Tag: note-taking wearable

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Wearable Recording Device: Soon at Your Office

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When you hear “wearable recording device”, you probably imagine a hidden camera straight out of a spy movie. This is about to change. More and more companies adopt wearable tech to record meetings and streamline note-taking.

 

Wearable Recorders & Voice Typing

 

A wearable recording device that uses AI to capture notes is the type of wearables that we are about to see enter the office.

 

Voice technology has evolved to the point where ignoring it would be inefficient. You do not use a 1930s typewriter when there is a perfectly good laptop right in front of you. This applies to manual typing and wearable voice recorders.

Why It’s a Good Idea

 

Incorporating a wearable into the office routine is a big step. It requires planning and adaptation. And yet, it is worth the hassle in the end. Why?

 

First of all, a wearable recording device works to help the user. Actively so. It manages files, corrects grammar and spelling, adds automatic keywords and titles, even creates reminders. This saves time and money.

 

Second, wearable recorders are built to keep you focused on the task. They do not distract you and never send notifications. Senstone Scripter is a good example of this design philosophy: it has only one button and no screen at all.

 

Third, wearables recorders boost productivity. You can instantly share recordings or transcripts with other employees. When there’s a business meeting, you can actually sit and listen – and emerge with every fine detail recorded.

 

Finally, wearables give you the advantage of correct posture and normal sight. That is something that inevitably suffers from the office setting, and wearable provide additional relief (but, sadly, cannot replace a good chair).

 

What to Expect From a Wearable Recorder

 

If you’re new to the world of wearable recording devices, you might not be aware of what counts as basic features. Apart from the obvious “it can record and transcribe audio”, your wearable recorder is expected to offer the following:

 

  • support for multiple languages

  • ability to work offline

  • correct and accurate transcription (the technology is there)

  • maximum recording length of at least 1 hour

  • automatic formatting

  • sharing & export options

  • encryption

Personal Tool – Or Fit For a Team?

 

You can use a wearable recording device alone. Voice assistants like Scripter do a great job at being your personal AI secretary. But they can also be used by a team.

 

For instance, outfitting managers with a wearable voice recorder allows them to keep real-time logs and pool those logs together. Tracking performance becomes an easy task.

 

Everything depends on the company and how it operates. Sometimes it makes sense to only use wearables for a certain unit. Sometimes quantity produces quality.

 

Do You Want to Learn More?

 

Visit our homepage and blog to familiarize yourself with wearable recorders. If you are thinking about integrating wearables into your work place, you can email us at team@senstone.io. We’ve been making productivity wearables for years, and this is something we can always help you with.

 

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Top 5 Unexpected Benefits of Wearable Technology

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While wearables offer many benefits we’re familiar with, like helping us stay in shape, they have some underrated, surprising advantages. Even the devices you already know and love can impact your life positively in more ways than you expect.

This article is 100% good news, no flavor enhancer needed.

Benefit #1. Improved mental health.

The overabundance of technology is often cited as a source of stress, but many wearables benefit a user by reducing their stress levels.

 

For example, wearables can help alleviate anxiety. A device like Senstone Scripter minimizes your time online without sacrificing productivity, so you can take a break from the notifications and still get things done.

 

Fitness bracelets calm you down just by providing real-time statistics on your vitals, which makes you feel in control. In the long run, they help you make better lifestyle decisions, which again impacts mental well-being.

Breathing patterns is another thing wearable tech can track and notify you about. This can be used for breathing exercise and stress monitoring.

Benefit #2. Better posture.

 

Counting steps is one thing, but did you know wearables can correct your posture? This particular market is a diverse niche that offers many good options: from a gadget that vibrates when you start slouching to posture trackers that send detailed statistics to your phone. Whatever you choose, your back is going to thank you.


Benefit #3. Enhanced learning.

Wearable technology is a boon to educators because it gives them more options. VR and AR are especially useful in the classroom. They allow for truly interactive lessons, which gives students a better grasp on scientific concepts.

Voice-to-text wearables are another helpful innovation, and we have covered them in more detail here.

Benefit #4. Healthier relationships.

 

Another benefit of wearable technology that might surprise you is this: it can help you maintain a healthy relationship.

Again, this might seem counterintuitive to some people. We are used to computers and phones taking away from our family time, and a promise to solve this problem with more technology seems suspicious. And yet, wearables have succeeded.

Some of them make communication easier. Others are designed for couples, like the device that lets you feel your partner’s heartbeat in real time. “Friendship lamps” are a thing as well, a concept that is both incredibly neat and heart-warming.

 

And, of course, we have to mention virtual reality. With VR, you get to share a virtual space with another person. You can talk, explore the interactive environment, and play video games together. Physical distance doesn’t matter.

 

Benefit #5. Environmental awareness.

 

Wearables can help our planet in a number of creative ways, raising awareness on a personal level and actually making an impact. For instance, there is a cotton apron that captures carbon dioxide. There are also CO₂ tracker wristbands, and nothing makes climate change a more pressing issue than watching your carbon dioxide meter go haywire in the middle of the street.

 

To sum up, wearable technology is expanding. It’s gone beyond basic fitness bands. Now we can use its advantages, such as mobility, to solve problems in new, unconventional ways.

 

And you know what? Unconventional is our speciality. This article has been brought to you by Senstone. Check out this homepage to learn more about cutting edge wearables. Follow us on social media or contact us at team@senstone.io if you have any questions. Stay cool!

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How Do Wearables Connect to Your Smartphone?

Have you ever wondered how wearables connect to your smartphone? How do they “know” to send data to your phone specifically? What type of connection do they use? How does it work? Read on, and we’ll do our best to answer these questions.

 

Why Do Wearables Connect to Other Devices?

 

Before we get into how wearables connect to smartphones, let’s establish why they need to connect to your phone at all.

Unlike your laptop, most wearables are highly specialized. That means they were designed to perform only a certain amount of functions. For example, Senstone is a wearable voice-to-text recorder. Its functions are: 1) record audio on demand, 2) store the recordings, 3) make sure audio is transferred to the cloud storage and processed by artificial intelligence. As you can see, step 3 relegates the data to a more generalist and powerful machine.

 

This “division of labor” is what makes wearables so efficient. They connect to other devices and access their computing power. The ability to connect is a core feature, and wearables rely on it a lot.

  • Notifications are sent and received.
  • Commands allow you to control other devices.
  • Data is collected for storage and analysis. This is how you get your activity stats in real time.
  • More functions, such as AI spell checking, can be accessed by sending the data for processing to another computer.

In short, wearables really do need to connect to other devices. And your phone is perfect for the job!

Wearables & Wireless Connection(s)

 

We’ve come closer to answering the original question: how do wearables connect to smartphones? The reason why people ask this a lot is because they cannot see a visible proof of connection, i. e. wires.

 

Wireless technology shaped wearables as we know them. There would be no wireless headphones without a way for them to receive the music they are supposed to play.

With the many types of wearables we have today, there are several different technologies used to connect a gadget to your phone.

  • Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Bluetooth Classic. These two standards are the most common ways for your wearable to connect to your phone. Devices supporting Bluetooth connect using ultra-high frequency radio waves. You need to enable Bluetooth on  both devices and pair them so that they automatically exchange data when nearby. The BLE standard is cheaper and better suited for low-power gadgets, and this is why most Bluetooth wearables run BLE.
  • Wi-Fi. Some wearables can connect to your smartphone via the regular Wi-Fi. This allows for a greater range and faster data transfer speeds. To connect your wearable to your smartphone via Wi-Fi, you usually need to connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network and  then pair them.
  • Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC is a short-range technology that allows for contactless communication between two devices in very close proximity (4 cm or less). Some wearables have NFC capabilities, allowing you to pair them with your smartphone by simply holding the devices close together. Contactless payments is the usual reason for running NFC on a wearable.
  • ANT+. An ultra-low-power protocol. Unlike others on the list, ANT is meant for sports wearables.

Some wearables can use more than one protocol. The specific methods of connectivity will heavily depend on the make and model of wearable and smartphone, so you can always refer to the user manual for more information on how to connect your gadgets.


This post has been brought to you by Senstone. As a company, we have been actively contributing to wearable technology for years. You can visit our homepage – or read another article about cutting-edge inventions and trends. Stay cool!

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The Digital Divide & Why We Should Fight It

Our world is facing another challenge: the so-called digital divide. This term is used to describe the growing technological disparity between certain countries or social strata, the gap in technology access between the richer areas and those who didn’t luck out.

 

The divide can be caused by several factors:

  • Physical location. Lack of imported gadgets or parts, low economic development, remote and/or inaccessible regions, isolated economies, little to no infrastructure all contribute to the digital divide.
  • Low income. Many people cannot use new technology simply because they cannot afford it. 24% of adult people with household incomes below $30,000/year don’t own a smartphone. 40% of those with lower incomes don’t have home broadband services or don’t own a PC. Location influences income also, with certain regions being poorer and/or experiencing low purchasing power.
  • Low literacy. College graduates have a much better grasp on tech due to their education, and they usually own more gadgets.
  • Low motivation. Some people possess the necessary income and education to use the full potential of technology, but choose not to. Mostly this is due to the lack of motivation (“I don’t need it”) and age (“This is too different from what I’m used to”). Luckily, there are one-button gadgets like Senstone Scripter, but they are far and few.

All of the above can be countered with policies, reforms, and awareness campaigns. While such sweeping measures can seem too drastic, they are completely justified.



Why Closing the Digital Divide Is Worth the Effort

The digital divide concerns everyone, even those who don’t experience its immediate effects. Since the industry has become globalized, with supply chains spanning the entire planet, a physically distant event or phenomenon can influence the unsuspecting citizens around the globe.

Let’s consider a city that experiences a bad case of digital divide, such as the lack of internet access. It creates all sorts of problems for the state:

  • problems implementing digital solutions such as eID, remote education, billing, mobile banking
  • creating a real-life divide between those who can access technology and those who can’t
  • fewer citizens can become skilled workers
  • low income cycle: cannot afford new technology – cannot make money using it – cannot afford new technology

uninformed voters are easier to manipulate into supporting backwards and/or harmful policies

 

 

Reversing the trend will bring a lot of benefits to the tech industry of the city and, by extension, the rest of the world.

  • more clients
  • more demand
  • more skilled workers
  • more opportunities


The community will directly profit from the policies aiming to close the digital divide, and the effects are going to last for generations.

  • better education
  • higher income
  • job opportunities
  • easier communication

Everybody wins.

 

How to Bridge the Digital Divide?

The digital divide is a relatively recent trend, and governments and companies are only just starting to catch up with reality.

In the US, policies are being implemented to ensure access to the broadband internet for all Americans. The issues are mostly local, with rural and tribal areas overrepresented in the statistics, and the percent of Americans without broadband access ranges between 6 and 12% depending on the study.

 

The US solution can be boiled down to a few bullet points:

  • federal programs that help cover the cost of communication services
  • broadband service discounts
  • promoting mobile and satellite internet
  • avoid unnecessary regulation of ISPs
  • e-learning vouchers for students

Other countries, like India, where the digital divide problem is much more severe (half the Indians don’t have access to broadband), have had moderate success when dealing with it. A lesson we can learn from them is simple: lack of systemic approach undermines all effort.

To conclude, it’s important to remember that the digital divide can be reversed, but fighting it has to become the business of policymakers. As regular netizens, we can do our best to draw attention to the problem and support the candidates who focus on communities and infrastructure.

 

This article has been brought to you by Senstone Inc. We are dedicated to making advanced technology accessible to everyone regardless of age and technical know-how. Visit our homepage at senstone.io to learn more.

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Miniaturization of Technology & How It Affects You

Progress never stands still, and the miniaturization of technology is one of its most significant steps; like the Moon landing but less flashy. It has revolutionized the way we interact with the world, but a revolution can be hard to spot when you’re immersed in it.

 

In this article we will explore the ways miniaturization has changed our lives for the better.

 

What is the Miniaturization of Technology?

 

Miniaturization of technology could also be called “shrinking”. Devices shrink, that is, we successfully manufacture them to be smaller. Remember when the TV looked like a box and weighed like a small elephant?

 

 

TV sets evolved in several steps. They strived not only for image quality but also the miniaturization of the whole set.

 

  • 410 kg, or 903 lbs – weight of the first TV (try to mount that on a wall)
  • 40 kg, or 88 lbs – weight of an old 25” CRT TV
  • 5.3 kg, or 11.6 lbs – weight of a 32” QLED TV

And TV is not the sole example. Pretty much everything tech keeps getting reduced in size. Phones, personal computers, cameras, headphones, data storage devices, even cars.

 

Advances in electronics have made it possible to fit an enormous quantity of transistor nodes on a square nanometre of space. This means the actual working component can be minuscule and the body surrounding it can be scaled down and/or enhanced.

 

The Impact of Miniaturized Tech

 

Apart from the fact that the miniaturization of technology has enabled us to create new types of gadgets, it has also changed our perceptions and expectations. This effect is not very obvious, but its importance is often understated.

 

When faced with two gadgets of otherwise identical features, we are going to pick the smaller one.

 

 

No one would buy an old-school brick-like smartphone. As consumers, we steer the manufacturers with our money. We also recognise (sometimes subconsciously) the direction in which the world of technology is headed.

 

Is this a good thing?

 

Personally, I think it’s great, and I know many people would agree with this opinion. We have set the bar for portable, miniaturized tech, because it’s convenient. If you can take your whole archive of documents and fit it onto a tiny chip, there is no reason to deny yourself the efficiency. Once you get a taste of the freedom, you make it your standard.

 

But we also dream of something more. The era of wearables is beginning in earnest, with AI-powered wearable recorders and consumer-grade exoskeletons. Reduction in size combined with the increase in power seems to be one of those inspiring trends that you just hope keeps on keeping on.

 

This post has been brought to you by Senstone. As a company, we have been actively contributing to the miniaturization of technology for years. You can visit our homepage – or read another article about cutting-edge inventions and trends. Stay cool!

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Devices For Seniors: Senstone Scripter

When the average customer thinks about gadgets for seniors, they mostly imagine hearing aids and motorised wheelchairs. Although most devices used for (and by) the elderly help take care about mobility issues, not everything is about movement.

 

Helping to Remember

 

With more and more people striving to stay active for as long as possible, gadgets for seniors are a growing market. The demand is high. Supply? Well… It depends on what you’re looking for.

 

Staying connected and organised is very important for mental health at any age. When the memory is no longer as sharp as before, people seek solutions.

 

Pen and paper.

 

Sticky notes.

 

Journals.

 

But when you really start looking, things can get incredibly high-tech.

 

Wearable technology is an unexpected source of help for the elderly, but it makes sense.

 

Unlike many voice assistants (Alexa), wearables are not confined to one room. They are not confined to a phone either. Besides, a wearable doesn’t require any complex smart home setup. It’s simple and effective.

 

A wearable that helps remember daily tasks can be a life changer.

 

Better Than Sticky Notes

 

The most helpful gadgets for seniors, we have learned, address their needs quickly.

 

We have designed a wearable recorder with a single large button. The recorder is called Senstone Scripter and captures audio while automatically transcribing it into text.

 

Senstone Scripter was made for care takers and seniors alike. Whether you take care of the elderly or looking to compensate for your own memory problems, this wearable is just what you need.

 

Features:

  • audio recording and speech-to-text transcription
  • hands-free design (clip it to your collar or wear it around your neck)
  • can take long recordings (1 hour+)
  • great battery life

 

By the way, those seniors who experience problems with coordination – tremor, shaky hands – are going to love our wearable recorder. Unlike the phone, it has only one large button, which you don’t even have to look at.

 

Scripter works in tandem with its dedicated app. Your recordings are stored in the cloud and processed by artificial intelligence. It sorts them, places the commas where appropriate. You can easily share notes (both text and audio) through other apps like Gmail or just by copy and pasting them.

 

Other facts about our wearable you might find interesting:

  • transcription support for 19 languages
  • no subscription plan; you buy it – it’s yours
  • can work offline

Is It For Me?

 

If you want to learn more about Scripter as a gadget for seniors, you can start by visiting its page on our website: click here.

 

And for those who would like to delve deeper into the technology, here is the full user manual for Senstone Scripter (in English): click here.

 

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback. You can find our contact info on the website.

 

Have a good day!

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How to Write a Biography (Using a Voice Recorder)

Biographies and autobiographies remain popular, and ‘how to write a biography’ is a surprisingly common search – along with people asking how to outline a book. Asking questions is important, especially when you’ve only just dipped your toes into the whole writing business.

 

While the ‘traditional’ approaches to writing are still going strong, these days we have some good alternatives which might suit you more than pen and paper (or hands and keyboard).

 

One of the alternative writing methods, in our opinion, is especially convenient for biography creators; using a voice recorder to capture and automatically transcribe your work.

 

Here is why we think you should definitely give it a shot.

 

It’s a Kind of Magic

 

Even if you’re wondering how to write a biography and not, say, an epic poem, you still have a lot in common with the ancients. The first biographies were composed in the form of tales to be recited; there was no way to record them. Even The Iliad in all its 15,600 lines glory spent at least five centuries as folk songs. Performers added and subtracted from it as they saw fit.

 

What we’re hinting at is the long-forgotten principle ready to make a return: it’s okay to create text without writing down a single word.

 

And unlike the Ancient Greek rhapsodes, you don’t have to memorise your book by heart.

 

Voice technology is one of the greatest opportunities for authors, especially if the idea is to publish a biography, and modern recorders are very much like a personal secretary. Scripter offers accuracy as high as 99% for English; a far cry from what we had to deal with just a decade ago.

 

The features we’re looking at:

  • automatic transcription, also known as speech-to-text
  • flexibility, i.e. the recording device has to be portable
  • automatic syntax (commas, paragraphs)
  • safe storage
  • synchronisation across devices

 

You are going to need:

  • a recording device (or a specialised app)
  • …and that’s it

 

Biographical Writing & Voice Tech: Made for Each Other

 

So how to write a biography in a way that would exploit all of the advantages offered by voice technology?

 

  1. If you’ve done your research, you don’t need to take peeks at the outline. There can be no surprises. The eagles are not going to swoop in and pick up your character from the peak of Mount Doom. You’re safe from plot holes. This means you can write (speak) in little chunks, bits and pieces. Start anywhere, compile later.

 

  1. Biographies and flowery prose live in different realms. When writing a biography, you can write more or less as you speak. Voice technology is perfect for capturing the natural flow of thought.

 

  1. You can write anywhere. The best ideas often have the worst timing possible. Take a walk – and write. Keep driving – and write. Lie in bed – and write. Pacing often helps us think – and of course voice-to-text lets you write while pacing.

 

To sum up, speaking to the imaginary reader is better than staring at the cursor. The illusion of communication gets your mind to speed up!

 

For writers, one of the best options on the market is Senstone Scripter (app and/or recording device). It’s tailored to assist content creators, doesn’t rely on the internet connection, and allows you to avoid the common distractions.

 

If you’d like to know more about Senstone Scripter and voice technology, visit our home page. Voice technology for lightning fast note taking is what we’re good at!

 

To browse our website for more articles like this one, check out our blog.

 

Good look with your writing!

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Here Is Why Speech Recognition Is the Future of Customer Service

As companies seek new ways to improve customer experience, it looks like speech recognition and customer service work great in tandem. While many voice technology solutions are still being explored, some of them have already made their way into call centers all over the world.

 

Speech Recognition: the What & the How

 

On the whole, speech recognition is the technology that allows a program to identify and “decipher” human speech.

 

The key difference from simply recording audio is that by processing your voice the computer “understands” what you’re saying. This is usually referred to as natural language processing (NLP). Complex algorithms process the audio, breaking it apart into words and phrases. They assess the context of every response and even the speaker’s emotions.

 

The data retrieved by processing speech can be used for many purposes.

 

Most commonly, speech is transcribed. Speech-to-text conversion allows for manual transcription. This is how you get voice typing (dictation), YouTube’s automatically generated subtitles, and audio translation.

 

Using voice commands to control software is the next logical step.

 

This is where customer service comes in.

 

Voicebots and You

 

Speech recognition in customer service as of 2022 works through “voicebots”.

 

Widely used by call centers, a voicebot is a piece of software that allows the customer to communicate with an interactive voice response (IVR) system.

 

You can still find older IVRs that don’t use voice recognition. Instead you are prompted to press 1, 2, or 3 to pick an option from the menu. On the other hand, the new conversational IVRs don’t require you to touch the phone at all.

 

A conversational IVR processes natural language and uses it as input. Based on whether the caller’s audio contains certain cues, the IVR can respond by providing information, asking questions, or performing actions.

 

Examples:

  • Contacting ISP to report internet connection issues. Before you get through to the human operator, IVR is going to ask you what happened. Then it’s going to suggest you first try to switch your router on and off or check the integrity of the cable.
  • Automating sales calls, phone surveys. As a business owner, you can utilize a voicebot to have it call a list of numbers and offer the product to those interested, addressing their questions and helping them complete the purchase.

As you can see, a voicebot can help your call center operators deal with the deluge of calls by filtering out simple requests that can be handled automatically. This enhances the customer experience by miles: the caller doesn’t have to form the queue waiting for an available operator to finally pick up the phone.

 

All in all, voicebots offer many perks, especially if you’re working to optimize and improve your customer service.

 

  • instant communication; voice recognition makes it easier for customer and business to connect right away, no time and effort wasted
  • reduced costs; with a good voicebot, call centers can hire fewer operators－or scale up
  • out-of-the-box, easily integrated solutions
  • automated troubleshooting; changing user info, providing information, and so on can be done without engaging company employees

As voice technology continues to improve and evolve, we can expect voicebots to grow more sophisticated. If things keep progressing at the current rate, soon voicebots are going to become indistinguishable from human custom service workers.

 

If you want to know more about voice technology, visit our homepage at senstone.io.

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Climate Change Impact: Remote Work & More

The impact of climate change is growing, covering more territories and affecting more people all over the world. Unfortunately, the workplace is no exception here. Both employers and employees are going to experience many climate-related changes in the following years.

 

Carbon Footprint: Office Edition

 

Measures have to be taken to reduce the effects of climate change, and the places where people spend their work time can be managed to help reduce carbon emissions.

 

  • Vehicles. Commuting? Good (for the environment). Driving to work? Not so much. Until all cars go fully electric, we have to make sure we drive as little as possible. While for many people a car is the only option, others should consider car sharing or public transport. Companies can invest in electric vehicles, replacing the older ones with the new, cleaner technology.
  • Environment-friendly office. A lot of good can be done if you pay attention to detail. Switching to a paper-free office will reduce the toll on forests. Recycling waste correctly helps preserve air, water, and soil. If your place has the cafeteria and it uses plastic utensils, that’s another seemingly little thing that goes a very long way.
  • Remote work. The less we commute back and forth, the smaller our carbon footprint. Working from home should be an option whenever possible to lower the impact on climate.

 

In short, sustainability culture, support policies, and climate awareness are crucial to making the workplace eco-friendly. And the more companies adopt this thoughtful approach, the better for all of humanity.

 

The Art of Adaptation

 

Sadly, we are past the point of mere prevention. The consequences of our actions are catching up to us already. Deadly heat waves in Canada, the Middle East, and India. Climate refugees and climate tourists. Floods, droughts, and storms.

 

We are going to have to adapt to the new conditions. Climate change management in the workplace is going to become vital.

 

When it comes to the impact of climate change, the most immediate threat to the workflow is heat. In many places summer temperatures can – and do – get dangerous. Air conditioning will become a must, but in some cases the work might need to slow down significantly. Again, remote work might come into play. Outdoor jobs might introduce night shifts (for example, construction workers in the Middle East sometimes work nights to avoid the sun).

 

Furthermore, we are going to see new jobs. More and more people are going to get involved trying to mitigate the impact of climate change. Technology, communication, research, management are going to need specialists equipped with the knowledge and relatively few have right now.

 

It’s hard to predict exactly how climate change is going to unfold. We might make a scientific breakthrough to help us along – or not. We might cause a global catastrophe and aggravate the situation – or not. All we can see is the general direction where things are going.

 

In any case, climate change already affects every continent and every nation. To keep the world economy afloat, we are going to have to change our ways.

 

Prevention and management of rapid global warming will help us maintain supply chains and workplace productivity. Unless we meet the challenge head on, the transition might be too rough for quite a few companies, and this is something we all should consider.

 

Senstone puts your productivity and well-being first. To learn more about our wearable voice assistant, visit the homepage and subscribe to our social media.