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  • Showing only topics in ~tech with the tag "devices". Back to normal view / Search all groups
    1. Vertical mice anyone? They really help my wrist pain.

      A really long time ago I was introduced to the Evoluent Vertical Mouse. Even though I was only in my early twenties I already had wrist issues and I thought this thing was god send. It was clunky...

      A really long time ago I was introduced to the Evoluent Vertical Mouse. Even though I was only in my early twenties I already had wrist issues and I thought this thing was god send. It was clunky but totally worth it.

      These days there are a ton of vertical mice available. Is anyone else into these? I am looking to get a new one now that I'm on the mouse/keyboard a lot again. Do you have a preferred model?

      note: If you have wrist issues and are curious, I highly recommend trying one out. One caveat is that the cheap one I got off of amazon recently is a bit too small for a decent sized guy like myself. Filling out your palm seems really important for maximum relief.

      14 votes
    2. DeathHacks

      6 votes
    3. What model of mouse would you recommend for huge hands?

      I am replacing my mouse, and I have giant hands. Pretty much every mouse I've ever used has been too small for me, so I would like to finally buy something that fits. I don't need anything fancy...

      I am replacing my mouse, and I have giant hands. Pretty much every mouse I've ever used has been too small for me, so I would like to finally buy something that fits.

      I don't need anything fancy beyond two buttons and a scroll-wheel. It doesn't have to have extra buttons or switchable DPI or anything like that (though I'm not opposed to those either). It'll be used on Linux, and will be my everyday driver. Wired and ergonomic are preferred but not mandatory.

      Anyone have any good recommendations?

      13 votes
    4. Siri, Alexa, Google - Who's using and having good experiences with voice commands?

      Hi there, Big companies are spending big money on allowing consumers to control everything from their TV, smart speakers, lights, microwaves, etc with voice commands. But do people really want...

      Hi there,

      Big companies are spending big money on allowing consumers to control everything from their TV, smart speakers, lights, microwaves, etc with voice commands. But do people really want that?

      I'm curious because I very much do NOT want to interact with computers vocally. I find it's slow and prone to error, not unlike writing out long passages on a smartphone. It functions, but it's not a great experience and remains a novelty for me.

      Bought both kids Echo Dots which is a smart speaker with Amazon's Alexa assistant. It's cool, really innovative. But after a couple weeks both remain unplugged in my kids' rooms - totally lost interest. The only person who I've seen really use a voice speaker is an elderly gentlemen for whom it was the easiest way to interact with a computer (using it specifically to play music and get news).

      My friend swears that teens commonly use Siri on their phones to look up information. I can only think of one person I've seen actively use the voice controls and that was an older woman who wanted show her friends how Siri could "rap."

      So I was curious how many of you find yourself frequently interacting with computers via voice commands. I personally feel very awkward and self-aware and get easily frustrated because it reminds me so much of the terrible automated attendants on 800 numbers.

      Edit: You all are confirming my suspicions. Anyone under age 25 use the voice commands often? I feel like this is all just the first step in designing AI interfacing

      28 votes
    5. Share your experiences with smart thermostats

      I have used a Nest (gen 1) for many years and recently switched it out for an Ecobee 3 with 3 additional room sensors. The Nest worked as advertised and I was happy with it. I moved my thermostat...

      I have used a Nest (gen 1) for many years and recently switched it out for an Ecobee 3 with 3 additional room sensors.

      The Nest worked as advertised and I was happy with it. I moved my thermostat location to a higher-traffic area of the house and used Nest Sense to have it automatically determine if I was away. All in all, I was pleased. The only reason I switched to Ecobee was so that I could use my Nest in another home and try something new.

      The Ecobee is pretty much the same as the nest. They was you schedule temperatures is to first create Comfort Settings and then you schedule when they should run. It's a little less intuitive than the Nest, but it accomplishes the same task. The additional sensors are a nice touch but I find they are too sensitive. My ~50 lb dog can trigger them, which can run additional air conditioning when I wouldn't otherwise want it to run.

      6 votes