It’s designed as a companion robot for all the lonely astronauts up there in space on the ISS.
However, CIMON will even help with simple tasks, display diagnostic data and it can even be a friendly psychotherapist due to its complex neural network.
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One Plus have today announced a brand new phone – the One Plus 6!
Features
The One Plus 6 features an all glass all design and has a 6.28 inch fill Optic AMOLED 19:9 display. This is the largest ever screen that One Plus have put on a phone. Providing users with as much screen real estate as possible! Designing the navigation bar so that it can be replaced by gesture controls. It has an incredible immersive viewing experience, yet retaining a similar form factor to the ever popular One Plus 5T.
Glass
One plus have used some of the toughest glass available in it’s phone’s too: Cornering Gorilla Glass 5, on both the front and the back of the phone. Creating sligh curves to create an uninterrupted look and feel! This is due to Gorilla glass’s strength and malleability! That’s not all, due to an all glass design the One Plus 6 is able to transfer radio waves at an ever faster rate! providing users with up to 1 gigabit of download speed!
Furthermore the One Plus 6 takes use of Qualcomm technology and is the fastest phone the company have ever made! Which makes streaming high end HD quality content to playing immensely powerful and graphic hungry games a breeze!
All that computing power will take it’s toll on the phone’s battery. However, fear not, as One Plus have a trick up their sleeve that you will love. The One Plus 6 can charge a full days power in just half an hour!
Camera
The One Plus 6 has a dual camera system, a 16MP camera which is the main. It is supported by a second 20MP camera, which has a f/1.7 aperture. The main 16MP camera has been bolstered by a 19% larger sensor and OIS. Therefore creating oustanding performance in a range of lighting situations. The advanced HDR feature has improved too! The One Plus’ High Dynamic Range algorithm brings out the shadows and enhances lighting in photos taken.
There is also a portrait mode that will be available on both the One Plus 6’s front camera as well as the rear. Using AI, the front camera applies a depth of field, or bokeh affect to selfies. Which can be stylised too with circles, hearts and stars.
Not forgetting the introducion of Slow Motion mode too, the One Plus 6’s camera can capture high definition video with incredible detail!
Design
One Plus have gone into incredible detail with their designs. The Mirror Black and Midnight Black versions have an embedded thin layer of film under the glass to creates a sense of depth as light and shadow move on the device. While a jagged texture was added to the Midnight Black to create a subtle S-shaped line when the phone is reflected in light, much like the Silk White limited edition version of the One Plus 6 which uses pearl powder to create a subtle shimmering effect.
OS
The One Plus 6 uses Oxygen OS, an Android OS that is refined, faster and cleaner, reflecting the look of the One Plus 6. Consequently the One Plus 6’s Oxygen OS is much more customizable than other Android experiences, allowing a user to make their phone more personable than ever!
The One Plus 6 comes in various memory sizes and available from May 22nd in North America and Europe! Simply head over to oneplus.com! The sizes available are 64gb, 128gb and 256gb! Prices start from £469, while the limited edition Silk White version will be available from June 5th.
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Firstly, we like new and fun games here at the How To Kill An Hour Studio. We like games that take a different spin on popular games. The games that step away from the norm to create something that everyone will love. A game that everyone will remember. Last Man Sitting is no different!
Last Man Sitting is a take on the popular saying “Last Man Standing” (Usually aimed at Wrestling and other types of shoot em up video games)
Consequently, the aim of the game is to be the Last Man Sitting. Literally.
Last Man Sitting: Plot
You sit in a chair and shoot other members with a shotgun trying to get them eliminated from the game. The last one standing. I mean sitting is the winner.
There is even a bunch of different game modes and types of chairs to use:
4 Different Game Modes: Last Man Sitting, Battle Royal, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch
Singleplayer against Ai
Different Chairs to choose from
Couch Coop with up to 4 friends (split screen and multitrack camera)
(Steam)
Yet, what makes this game especially fun to play is the ragdoll physics for each of the characters. It sounds crazy! Yet, it just makes the game that much more enjoyable to play as a comedic element is add to a ridiculous game!
Furthermore, what makes the game even more interesting is that the developers PixelPizza are looking to develop the game further to include even more crazy things such as:
Online Multiplayer
Different Maps
Soccer Mode: Where the aim of the game is to score goals instead of beating each other up. This game mode is called: Last Man Kicking!
Listen to the guys chatting about this please click here!
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