February 2022 - The Digital Life from Lökwest - Smart home and phone news, useful tools, fun, and the iPhone at 15!
Well, we're moving right on through the year. February is often that "doldrum" time of year in technology. The holiday season is over, the Consumer Electronics show is done, new products aren't on the market yet. Never fear - we've got some great articles this month to keep you engaged!
In the news department - read about Samsung's new fingerprint technology for credit cards. Then, catch up on the latest smart home news for 2022.
Interested in a new phone without paying $1000? We've included a great round-up on mid-range phones from Wired that you won't want to miss.
We are always looking for useful tools and fun sites too, and you won't be disappointed with TinyWow, WikiTrivia, and DoesNotTranslate.
Lastly, join us in saying happy 15th birthday to the iPhone!
Enjoy the month, and get ready for spring! 🙂
A bit of news...
Samsung built a fingerprint security chip for payment cards, employee IDs, and more — www.engadget.com
Samsung has revealed what it calls the "industry's first" all-in-one fingerprint security chip for payment cards. This is an interesting concept, as it could mean the end of PIN numbers.
Long-distance wireless charging could power your smart home — www.cnet.com
It seems like every year I say it's about time they caught up to Tesla 100 years later! Security cameras that don't require any cables for power or for network connections are on the way. Read about the latest iteration of wireless charging tech here.
Here's how smart home tech will change this year — www.cnet.com
It's a new year and new smart home tech is on the way. These are the devices and software set to change the game. If you're a smart home enthusiast, you'll want to read up on all of the latest trends.
8 Best Cheap Smartphones for 2022 (iPhone, Android) — www.wired.com
For most people, it just doesn't make sense to buy a thousand-dollar flagship phone. So, what should you be looking at in the mid-range? You can definitely get a great phone for as little as $200!
So useful
Free PDF, Video, Image & Other Online Tools - TinyWow — tinywow.com
Most "free tool" websites are junk and full of ad-ware. Here's one that just works. Convert PDFs, images, and do more at TinyWow.
How about a little fun?
Test your history knowledge with Wikitrivia! — wikitrivia.tomjwatson.com
Try out this little trivia game, based on events in Wikipedia. How good is your history? All you have to do is put the events in order until you get one wrong. Give it a shot!
Does Not Translate – Words that don't translate — doesnottranslate.com
What is Vorführeffekt? Do you have a little Gruglede? Check out a bunch of nifty phrases that "just don't translate" in several languages on this site. There are some pretty humorous examples, such as the Polish "Poprawiny: The party you have the day after a wedding reception to finish off all the food and drink." 😂😂
In tech history...Happy 15th birthday iPhone
The iPhone at 15: Steve Jobs revealed his greatest product in 2007 — www.cnet.com
Read all about the history of the iPhone in this write-up from CNet. Can you believe that prior to 2007 there wasn't a "smartphone"? (not counting the Blackberry) Steve Jobs was lauded as crazy for not having a keyboard! The result? The iPhone's magical revolution helped Apple grow into a $3 trillion company over the next 15 years.