By the time they figure that all out the fad will be over.

I need someone to tell me how unlocking your front door from a bluetooth app on your phone is faster or easier than just using your key.
Or is it too difficult to carry keys in skinny jeans?

TVeblen said:

By the time they figure that all out the fad will be over.

I need someone to tell me how unlocking your front door from a bluetooth app on your phone is faster or easier than just using your key.
Or is it too difficult to carry keys in skinny jeans?

Having an active app on your phone that will automatically unlock (even better, also unlatch) when you approach your door with both arms full of groceries or other packages (heck, there are cars and SUVs that do that now) would be one heck of a lot easier than trying to fumble around with a key. I usually make at least two trips from my "little" pickup to avoid the key fumble. At my age, that has gotten rather old.

As the article said, one or more standards need to be set for the so called Internet of Things to be successful. Imagine, besides the door scenario, being able to walk through the house and just tell things to do what they are supposed to do, such as the lights turn on or off, tell the thermostat when you're too cold or hot, have appliances tell you when something is wrong (no more opening the 'fridge and finding everything spoiled because it did several hours before). Many of those things can be set to happen automatically (although I, personally, would not prefer that much of the time).

However, my biggest objections right now are the expense (I won't even spring for the monthly expense of a smart phone) and the lack of security. Like "smart" TVs, everything is too easily hacked. Imagine some hacker in China (or next door) making your lights flash on and off, reset your thermostat to excessively high or low temperatures, telling your fridge to shut off, etc. Even worse, imagine your gadgets being used to spy on you.

In the UK, we would be better off with a situation whereby our political leaders, educators and senior management personnel understood the IT technology that we have now. Anything else will see those people make like a threatened tortoise.

Our lovely old Queen can use the internet with greater success than the politicians.

hirobo2 said:

Lady Fitzgerald said:

TVeblen said:

By the time they figure that all out the fad will be over.

I need someone to tell me how unlocking your front door from a bluetooth app on your phone is faster or easier than just using your key.
Or is it too difficult to carry keys in skinny jeans?

Having an active app on your phone that will automatically unlock (even better, also unlatch) when you approach your door with both arms full of groceries or other packages (heck, there are cars and SUVs that do that now) would be one heck of a lot easier than trying to fumble around with a key. I usually make at least two trips from my "little" pickup to avoid the key fumble. At my age, that has gotten rather old.

As the article said, one or more standards need to be set for the so called Internet of Things to be successful. Imagine, besides the door scenario, being able to walk through the house and just tell things to do what they are supposed to do, such as the lights turn on or off, tell the thermostat when you're too cold or hot, have appliances tell you when something is wrong (no more opening the 'fridge and finding everything spoiled because it did several hours before). Many of those things can be set to happen automatically (although I, personally, would not prefer that much of the time).

However, my biggest objections right now are the expense (I won't even spring for the monthly expense of a smart phone) and the lack of security. Like "smart" TVs, everything is too easily hacked. Imagine some hacker in China (or next door) making your lights flash on and off, reset your thermostat to excessively high or low temperatures, telling your fridge to shut off, etc. Even worse, imagine your gadgets being used to spy on you.

That's already happening. That's why laptops come with webcams and fingerprint sensors. The FBI probably has facial profiles of everybody that's ever sat in front of one of these. They probably made the laptop manufacturers record the identities of each purchaser and obtained this list as well.

But, there is more to come.

When Intel finally implements kill switch, which your laptop will be constantly sending an RF homing signal. They'll be able to track down anybody in real time whose facial profile matches the person they want to target, especially execs with business secrets who are constantly on the move with their laptop...

Wow! And I thought I was conspiracy paranoid!

z3r010 said:

I think he's copy and pasted that from one of your earlier posts

Edit - my mistake, I've re-read it and there was no mention of backups so it can't be.

My comment was based on his reasons for web cams and fingerprint readers being installed on laptops (although I do admit permanently disabling the web cams—delete software and put tape over the lens—on every machine I've ever owned that had one).

John you make me