I was looking for an app to alert me to low battery levels across various of my iOS devices. Although coconutBattery looked good, it is macOS only, and I only power my Macbook up occasionally. So I looked at a good four iOS app options, and there is no perfect one that does everything perfectly. I also discarded anything that was updated more than a year ago. I installed across my iPhone, iPad and Watch. You can view the battery levels from any device’s app, for all the devices.

PowerToYou covers iPhone, iPad (and iPencil found under Bluetooth devices), Watch, AirPods (added as a Bluetooth device). What I like is that it has a good widget layout, clearly showing the percentages and time last updated for each device. You can set notifications globally for any device falling below, or going above (to prevent full cycle charging), a percentage charged. Adding the AirPods on my iPhone, made them show up on the iPad’s app just fine. The widget expanded to show the AirPods. It also has some choices for Watch complications. The app was last updated Feb 2022, and has an active Discord support community. Download from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/powertoyou/id1558154409.

Cloud Battery covers the same devices as PowerToYou (but says AirPods can no longer be monitored this way, and did not detect them), but it also detected and showed my Apple Pencil battery level. Its widgets fall a bit short though as they are nice but fail to show any percentage level or time last updated. However, a quick press on the widget opens the app, which shows the percentages. Another quick press on an individual device, shows when the charge level was last updated, rename the device, and set a device specific alert fop passing below or above a certain percentage level. Cloud Battery also allows you to customise the colours of widget text and icons. App was last updated Jan 2022. Download from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cloud-battery/id1480648069.

“Charged?” is a small app that allows you to check the charge level of your iOS and macOS devices via iCloud. I did briefly use it, and it shows battery percentages with last updated, for iPhone, iPad and macOS. It does lack some of the extra features the apps above have, and was last updated in March 2021.

Battery Status Overview does not work with macOS, but works on iPad, iPhone and Watch. It also has a lot fewer settings and more basic graphics, but does include a charge history log. They only mention alerts for the battery charge level reaching 100%. The app was last updated in Dec 2021, and only has one review rating, though.

Apple’s built-in battery widget is great, but it ONLY shows local devices, so no overview of all your other devices.

So I am a bit torn between PowerToYou and Cloud Battery. I’m leaning more towards PowerToYou as the widget has everything clearly shown. Cloud Battery’s plus is its ability to set a different minimum and maximum battery percentage for each device separately.

I’ll post any updates about this topic at my blog post at https://gadgeteer.co.za/powertoyou-and-cloud-battery-amongst-other-apps-both-display-battery-levels-of-your-other-apple-devices/.

#technology #apple #chargelevels #battery #monitoring

When it comes to Linux, we do not get official software support from brands like NZXT, Corsair, MSI, ASUS, etc., to manage hardware components on PC.

Coolero is a front-end that uses libraries like liquidctl and a few others to control cooling devices, mostly AIOs, fan hub/controllers, along with PSUs and some RGB lighting support. Coolero has been making good progress with NZXT and Corsair devices so far, but it is still a work in progress. Its functionality is not just for monitoring, as it can also control a number of essentials such as adjusting fan profiles and RGB light profiles, multiple versions of a device, etc. It supports most of the devices liquidctl supports.

So before buying any new high-end device to use on Linux, you may well want to have a look at their GitLab project page to see what devices Coolero already supports.

See https://gitlab.com/codifryed/coolero

#technology #linux #hardware #cooling #coolero

The system's called LiveStory, and starts by asking for an upload of an ancestor's photo, before using deep learning tech the company licensed from D-ID to fashion a full-blown mini-documentary including audio and high-resolution video. Faces are animated and synced up with the images to — ideally — tell part of your family's story.

MyHeritage admits in its FAQ for LiveStory that some may find the feature "creepy and dislike it," but claims others think it's downright magical. LiveStory is an evolution of DeepNostalgia, an AI-based family photo animation tool that MyHeritage introduced a year ago to a similar mix of awed and decidedly haunted reactions. I did a post about DeepNostalgia in Feb 2021.

LiveStory requires a user account and if you have a full subscription to MyHeritage ($299 a year) there are no limits on how many LiveStories you can make. Videos you make are yours to keep.

See https://www.androidpolice.com/myheritage-livestory-ai-dead-ancestors/

#technology #genealogy #ancestors #AI #LiveStory

We need to utilize the text editor to take notes, write a program, or edit a system configuration file to get something done. Your Linux distribution already comes pre-installed with text editors, no matter the requirements.

You will most likely notice some of the best modern text editors like Gedit, Geany, Kate, etc., pre-installed in your Linux distribution. However, these are all GUI-based programs.

What if you want to access a text editor through the terminal? For example, for remotely editing text or config files on a server. You should also find it built-in to your Linux distribution.

The article explains some differences between these two popular text editors. Most Linux users fall into either a Vim camp, or a Nano camp, and the article will probably help make the reason a bit clearer.

See https://itsfoss.com/vim-vs-nano/

#technology #opensource #linux #texteditor #vim #nano

My video covers the resuscitation of commercial shortwave radio by the BBC to reach Ukraine and Russia, shows how you can tune in remotely to hear these broadcasts in say Finland, how Tor Onion sites are being used by the BBC; as well as peer-to-peer social networks can be used to bypass the blocking of traditional websites and social media sites.

Watch at https://youtu.be/k87usQLKZOs

#technology #war #censorship #BBC #Tor

The BBC is resorting to broadcasting news bulletins over shortwave radio in Russia after the country blocked access to BBC websites, The Guardian reports. The BBC announced it was bringing back the WWII-era broadcasting technology in the region just hours before its sites were banned. News of the ban was also reported by Russian state news agency RIA.

Shortwave radio uses frequencies that carry over long-distances and are accessible on portable sets. The BBC says its shortwave broadcasts will be available on frequencies of 15735 kHz from 6pm to 8pm and 5875 kHz from midnight to 2am, Ukraine time. News will be read in English, which the BBC says will be available in Kyiv as well as “parts of Russia.”

In 2019, the corporation also launched a Tor Onion domain, which is designed to offer a more secure, higher performance, and censorship-resistant way to access its website via Tor browsers compared to a typical .com or .co.uk URL.

Fascinates me that no matter how we move forward with technology, we have to realise how fragile it really is, and how more dependencies are introduced, which can be disrupted. Good old radio still works, though, and can reach right around Earth. More advanced low power digital radio has even better reach, but does require slightly more specialised software (which most radio hams can put in place).

See https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/4/22961286/bbc-news-blocked-in-russia-ukraine-invasion-shortwave-radio

#technology #BBC #war #shortwave #radio #tor

When using Linux on mobile devices such as Laptops, it is very important to tune the right kernel parameters in order to optimize battery life. Tlp is a highly customizable, free and open source command line utility released under the GPLv2 license (the source code is hosted on github) created with this exact goal.

Tlp can be used to perform a vast range of other power saving tweaks: the best way to know them is to take a look at the configuration file and see how they are implemented. The linked tutorial shows how to install and configure Tlp on some of the most used Linux distributions.

See https://linuxconfig.org/how-to-optimize-laptop-battery-life-with-tlp-on-linux

#technology #linux #laptops #batterylife #opensource

Smartphone-oriented websites tend to focus only on the latest devices, but a large chunk of users choose not to upgrade their phones for one reason or another. Barring hardware failure, many of these devices may still have years of use ahead of them because, to their owners, they still work just fine. While custom ROMs can keep legacy smartphones alive for ages, it can be a nightmare for the modders to keep things like the camera and graphics drivers up to date without official manufacturer support.

Unlike the smartphone ecosystem, updating the graphics driver on your PC is something you can always think about. This is possible because of the modular architecture of PC hardware drivers, which allows power users to tinker with closed source driver packages, or even opt for open source drivers instead of OEM-provided binaries. In the case of Android, however, driver updates generally only come to your phone alongside larger OS updates.

Updatable GPU drivers can come in handy for fixing bugs, improving graphics performance, or adding new features from OpenGL or Vulkan APIs. Nowadays, smartphones are bigger and faster than ever, making them the perfect vehicle for gaming, hence porting the PC-esque driver design to them does make sense.

Thanks to XDA Senior Member bylaws, we now have a genius solution named Adreno Tools that allows on-the-fly GPU driver modifications or replacements on Android — that too without root! Fellow Skyline developer Mark “Pixelylon” pitched the idea of runtime drive replacement to bylaws, which eventually materialized into Adreno Tools. Being a rootless library, Adreno Tools can help any regular app to load custom GPU drivers, deal with BCn textures, and redirect file operations for further complex modifications. It does so by hooking into system libraries and seamlessly swapping in the new driver.

See https://www.xda-developers.com/adreno-tools-update-android-graphics-drivers/

#technology #android #gaming #adrenotools #graphics

In recent years, interest in using open source collaboration platforms to enhance business productivity increased. Proprietary software has managed to overwhelm customers with a maze of licensing requirements and pay-to-play features that many companies don't want to manage. On the other hand, open source offers alternatives that give companies the liberty of choice and allow new businesses to enter existing markets easier with more control over upfront costs.

In January 2022, Zexras introduced an open source email server and collaboration platform called Carbonio Community Edition (Carbonio CE). It comes with a powerful web client to organize emails, calendars, attachments, and personal files. It also has collaboration features like collaborative editing, group chats, and video meetings, all integrated into the web client.

See https://opensource.com/article/22/3/open-source-collaboration-carbonio

#technology #opensource #collaboration #projects #teams