Android phones may soon send more precise location info to 911 dispatchers

The emergency call number 911 is a number that no one in the United States wants to call, however, when someone does, they usually expect that the emergency responders to be able to locate them as quickly as possible for any human.

 When you call 911 anytime ffrom now, your wireless carrier sends information about your location to the 911 dispatcher giving them a tip of where they would send help. Recently, Google has been testing a system of its own that will be equipped to handle this process having the potential to be considerably more accurate.

According to the reports reaching us from our sources, Google ran a series of tests of its system on Android phones in December and January for residents of Florida, Tennessee, and Texas. During the period when these tests were run, the system of Google turned out to be more accurate than that of the carriers’ 80 percent of the time.

One may tend to wonder by how much the Google system betters the emergency dispatchers which is a very good question, the answer to which is important. When a carrier sends data of your location to a dispatcher, it is more often than not within a radius of 522 feet from the point where you are actually. However, when the Google system was put through a trial, it was accurate within 121 feet. Furthermore, in addition to the higher level of accuracy, the system designed by Google was also able to send the information regarding location faster than carriers could.

This new technology is scheduled to be demonstrated at a conference later in the week, and in hopes that everything will work out well as planned, Google is planning on expanding it to each and every Android device at a certain point in 2018.

Regardless of the fact that this may not be as interesting as some of the features that are in store for Android P, it is an important feature which would serve the case of serious incidents better.

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How to Use and Customize the Windows 10 Action Center

For a long time notifications in windows have been somewhat of a farce but Windows 10 has fixed this with Action Centre (a slide out pane that groups and displays notifications, and also provides access to quick actions like Wi-Fi, Quiet Hours, and Night Light.)
The Action Center is unambiguous to use, and also fairly customizable.

View Notifications in the Action Center

If you don’t dismiss a notification yourself, it will disappear automatically about 6 seconds later. When, you have new notifications, the Action Centre icon in the notification area turns white and displays a badge showing the amount of new notifications available (on the left) but if there are no new notifications, the icon will look empty and have no badge (on the right).


Click the icon (empty or looking white) to open the Action Center, a pane will slide out from the right edge of your display. The Action Center shows all your recent notifications, as grouped by app.


When you click a notification in the Action Center, the next thing that happens rests on the app that notified you. Most of the time, clicking a notification achieves something pertinent. For instance, clicking that OneDrive screenshot notification in the example above opens the OneDrive in folder in question and highlights the particular file you were notified about.
Sometimes, the results of clicking a notification are explained in the notification. In our illustration, clicking the notification from Razer Synapse about an available update goes ahead to start the update.

Clear Notifications from the Action Center
Click the clear button (the X) in the upper right corner of any notification to clear it. Note that when you clear a notification, there’s no way to retrieve it.


You can also clear all notifications for an app group by hovering your mouse over the name of the app, and then clicking the “Clear” button that appears there.


And finally, you can clear all notifications by clicking the “Clear All” text near the bottom right corner of the Action Center (just above the Quick Action buttons).


Customize Notifications

1. Press Windows + I on your keyboard to go to settings.

2. On the “System” settings page, switch to the “Notifications & Actions” tab.

3. In the right pane, scroll down to the “Notifications” section and you’ll find what you’re looking for.

Below are the primary settings:

• Get notifications from apps and other senders: Turn this setting off to disable notifications entirely.
• Show notifications on the lock screen: Turn this off to prevent any notifications from showing up when your computer is locked.
• Show reminders and incoming VoIP calls on the lock screen: Turning off notifications on the lock screen still allows reminders and incoming calls to display. Turn this setting off to disable those types of notifications on the lock screen, as well.
• Hide notifications when I’m duplicating my screen: People often duplicate their display when giving presentations, and it can be annoying to have notifications appear. Turn this setting off to disable them during screen duplication.
• Show me the Windows welcome experience and Get tips, tricks, and suggestions: Turn these two settings off if you’re not interested in seeing tips, suggestions or ads.

If you scroll down, you’ll see notification settings for individual apps and other sources of notifications.

Note, you necessarily won’t see every app you have installed on the list. Some apps have their own notification settings which you’ll have to configure from within the app.

• Turn off the toggle next to any listed app to completely disable notifications for that app.

• Click the name of an app to open another page that lets you customize settings for that app in greater detail.

On the settings page for an app, you can disable notifications for the app, choose between showing banners or sounds played, prevent notifications from being added to the Action Center, and even control the number of notifications the app can show in the Action Center.
At the bottom of the page, you’ll find controls for app notifications regarding priority in the Action Center. It lets you control (to some degree) where in the Action Center list those notifications appear.


One more tip: If for some reason you just don’t like it at all, you can totally disable the Action Centre.
Customize Quick Action Buttons
At the bottom of the Action Center, there are four Quick Action buttons. By default, these include buttons for Quiet Hours, Network, Night Light and All Settings. Click a button to take the associated action (i.e turning Night Light on and off).
And if you click the “Expand” text right above those buttons…

…you’ll reveal all the available Quick Action buttons.

You can actually customize these Quick Action buttons. Although, you can’t add your own custom Quick Action buttons, you can control which buttons appear in the Action Center, and in what order.

• Press Windows+I to open the Settings app, and then click the “System” option.

• On the “System” settings page, switch to the “Notifications & Actions” tab.

• In the right pane, right at the top, you’ll see the “Quick Actions” section and all the available Quick Action buttons.

• Drag any of those buttons around to adjust the order in which they appear in the Action Center.

• If there are buttons you don’t want appearing in the Action Center, click the “Add or remove quick actions” link.

• Use the toggles on the resulting page to turn specific buttons on or off.

• And before you know it, you’ll have your Action Center looking just the way you want.

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Digital vs Traditional Education: What You Need to Know

Here are several facts that will definitely grab your attention.

First, Brand-Hall study showed that “e-learning typically requires 40% to 60% less employee time than learning the same material in a traditional classroom setting.”

Besides, retention rates of students that study online are at least six times higher than those of the students that attend classes and live on campus.

Finally, in 2016, 42% of all US students stated that e-learning is a much more convenient way of obtaining a degree.

What does this actually mean? Is traditional education truly dead?
We will look into that in just a second. Keep reading to hear two sides of a coin.
Facts about digital vs. traditional educational

1. Flexibility
   This is that one point most students mention when talking about digital education. Not only they can study on their own time but also return to the material whenever needed again. 
2. 
   Digital education based on the latest advances in technology also allows one to study anywhere he feels most comfortable at. No need to go to classes, spend hours on the college campus, and move from building to building between lectures. Besides, you can study on your time, be it five o’clock in the morning or ten o’clock in the evening.
3. It is absolutely up to you. If you do not have the privilege of flexible hours or have lots of responsibilities you cannot sacrifice while obtaining a degree, you can always study online!
   Also, you can easily study from the comfort of his own home (even with his favorite pajamas on).
   This is the luxury conventional education cannot offer. It is not flexible and requires more discipline and self-organization. But in the long run, it prepares you for a life of a mature grownup that often has to deal with things he does not feel comfortable about.
4. Discipline
   While still on the subject, discipline is vital. And while both types of education require certain organizational skills, on-campus learning requires more maturity and ability to plan and organize your life around the studies than e-learning.
   Therefore, those of you willing to get more disciplined and master the art of planning your time carefully, prioritizing goals, and saying No to unnecessary things in your life should go to college. That is an excellent school for these type of skills.
5. Costs
   Of course, online education is much cheaper than a traditional one. There is no need to pay for facilities and other costly things that make up the pricey cost of education.
   Educational establishments that offer their students a chance to study online purchase certain equipment to film lectures and organize them. Moreover, they buy software that allows to host the material, share it with students, check it online and track progress.
   All in all, it is not as expensive as traditional education.
   But with higher prices come other benefits like access to real-time teaching and huge college libraries with all the answers you need, ability to interact with tutors and peers, and an opportunity to fine-tune learning programs to your needs. So, when shopping around and comparing the tuition fees, take these factors into account too.
6. Interaction
   You probably had no doubts that we would mention this point here too. Social interaction is one of the most valuable bonuses of the traditional education. Students can not only interact with their peers, spend hours preparing for exams, have fun, and make friendships for life, but also communicate about particular problems they face while studying with their teachers. Access to direct communication is one of the greatest benefits of conventional studies. Though you can always search the web when looking for information on the best paper writer of your time or the greatest inventions of the 21st century, but wouldn’t it be so much more fun to discuss such issues with a real professional in person?
   A lot of students find personal interaction with peers and tutors important. That is why they opt for obtaining a degree on-campus. But if you do not mind studying at home with minimum contact with other people, digital education can be our best choice.
7. Student life
   If you’ve always wanted to see for yourself what a student life truly is, opt for on-campus education. Camps, discussion clubs, literature nights, field trips, and spring breaks all come together as a pack. And they are only available to those who chose to study online.
   Life on campus offers you endless opportunities for growth and engagement in various student activities. There is no doubt about that. But if that is not something you desperately want, apply for a degree online and enjoy your freedom and absolute flexibility such a choice brings.
8. Methods
   While traditional education is great for those who are returning to studying years after they left or not too tech savvy young people, the digital one is perfect for people that love technology.
   The thing is that e-learning often requires at least basic understanding of technology. We are not talking about using advances like Google Glass in the classroom (though that is a great idea), but a ground knowledge of how to use a single platform to study is essential for the success of your education.
   Business Insider insisted that “We have to be honest that we don’t have definitive proof one way or the other yet that technology is improving education. We are cautiously optimistic that technology is having a very bold impact.”
   And we could not agree more!

Online and conventional education styles are very different. The first is more suitable for tech-savvy young people not necessarily willing to engage in con-campus activities. The second one, on the other hand is perfect for those who always wanted to experience students life as it is and need the direct contact with the tutors and students.

It is up to you which type fits you best. So, read the differences between these two types carefully and do not rush into anything before you are 100% sure.

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