Small fixes

So it seems our server suddenly started adding Byte Order Mark bytes before XML files even though they are not on the actual file.

And that temporarily broke Android app connectivity, but fortunately we patched the issue immediately... please download the patched Android app from here if you are experiencing any problems. No app purchase is necessary (if you have the hardware, because it's included, and without hardware, because this issue won't even affect you).

Also, we had to change the SMS commands back to what they used to be before we had a false problem thinking that Android stripped underscores from SMS messages which as we understand now is not the case.

(If someone has trouble with underscores being removed from incoming SMS messages please report it!)

Mobile Edition Commands

The DreamLover 2000 Mobile Edition SMS Command list is here.

Got customer satisfaction?

We have just received the most amazing and unseen 4.5KG Toblerone chocolate bar from a Swiss client who has just upgraded to the Mobile Edition and seems very satisfied with our products and customer support.



(Shown near a guitar for a size comparison)

How does one eat 4.5KG of Swiss chocolate? The fridge isn't big enough!
We need to sit down and figure this out...

Thanks!!! :-D
Just doing our job...

Drill phrases and google voice recognition quirks

We already answered individually but this is important enough to deserve a blog post. The "drill" function on the DL Uplink app for the Android smart phone utilizes Google Voice Recognition to translate a spoken utterance into a series of words, which is then matched against a predetermined sentence. This allows the controller to enforce a certain number of daily repetitions of affirmations meant to "drill" deeper into the male's subconscious the various character traits and behaviors that are desired.

Because we are using Google Voice Recognition, we are subject to its quirks and limitations. It actually works very well, 10 years ago this would have been sci-fi. However, one thing you want to keep in mind, is that it doesn't do punctuation very well. As a consequence you won't be using commas, periods, semicolons or anything of that sort in your sentences. If you do, the sentence will not be recognized because one of the "candidates" that are output by google must EXACTLY match, character by character, the sentence to be repeated.

You can see the candidates appear when the software does NOT recognize the sentence. For instance, let's say the sentence was:

"Every day, when I go to work, I drink a coffee."

Google may output:

"Every day when I go to work I drink a coffee"
"Every day when I go to work I drink on coffee"

The sentence won't be recognized. That is why you need to test the drill yourself before assigning it to someone. In this case, go back to the editor and remove punctuation. Similar issues occur with acronyms (which are recognized with no dots), abbreviations ("maam" vs "ma'am") and more.

When words sound similar (ex. Maam & Man) it is often just a matter of pronouncing the words more clearly with a neutral accent (which helps training the male to take the drill seriously and improves his diction in the process!) - or, if you are still keen on using words that Google easily confuses, and can't change them (which would be your best bet), the male can also through practice learn to tweak the pronunciation just slightly to get the algorithm to recognize the right word.

Since the drills aren't meant to train the male to speak the way google likes, the official recommendation is: test the drill, if any words are hard to recognize properly, use a synonym.

Finally make sure you have internet connectivity when taking drills. Being unable to contact google makes the algorithm perform very poorly.

Quirks aside though, the recognition is normally more solid and reliable than one would expect!

Product questions

Others may be confused about this so we decided to answer on the blog:

"I'm confused regarding "use" of the DL2K-Uplink Android USB device and app.

If the Receiver is within range of the Remote, signals are received without the wearer having to do anything. Likewise, if he's within range of a DL2K-LINK equipped PC (with the PC on and the DL Lounge opened). What's unclear is his involvement when the Receiver's data channel is SMS or the Internet.

Illustration: the wearer is outside his residence with an Android phone (or tablet) in his pocket (attached to the DL2K-UPLINK transmitter). If the phone receives a voice call, there's a ring tone. If there's a text, he hears an audible ping. Whether he chooses to take-out the phone and respond to either signal is optional. What's unclear is what happens when an SMS is sent targeting the Receiver? What happens if the signal is sent via the Internet (Wi-Fi)?"

CONTROLLING USER PRESENT SCENARIOS:

- Remote control to receiver. A button is pushed. A message is sent by proprietary radio protocol (new users, get familiarized with this first before you try any of the hard stuff!)

- Local PC to receiver (operated from a laptop PC with a DL2K-LINK plugged in, which means the controlling user is pushing a button on the configuration screen from the DL Uplink application, not a very useful scenario, aside from testing all the features). A button is pushed, a message is sent by proprietary radio protocol

CONTROLLING USER NOT PRESENT SCENARIOS:

- Remote PC to receiver (through the internet, and a local PC). The controlling user sends a message through a browser (any platform, no special hardware or software required), and the message is stored on our server. The wearer of the DreamLover 2000 receiver is near a PC which is connected to the internet, running the DL Uplink application, and has a DL2K-LINK plugged in. Every second or so the DL Uplink application queries our server, and if it finds a message it delivers it by radio to the receiver.

- Remote PC to receiver (through the internet, and a local smartphone). Mobile Edition only. The controlling user sends a message through a browser, and the message is stored on our server. The wearer of the DreamLover 2000 receiver is near an Android smartphone with USB Host capabilities, and the DL Uplink app is running, and the DL2K-LINK is plugged into the smart phone with a USB OTG cable, and the phone itself has connectivity (via wi-fi hotspot or mobile data). Every second or so the app queries our server, and if it finds a message it delivers it by radio to the receiver.

- SMS to receiver. Mobile Edition only. In this case the controlling user sends an SMS (from any phone at all, or skype). The wearer of the DreamLover 2000 receiver is near an Android smartphone (wearer's phone) with USB Host capabilities, and the DL Uplink app is running, and the DL2K-LINK is plugged into the wearer's phone with a USB OTG cable. The wearer's phone does not need any connectivity other than the ability to receive SMS messages through the phone network. When an SMS is received containing the proper code (and from a recognized controlling user's phone number which the wearer selects ahead of time), the message is delivered by radio to the DreamLover 2000 receiver.

Announcing the DreamLover 2000 Mobile Edition and the DreamLover Mobile App