16 NOVEMBER 2019|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE 381
YOURNEXTDOCTORcould be arobot. Well,
maybe not arobot exactly,but the Department of
Health and Social Care has earmarked £250m to
fund the development of artificial intelligence (AI)
forpractical frontline treatments.
The NHS already has NHSX, aunit that aims to
inject more digital technology intoUKhealthcare to
make it acutting-edge service.And the use of AI
tech is big on NHSX’s agenda.
With ajab of an extra £250m, NHSX will have
the moneytoresearch practical AI tools to treat
conditions such as heart disease,dementia and
cancer.That could mean AI and smart assistant
systems to aid doctors in tackling serious conditions
or automating the treatment of complex diseases.
There are already projects that have seen AI
technology used to help with the diagnosis of
diseases, such as Cambridge’s Addenbrooke
Hospital using Microsofttools to process images
scanning forprostatecancer.But there’s clearly
potential formore use.
“I want our AI lab to generatecutting-edge
technology,todiagnose illnesses such as sepsis,
stroke and heart attacks before symptoms appear.
It’s amazing and it can be done,” said health
secretary Matt Hancock.
“Genomic testing can predict which conditions
we’re susceptible to,and that means we can take
preventative measures to stayhealthier forlonger.”
Government calls in AI to help out NHS
If twocredit
cards are
placed in the same
slot, your cardcould
become scratched”
Appledoesn’t want its titanium
Apple Card rubbing shoulders
with run-of-the-mill cards
Three’sclaim
to be the only
real 5G networkis
entirelyfalse,and
deliberatelyaimed
at misleading
consumers”
AnEEspokesperson isn’t
impressed with Three’s 5G
advertising claims
We have
neither the
contracts nor the
capabilities to do so”
Huaweidenies accusations it
helped African governments spy
on dissidents
Thecollusion
between
police and private
companies in
building these
surveillance nets
around popular
spaces is deeply
disturbing”
Silkie Carlo,ofBig Brother Watch,
on the use of facial recognition
technology by UK authorities
Yo utrust us to
followyour
choices and we
failed here.We ’re
sorry this happened,
and aretaking steps
to makesurewe
don’tmakeamistake
likethis again”
Twitteris full of apologies after
accidentally sharing user data
with advertisers
DELLISN’TALWAYSafront-runner when it comes
to tech innovation. The Dell XPS 13, forinstance,
hasn’t changed much over the years. But sticking a
small form-factor PC intoamodular monitor stand is
something abit different from the PC maker.
Through the use of clever cable management and
the power of USB Type-C, the OptiPlex 7070 Ultra is
amachine that can fit intoamonitor stand. And
despiteits diminutive size,itcan be specced with up
to a25W Intel Core vPro i7 CPU, 64GB of RAM, a
1TB NVMe SSD and 2TB hard disk.
We’ve seen powerful PCs in small packages
before,but what’s clever here is that the stand in
which the PC is placed comes with add-ons to
support displays up to 27in in size,aswell as those
with VESA mounts. The OptiPlex 7070 Ultra can
support up to three screens on its stand, and comes
with an adjustable arm so the displays can be tilted.
Dell is championing the OptiPlex 7070 Ultra as a
machine forsaving space in busy open-plan offices
and those with hot-desking regimes. But it’s also
created apseudo all-in-one PC that looks to be more
upgradable than previous AIOs; if you want to move
up or down ascreen size,it’s acase of just removing
the displayrather than needing awhole new AIO.
Such asystem should also cut down on waste,
given that the machine can be easily upgraded and
parts reused or swapped with other OptiPlex 7070
Ultra PCs in an office.
There’s no word on UK pricing, but the OptiPlex
7070 Ultra is set to arrive on 24th September and
could set anew standard forAIO PC designs.
Dell’s powerful new PC sets the standard
for modular all-in-ones
FLYINGISHELLat times, what with cramped seats
and noisy people.But British Airways is trialling the
use of virtual reality (VR) headsets on flights
between London and New York, with the idea that
frequent flyers can escape from the rigours of
trans-Atlantic air travel.
Working with VR specialist
SkyLights, BA is giving first-class
travellers the option to pop aVR
headset on and zone out to “a
selection of award-winning films,
documentaries and travel programmes
in 2D,3Dor360° formats”.For those
stressedbyflying,there’stheoptiontolistentosound
therapyorhaveguidedmeditationexperiencesinVR.
One might wonder why folks in first class would
need VR escapism, given theyhavethe best seats in
the house.This could be down to VR
experiences needing space to move
around, something not readily
available to those in cattle class.
However,ifthis trial is asuccess
–itonly runs from now until the
end of 2019 –there’s achance VR
headsets could be rolled out to
other passengers, too.
BA turns to VR so first-class passengers can
put their heads further in the clouds
ours of the
exp
aro
