Apple Rolls Out New 12” Retina MacBooks; Android App Keeps Screens Away From Kids’ Faces
Posted: April 19, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Computer vision syndrome, Kids Facial distance, Macbook, Retina, Rose gold, Safety Screen, Samsung, Skylake Leave a commentApple has refreshed its 12 inch Retina MacBook. According to 9to5mac.com, there are new Skylake processors, increased overall performance, and a new rose gold color. They say the updated internals give you an additional hour of battery life. It continues to have the single USB-C port and edge to edge keyboard, and remains $1299. A quibble with Apple: their so-called rose gold is a lot more pink than the rose gold you find in watches, pens, and musical instruments. You can always go space grey or silver, though. Processor speed gets bumped to 1.2 gigs, and it comes with 8 gigs of memory standard, and the graphics are 25% faster. It’s available today at Apple’s website or Apple Stores and resellers.
Samsung has built an Android app that alerts kids….or adults for that matter, when they have mobile device screens too close to their face. According to thenextweb.com, it’s called Safety Screen, and uses facial recognition to calculate if a smart device is too close to the user’s face. If so, a cute animation pops up to let the user know…it disappears when the gadget is moved to a safer distance. The app’s creators say kids are more at risk for developing computer vision syndrome than adults. Parents set it up, and password protect the app, and it’s ready to go.
Amazon Prime Adding Monthly Subscriptions; GoPro Rolling Out VR Camera
Posted: April 18, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon Prime, Facebook, GoPro, GoPro Odyssey, GoPro Omni, Hero4, Monthly subscription, Netflix, Prime Video, Virtual Reality, VR Leave a commentAmazon Prime has been $99, and if you get a lot of stuff from them, it’s a bargain in just the saved shipping, let alone Prime Video. Now, gizmodo.com reports that Amazon is offering Prime for $11 a month, and you can get just Prime Video for $9 a month…undercutting Netflix by a buck. The new pricing is available now.
On the heels of Facebook’s $30,000+ insane virtual reality camera that you’ll have to make yourself, GoPro has launched one you can buy from them for $4999. GoPro’s Omni only has 6 cameras….6 Hero4’s…compared to Facebook’s 17, but GoPro says the rig will capture up to 8K video. It’s available for pre-order at their website now. They have also introduced GoPro VR a website and app for iOS and Android to show off VR content and allow for sharing it. Mashable.com says GoPro will continue to offer its high end 16 camera GoPro Odyssey model for 16 grand.
iPhones to Finally Get OLED Screens in 2017; Huawei VR Headset Coming
Posted: April 15, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Huewei, iPhone 7S, OLED, Samsung, VR Headset Leave a commentOLED screens are known to have more vivid blacks and better viewing in bright sunlight, and have been used by many smartphone makers for years. Now, according to 9to5mac.com, Apple has cut a deal worth some 2-1/2 billion with Samsung to buy 100 million 5.5 inch panels by 2017. This probably means the iPhone 7S in 2017 will be a major upgrade. Because OLED screens are thinner and require less power, it could be a thinner iPhone.
Huawei has announced it’s putting out its own VR headset. Like rival Samsung, you’ll need a late model Huawei smartphone to use it. According to thenextweb.com, it has a touch panel and control buttons on the back so you can adjust the lenses to suit your eyes. The Huawei VR has a 95 degree field of view, and anti-blue light filter to cut down on eyestrain. They haven’t given the release date or price yet, but did tout 4000 movies and 40 games that will be available free at launch.
Body Scanning Fitness Mirror; Google Hybrid Fiber/Wireless Service to Extend Fast Internet
Posted: April 14, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Fiber, Fiber/wireless hybrid, Google, Naked 3D Fitness Tracker, Naked Labs Leave a commentA San Francisco startup called Naked Labs is taking preorders for something everybody probably needs, but no one really wants. According to techcrunch.com, it’s a 3D body scanning system called the Naked 3D Fitness Tracker. It’s an internet connected full length mirror that plugs into a wall outlet, and a rechargeable scale. The body scans are displayed in grayscale, and show data about how you’re improving or sliding in your quest to get more fit. Scans take about 20 seconds, and the system can store data for 8 users. It’s $499 at naked dot fit, but won’t ship until next March. All it needs now is a voice assistant to say ‘get your butt back to the gym!
Google loves to push tech forward, and now, they are working to create a Fiber/Wireless hybrid service, to extend Fiber’s reach beyond cities. 9to5google.com reports that it involves connecting wireless towers to existing fiber lines, and also experimenting with different wireless tech. It will expand fast connections to areas where it’s not economically practical to run fiber optic lines.
Facebook’s Crazy 360 Degree Camera; New Kindle Out; Apple Owns Teens
Posted: April 13, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 20 months standby, Amazon, Apple, F8, Facebook, iOS, Kindle, Oasis, Surround 360, Teens, Wearables Leave a commentAt F8, Facebook revealed the “Surround 360”, a 17-lens 3D VR camera yesterday that looks like a UFO on a stick and requires almost no post-production work. They won’t make or be selling the Surround 360. Techcrunch.com says that later this summer Facebook will put the hardware designs and video stitching algorithms on Github. All the parts can by bought online for $30,000.
As expected, Amazon has launched a brighter, smaller, thinner Kindle Oasis for $290, with a leather case increasing battery life to 20 months standby time, It has a funky bump on one side Amazon says helps make it easier to hold with one hand like a book. Theverge.com says it’s available for pre-order today, and ships April 27th.
For decades, it’s been a marketing truism that if you get buyers when they’re teens, you can often keep them for life. Apple seems to be doing this…they did it with the original Macs in schools, and now with iOS and wearables. According to a Piper Jaffray survey picked up by appleinsider.com, only 12% of teens had a smartwatch. Of those, 71% were Apple’s. 69% of teens owned an iPhone, and 64% an iPad. The iPad percentage is up slightly…analyst Gene Munster says probably with the introduction of the 9.7 inch iPad Pro that can use a Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil. Parents…keep your wallet handy!
HTC 10 Pre-Orders Start Now; Facebook Announces Chatbots at F8 Conference
Posted: April 12, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chatbots, F8, Facebook, HTC, HTC 10, Messenger, Quick Charge, Tweeter, Woofer Leave a commentAs we reported last week, HTC has dropped the new model 10. It comes with 4GB of RAM and a 5.2-inch 2K display packs 564 pixels per inch behind layered Gorilla Glass. And the fingerprint sensor unlocks the phone in 0.2 seconds. HTC claims the 3,000mAh battery provides 2 days of use, and can charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 through the new USB-C port. According to geekwire.com, it has a separate tweeter and woofer, on the top-front and bottom respectively, each have their own amp. The camera also got a bump. A new 12MP sensor has improved low-light performance thanks to the bigger “Ultra Pixels.”
Pre-orders start today, April 12, with an expected ship date of early May. The unlocked device will go for $699.
Today at the Facebook Developer Conference…F8…the social media giant officially announced it was adding the rumored chatbots to the Messenger app. Gizmodo.com says the bots can book a hotel, order a meal, find a restaurant, hail a cab, and do much more through text chatting. They also will be a lifeline to smaller businesses who have been depending on sketchy websites and 800 phone numbers. They can basically operate as an app within an app. Facebook’s F8 Conference continues this week…more to come, no doubt.
Contradictory Apple Watch Rumors; Solar Cell Makes Electricity from Water AND Sunlight
Posted: April 11, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 40% thinner, Apple, Apple Watch 2.0, Electricity from rainwater, Solar cells Leave a commentAccording to usually reliable KGI Securities, Apple Watch shipments will drop 25% this year compared to last, and version 2.0 will be out third quarter. They say it’s mostly due to an ‘immature wearable device market.’ Meanwhile, Brian White, an Apple analyst with a somewhat more sketchy track record, says Watch 2 will be out at WWDC in June, be 40% thinner. Macrumors.com reports that both analysts look for a FaceTime video camera, better Wi-Fi, and better battery life.
Engineers in China have come up with a clever way to leach electricity from rain water in solar cells. According to gizmodo.com, they coat the cells with a thin sheet of graphene. Rainwater isn’t pure…it contains small amounts of a ammonium, calcium, and sodium, all of which ionize when in a solution. The graphene creates what the engineers call a ‘pseudo capacitor,’ where electrons move from one side to the other…presto! Electricity. At this point, the cells are only 6% efficient, while most solar cells are 20% efficient at converting sunshine to electricity, but still…6% is not bad for a cloudy, rainy day when the cells will be able to grab precious little solar energy.
Galaxy S7 Is a Hit Compared to the S6; Facebook Adds Video Search
Posted: April 8, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Facebook, Galaxy S7, Live Videos, S7 Edge, Samsung, Video search engine Leave a commentAfter just a month, the new Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are handily outselling their S6 predecessors year over year. In fact, 9to5google.com says sales are up 25% overall, and 30% in the US. The company had a shortage of screens for the curved Edge model, but that’s not the case this year, and they say it is now accounting for 47% of S7 sales.
Facebook is pulling out all stops to get users to watch original videos. Earlier this week, they launched the dedicated video browsing hub, and now have announced a video search engine. According to techcrunch.com, they are also now baking Live videos into Trending Topics on the home page. Facebook is trying to use live video to reverse a trend of less original sharing. Apparently, only 57% of weekly users post on a given week, and only 39% post original content. We all know a few people who re-post a couple dozen memes a day, though!
We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ AR Headsets; Amazon & Microsoft Look to Mapping for Self-Driving Cars
Posted: April 7, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, AR, Audi, Autonomous cars, BMW, Contact Lenses, Digital Mapping, Google, Mercedes, Microsoft, Nokia, Novartis, Samsung, VR Leave a commentHaving just recently had a conversation with a couple of friends in tech about how everyone is excited about virtual and augmented reality, but no one all that much about wearing big, bulky headsets, this caught my eye immediately…and it may be catching your eyes sooner, not later, and immersing them in VR and AR. Cnet.com reports Samsung has gotten a patent for smart contact lenses that will house a camera, movement sensors, transmitter, and display unit. They work in conjunction with a smartphone. You can look at photos and videos from the phone through the lenses. Google is also working along with medical provider Novartis on some smart contacts, albeit ones centering around health. Shrinking VR and AR down to contacts and earbuds? Now THAT’s something that can really take virtual reality mass market!
According to a report, both Amazon and Microsoft are close to getting involved with Here, the digital mapping business for autonomous vehicles. Here was started by Nokia, but bought by a group of German car makers….Mercedes, BMW, & Audi. Theverge.com says a board member at Daimler-parent of Mercedes-confirmed that both Amazon and Microsoft were interested in providing cloud computing capabilities for the mounds of data being gathered by Here’s sensors for autonomous vehicles.
Facebook’s New Dedicated Video Tab; Huawei Shows New Dual Lens Leica Branded Cam in Latest Phone
Posted: April 6, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Dual lens camera, Facebook, Huawei, Leica, Live Video, Messenger, Samsung Leave a commentIn an update, Facebook has replaced the Messenger tab that was front and center at the bottom of the app with the live video tab. Theverge.com reports that the tab has different sections for broadcasts happening around the world and broadcasts by your friends and the pages you follow. You can also search for videos by topic. Facebook says the tab is rolling out initially to “a very small percentage” of users. If you like Periscope, you’ll find that they have borrowed features shamelessly from them.
Speaking of cameras and video, Huawei has showed off its latest flagship smartphones. The P9 has a 5.2 inch screen and the P9 Plus a 5.5 inch one. Both feature a Leica branded dual lens camera. TechCrunch.com notes that Huawei says the cam is co-engineered with the famous optics maker, so don’t expect actual Leica lenses! The dual lens rollout now gets the drop on Apple by almost 6 months. Huawei is the 3rd largest smartphone maker by global market share, behind Samsung and Apple. The setup is supposed to give better color and clarity, and allow refocusing after the fact as the old Lytro camera. They also have a ‘Leica film mode,’ which mimics 3 old film processing styles…for those that like to kick a smartphone camera old school.
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