Geekly Update - 21 April 2021

The AskBobRankin Geekly Update

Fitbit co-founder says wristbands that merely count your steps and measure you heart rate are so last year. Newer models will have stress sensors, electrocardiogram and blood pressure capability. They’ll also check for atrial fibrillation, measure blood oxygen levels, monitor your sleep patterns, and alert you if you’re getting sick.

Could a new super-white paint formulation help buildings use less energy? Purdue University engineers have created what they claim is “the whitest paint yet” with the ability to reflect up to 98% of sunlight, sending infrared heat away from surfaces. That could drastically reduce the need for air conditioning in some buildings.

Old-school cameras with actual film? Yes, they still exist. In fact, Polaroid just announced the newest member of their instant camera family. The $99 Polaroid Go will go on sale April 27. Youngsters who are baffled at the sight of a physical photo print can always snap a picture of it with their smartphone before posting to social media.

Apple AirTags are the latest competitor to Samsung's SmartTag and Tile, the popular “where’s my gadget” trackers. The long-expected $29 AirTags can help you find lost items like your keys, luggage, backpack and other tagged items.

And in a rare departure from the normally rigid boundaries of the Apple ecosystem, the AirTags can be used via both iPhone and Android devices. Android capabilty is limited, as reported by 9to5Mac, but it’s a pleasant surprise.

Got an old Samsung Galaxy in your junk drawer? Samsung’s Upcycling at Home program offers to help you turn it into a smart home device, such as a security camera, baby monitor, light detector, or a dog bark detector.

Google's new tracking method known as FloC (Federated Learning of Cohorts) was designed to provide more user privacy than the “browser cookies” currently in use. But the makers of DuckDuckGo, a competing privacy-focused search engine, advise that your ducks stay out of that flock. DuckDuckGo says FloC "groups you based on your interests and demographics, derived from your browsing history, to enable creepy advertising and other content targeting,” and has announced an add-on to the Chrome browser that blocks the FloCs.

The free Google Meet video conferencing software is getting some upgrades, which Google says will make your calls calls easier and more fun. New backgrounds will allow you to hide your messy bedroom from public view. The low-light mode will adjust your video to make you more visible if you’re in a room that’s too dark or too light. And based no feedback from users who said that seeing themselves while presenting made them feel more tired, it’s now possible to resize, reposition or hide your own video feed.

Last week I highlighted a story about why the latest and greatest smartphone is usually not a smart buy. Along those lines, Daily Steals is offering up the circa-2018 “Not Pink” Pixel 3 64GB smartphone for $199. A CNET exclusive promo code will knock the price down to $170 and get you free shipping on this phone, which really is pink, and might make a nice Mother’s Day gift.

Be careful when sharing details of your work life on LinkedIn. MI5, the UK’s spy agency, says more than 10,000 UK nationals have been contacted via fake LinkedIn profiles associated with foreign spies who wish to trick them into providing confidential information.

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