HeadGaze app lets users with disabilities navigate with simple head movements →

An eBay intern behind the app hopes it will help those with physical disabilities navigate their iPhone X with just a head nod.

Companies and organizations are quickly realizing the many ways new technology can help those with disabilities navigate the new digital environment, and one team of eBay workers put their heads together and created HeadGaze, an iOS app that lets you move around an iPhone screen with only a turn of the head.

"As someone with extensive motor impairments, I do not have full control of my limbs. Consequently, I am unable to walk or grab anything with my hands. These limitations hinder my ability to perform everyday tasks, like going to the grocery store and shopping independently -- even though I have my own income," wrote eBay intern Muratcan Cicek, who suffers from a physical disability and was looking for an app to help people like himself shop online.

"This year as part of my internship project at eBay, my team and I developed HeadGaze, a reusable technology library that tracks head movement on your iPhone X and starting today, the technology is available via open source on GitHub.com," he added.

"The first of its kind, this technology uses Apple ARKit and the iPhone X camera to track your head motion so you can navigate your phone easily without using your hands."

In a blog post on eBay and a video released on Vimeo, the creators show how the app's simple but powerful functions can help people move around an iPhone. Cicek said the app uses a "virtual stylus" to track your head movements and create a 3D map that can find and move a cursor on your screen.

To make the app useful, the team had to create an interface that would allow you to take actions with a cursor, like the way every mouse has two click buttons. The app, Cicek said, can sense how long the cursor has been on something and that will cause it to take a clicking action.

With the help of the app, users can navigate a website, scroll up and down a webpage, move between pages and, in the case of a website like eBay, search or make purchases, all without touching the iPhone at all. They also made a concerted effort to help other developers use their technology for a variety of websites and apps, posting the HeadGaze designs on GitHub. To display their technology, they created the HeadSwipe app specifically for eBay to test whether users could swipe between offers and deals. HeadSwipe's designs are also available on GitHub.

"It is because of HeadGaze's potential to make a tremendous impact on the lives of many people that we are open-sourcing this tool. We want to encourage developers to build more apps that don't require screen touch," Cicek said. The app's creation is part of a series of efforts by Partnership on AI, a group of businesses interested in integrating AI into the public responsibly.

"While Assistive Technology helps the disabled to perform some everyday tasks, there is no existing tool that considers our needs when shopping online. And with 39.5 million Americans currently considered physically disabled, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we saw an opportunity to create a tool that would promote independence."

Cicek also wrote that the tool has many other potential uses for those performing tasks that make it impossible to hold a smartphone, like cooking or construction. "The fusion of these gazing experiences open up a broader possibility on defining various hands-free gestures, enabling much more interesting applications," he added.

*This article as featured on Download.com on September 12, 2018: https://download.cnet.com/blog/download-blog/headgaze-app-lets-users-with-disabilities-navigate-with-simple-head-movements/

How Android 9's Digital Wellbeing tool helps control your app time →

Android 9 Pie's dashboard gives you a detailed breakdown of how long you use your favorite apps and allows you to set time limits.

If you've ever wondered what it would take to use your smartphone less, Google might have the answer. This week, Google unveiled a beta of it highly publicized Digital Wellbeing tool in Android 9, which will help users better manage their time on smartphones.

Many of us have been in the position of realizing we spend way too much time entranced by screens, both large and miniature. In recent years, more and more tech companies are coming to the same realization, putting them in the awkward position of pushing the usage of their products while acknowledging the need for some time away from them.

Android 9's Digital Wellbeing tool addresses many of the concerns voiced by their users, doctors, and social scientists, who have all questioned the immediate and long-term effects of intense and extended smartphone usage.

The app is available this week with Android 9 on Google's Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL devices..

When you open the dashboard (which you access by opening Settings and then scrolling down to Digital Wellbeing), you will see statistics on smartphone usage, including how much time you spent on your phone, a daily graphic on how much you use certain apps, and figures on how many times you unlocked your phone and number of notifications received.

The dashboard is only one part of Google's plan to help their users. It included a timer you can set for apps and a Do Not Disturb feature that hides your visual and auditory notifications. The Wind Down tool allows you to activate the Do Not Disturb feature before you go to bed every night, disconnecting you from your smartphone so you can get a good night's sleep.

"We all love our phones -- the cameras capture the memories we make, they find us the best route to work each day, and they answer the questions we have throughout the day," said Google's Director of Product Management Sabrina Ellis.

"But many of us can probably use a little bit of help disconnecting from our devices from time to time so we can focus on the other things in our lives."

Google has made time management a hallmark of their messaging over the last few years, and the release of their 'Wellbeing' app is another step toward helping their users prioritize tasks and live healthy lives beyond their smartphones. They announced the features at I/O in May, and much of what is found in the current beta version of the Digital Wellbeing features are amalgamations of features already available on most Android phones.

Users have long been able to gray their screen or turn on Do Not Disturb settings, but the new features bring all of these acts into one central screen and makes it easier to turn on settings that limit smartphone usage.

Google's Digital Wellbeing efforts also extend to parents, who can set limits on Android devices for their children as they ease into greater device usage. You can even schedule internet "breaks" for kids and block inappropriate content.

On their Digital Wellbeing webpage, Google says they're "dedicated to building technology that is truly helpful for everyone."

"We're creating tools and features that help people better understand their tech usage, focus on what matters most, disconnect when needed, and create healthy habits for the whole family. We're committed to giving everyone the tools they need to develop their own sense of digital wellbeing. So that life, not the technology in it, stays front and center."

Apple, Facebook and Instagram are all working on similar features that give users a concrete breakdown of how and how often they use apps, allowing people to make their own decisions on how they need to adjust their smartphone usage.

The Center for Human Technology says that while the amount of time spent on smartphones is a concern, it's how that time is being spent that underpins the negative feelings people may have after using these websites.

"Snapchat turns conversations into streaks, redefining how our children measure friendship. Instagram glorifies the picture-perfect life, eroding our self worth. Facebook segregates us into echo chambers, fragmenting our communities. YouTube autoplays the next video within seconds, even if it eats into our sleep," the center wrote.

You can sign up to be a beta tester of the features through the sign up page in the Google Play Store.

*this article was featured on Download.com on August 10, 2018: https://download.cnet.com/blog/download-blog/how-android-9s-digital-wellbeing-tool-helps-control-your-app-time/

Google Maps app now lets you share battery status along with your location →

Google Maps will now let others know how long till your battery's dead.

Sharing locations within Google Maps has become a popular way to locate a friend in a new place or guide someone to a hard-to-find destination.

But the feature was not without flaws. Some users complained that if their phone died after sharing a location, the marker representing them either twirled or did nothing, confusing those looking for them after arriving. It was often difficult to know whether someone's smartphone had died -- or if something worse had happened.

Now, when you share your location with someone, they will also see how much battery life your phone has left so that they can plan accordingly.

The feature was first noted by Android Police in February, after it found lines of code referencing battery life and whether a smartphone was charging in conjunction with the location sharing feature.

Google appears to be rolling out feature to a larger audience now, that more users are noticing the battery life indicator text when they share their location.

Google added the ability to share your location in 2017 to compete with other social media services that were including location-sharing into their apps.

Using the location sharing tool, users can share a destination with a friend or get directions to their location or a mutual meeting spot.

The tool is not without its detractors, who point to obvious concerns of stalking and robbery that come with an idea like this. But last year Google addressed the concerns, telling TechCrunch, "This is about making things simple, accessible and giving people that access to transparency...Anyone with bad intentions can find many other apps and means out there. We are focused on adding on that layer of convenience."

Google has also included a notification system that lets you know you have the feature on in case you would like to turn it off.

*This article was featured on Download.com on August 3, 2018: https://download.cnet.com/blog/download-blog/google-maps-app-now-lets-you-share-battery-status-along-with-your-location/

New 2Hot2Cold app lets fliers report uncomfortable cabin temperatures →

The app is designed by flight attendants with the goal of forcing the Transportation Department to do a better job of regulating cabin temperatures.

Flight attendants are asking you to not turn off your electronic devices so you can help them fight regulator inaction over an issue every frequent flier faces: too cold or too hot cabins. The Association of Flight Attendants released a statement and held an event yesterday at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, unveiling its new app 2hot2cold for airline passengers.

The flight attendants' goal is to have fliers report the temperature of their airplane cabin during and after a flight so that they can collect information and submit it to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well as the Department of Transportation (DOT).

"Today, the FAA and the DOT have no operating requirements for cabin temperatures. As a result, in the summer, cabins can get too hot; in the winter, they can get too cold," the AFA said in a release.

"Flight Attendants face these extreme conditions all too often. To make change, we need data to persuade regulators and legislators to establish airplane temperature standards. We define the problem with reports to get it fixed."

The app is available on iOS and Android devices and provides users with an easy way to submit information about their flight and its temperature. The AFA said temperature is important to how the flight is handled on their end and how passengers respond to the trip.

"If it's too hot, crew and passengers can experience symptoms ranging from the mild (fatigue, dizziness) to moderate (heat exhaustion) to catastrophic (heat stroke). If it's too cold, health effects range from cold stress to hypothermia," they wrote.

"Extreme temperatures also impact cabin operations, by degrading the crew's awareness of possible security threats, increasing stress that can lead to air rage, medical emergencies, a return to the gate, and other operational disruptions."

Pilots are generally in control of the thermostat on planes, but often make it colder than normal to accommodate flight attendants walking up and down the aisles in layered clothing. Passengers, who are not moving as much and frequently are dressed for vacation, often find flights too cold.

Some studies have shown that warmer temperatures cause passengers to be sick or pass out, and cold temperatures are believed to help with motion sickness.

The 50,000 members of the AFA along with 15,000 Southwest flight attendants tied to Local 556 of the Transport Workers Union believe that with the information gathered from passengers, they can convince the DOT to set firm parameters on plane temperatures.

Some airlines, like Korean Air, already set guidelines for plane temperature, but flight attendants are seeking better industry standards to address an issue that has gained prominence in recent years. The AFA statement said they would be distributing thousands of thermometers to flight attendants at 23 US airlines to mark the effort.

*this article was featured on Download.com on August 2, 2018: https://download.cnet.com/blog/download-blog/new-2hot2cold-app-lets-fliers-report-uncomfortable-cabin-temperatures/

Louisiana becomes first state to allow smartphone app to replace physical driver's license →

Louisiana residents will now be able to flash a digital license during traffic stops instead of using their physical driver license.

Police officers in Louisiana will now accept digital driver's licenses through your smartphone during traffic stops, according to an announcement by Governor John Bel Edwards.

The LA Wallet app allows users to pull up their driver's licenses on their screen instead of rifling through a wallet or purse. Police officers in the state were seeking a new method of checking IDs during traffic stops and the Louisiana State Police, Department of Public Safety as well as the Office of Motor Vehicles partnered with local software company Envoc to create the digital license.

"State Police requested a 'hands-off' and 'no-touch' procedure that would not require them to hold a driver's phone," Gov. Edwards told a local NBC affiliate after the app was created under Louisiana law of Act 625, sponsored by Baton Rouge Rep. Ted James.

"Rep. Ted James who authored the legislation that led to the creation of this App is to be commended for his work as well as the team of Louisianans who designed it."

LA Wallet is the first of its kind in the United States. Although it is free to download, you need to pay a $5.99 fee to validate a driver's license or legal state ID. When the license expires, a new validation is needed to verify any new license you get. Any changes to your name and address can be added to the digital license without a fee.

Salon said other states such as California and Arizona are working on digital license plates for vehicles, but for now, LA Wallet will only work in Louisiana and can only be used for traffic stops.

The app cannot be used to purchase alcohol or get through the security line at an airport, but state legislators are waiting to see whether the app should be expanded to include these activities.

Government officials made sure to secure the app, and listed the many ways the app protects your information even if your phone is stolen.

"The safety of the app has been tested with all industry-standard security measures and with pin number protection it is protected from anyone accessing a user's license information. Also, it does not track nor ask to track the user's location at any time," said Office of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Karen St. Germain.

"If a user's phone is lost or stolen, the user can simply log in to online portal to unlink their license information from their mobile device."

The app is available on iOS and Android devices and comes as more companies switch to digital confirmations and eWallets.

"Most people never leave home without their smartphone and with this App, they will never be without their driver's license," said Gov. Edwards.

*this article was featured on Download.com on July 19, 2018: https://download.cnet.com/blog/download-blog/louisiana-becomes-first-state-to-allow-smartphone-app-to-replace-physical-drivers-license/