You can Go your own way
MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP GO
Seemingly adamant there must be a Surface to suit every lap, Microsoft
has introduced yet another product to its portable computing range – and
this might be the most portable of them all. The 12.4in touchscreen
marks it as an obvious rival to Apple’s possible upcoming 12in MacBook,
as well as various Chromebooks, and its full-size keyboard means you
don’t have to compromise on useability. This lightweight lappy includes
both USB-C and USB-A ports, while powering it is a 10th-gen Intel i5
quad-core brain with up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. There’s
a built-in 720p webcam, plus Dolby Audio speakers – and with 13 hours
of battery life, the smallest Surface laptop clearly has big ambitions.
from £549 / microsoft.comBuddy but unbowed
GRADO GT220
Grado’s headphones normally look like something a WW2 radio
operator would wear to coordinate a Spitfire assault over the English
Channel. But with true wireless earbuds taking over the world like an
occupying force, Grado’s first pair are unusually understated. What the
GT220s lack in visual flair they should make up for with sound quality,
however: each one houses a specially tuned 8mm driver, with aptX
Bluetooth 5.0 and support for hi-res audio, while the charging case
boosts their 6hr battery life by an extra 30. There’s no noise-cancelling;
but that would prevent you from detecting any bandits at six o’clock,
otherwise known as pavement-hogging cyclists or runaway dogs.
£250 / grado.co.ukWhich particular sense are we talking
about here – common?
In a way, yes. You know that stage in life
when your parents are getting on a bit and
you start feeling like the grown-up, not the
other way around? Ugh, the responsibility.
Well, MySense is a wellbeing analytics
platform that lets you keep an eye on
someone’s health from anywhere in the
world – like Thailand, Ibiza or Pontins,
for example.
Sounds well nosy... tell me more.
Using a combination of passive sensors
placed around the home and interactive
wearable sensors placed on a person,
MySense measures data points across
five themes of wellbeing (hydration,
anxiety, independence, nutrition and
mobility), while an app dashboard displays
an individual’s ‘normal’ behaviour then
highlights and notifies families or first
responders to any irregularities or signs
of danger.
Where do the sensors go?
On the front door, on a chair, by the fridge,
next to a tap, in the toilet (ew!)... while the
wearables include a temperature patch,
pulse oximeter and sleep belt. Trials of
the system have been so successful one
NHS trust recorded a 58% reduction in GP
appointments, 80% reduction in hospital
appointments, 53% reduction in 999
calls, 100% reduction in 111 calls and 43%
reduction in unnecessary healthcare visits
to patients who wore the patches.
Does this mean we should have been
clapping for wearables all summer?
Er, no. But for now you can check out
the Indiegogo campaign kicking off on
3 November, or head to mysense.ai to
find out more. As part of the crowdfunder
campaign, MySense is making 2500 kits
available to the public for the first time, as
so far it’s only been available via healthcare
professionals. If the system turns out to
work as intended it could be a very clever
way to take some strain off the NHS.
WTF IS
MYSENSE?