More iPhone 8 From HomePod Leak; Apple Watch May Gain LTE Capability; Faraday Future Dumps Nevada for California; Americans Using Less Juice Than A decade Ago
Posted: August 7, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Apple Watch, California, Electric cars, Electric usage, FaceID, Faraday Future, Gadgets, HomePod, iPhone 8, Nevada, USEIA Leave a commentAs geeks continue to sift through the HomePod software, we get more and more teases about the iPhone 8. Macrumors.com says it indicates that the FaceID facial recognition software is so good, you won’t have to raise the phone and hold it in front of your face to open the phone. The phone may also be capable of shooting 4K video at 60 FPS with either front or rear cameras.
The HomePod leak also seems to reveal that the Apple Watch this fall may get a new form factor and have LTE. According to bloomberg.com, you will be able to connect directly to cellular networks, with no need to be tethered to an iPhone. No indication on if you could make voice calls or it’s just for messages and data, or what apple is doing to preserve battery life, but Apple is apparently in talks with carriers in the US and Europe.
Faraday Future, which at one time planned to build a large electric car plant in Nevada and a smaller one in Vallejo, CA has bolted, and signed a lease on an abandoned Pirelli tire plant in Hanford, in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Techcrunch.com reports that it hopes to be in the new plant by November, and be delivering cars by the end of 2018. Faraday still apparently has an option for a smaller facility on Mare Island in Vallejo. Faraday’s CFO Stephan Krause downplayed financial woes tied to LeEco in China, saying the company has no legal relationship, and if the Chinese company goes under, Faraday would still be solvent.
We all have numerous electronic gadgets and devices…far more than 10 years ago…but due to their becoming more efficient, we are using less electricity! According to recode.net, residential electricity sales per person is down 7% since 2010, too. Part of the reason is more efficient devices, but another part is that people are using phones and tablets more, which are smaller and more efficient. The US Energy Information Administration warns that we may see an increase again between 2030 and 2040, as more rechargeable devices come online…and the so-called ‘smart home’ becomes common. Commercial electricity use is not tapering off, since a lot of what we do online with the cloud, Google, Amazon, and Facebook requires giant server farms that Hoover up many kilowatt hours of electricity.
Microsoft’s Beam Becomes Mixer; T-Mobile Digits Service Now Free For All; Apple Watch Hack Produces Stroke Detector
Posted: May 25, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple Watch, AR, Beam, Burner, Cardiogram, Digits, Heart Monitor, iOS, Microsoft, Mixed reality, Mixer, Multiple numbers, Streaming service, T-Mobile, UCSF Leave a commentEarlier this week, Microsoft was trying to convince the world to call AR..augmented reality mixed reality. Now, we know why…marketing! Techcrunch.com reports that Microsoft has re-branded its game streaming service Beam as Mixer. They have also upped the service’s game with co-streaming, a guide, and mobile broadcasting on iOS and Android. Up to 4 streamers can now combine their streams into a single page, where they’re displayed split screen style.
T-Mobile has just made a cool new service called Digits free for all T-Mobile users. Bgr.com says that Digits combines some of the best features of Google Voice and AT&T NumberSync. You can use one number on multiple devices, but also have multiple numbers on one device…so you could carry one phone and have a business number and home number on it….or a burner number that you’ve given out on dating sites. As of May 31st, every T-Mobile number becomes a Digits number. It’s free, but you will have to call them in order to activate a second number. The freebie will expire soon, then it goes to $10 bucks more a month for a second number.
The Apple Watch is the best heart monitor of any wearable, but not close to what your doctor or hospital uses…until now. According to cnet.com, some researchers at UCSF used an app called Cardiogram with some machine learning, and hacked the Watch to be a 97% accurate detector of one of the leading causes of stroke! This may open the door to considerably more preventative health care, which is far cheaper than reacting and treating problems after the fact.
Apple Watch Rumor-Glucose Monitoring; Amazon-4K Alexa TV and Now = Walmart X2; BMW, Intel, & Mobileye Add Delphi to Self-Driving
Posted: May 16, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 4K TV, Alexa, Amazon, Apple, Apple Watch, BMW, Delphi, Glucose sensors, Intel, Mobileye, Self Driving Cars, Smart watch bands, Walmart, Westinghouse Leave a commentIt’s been no secret that Apple has wanted to get deep into the weeds regarding heath monitoring for the Apple Watch. The do have north of 200 folks with PhDs working on various projects. Now, macrumors.com reports that they may be close to rolling out non-invasive sensors to monitor blood glucose. This would be something of a Holy Grail for diabetics, meaning no finger sticks all day. Apparently, the sensors would be built into interchangeable smart watch bands, along with other functionality. This way, people who buy Apple Watch that don’t need those functions wouldn’t have to pay extra for them. The sensors are due in ‘an upcoming Apple Watch,’ but it’s unclear if they will make the third generation one out this fall.
Amazon has announced 4K TVs running Alexa. They will be sold under the Westinghouse brand, according to theverge.com. Preorders are open now, with prices ranging from $449 for a 43 inches to $899 for a 65 inch display. They are expected in stores next month. A lot has been made over Apple and Google valuation…Apple at 800+ billion and all…but ponder this….Amazon now has a market cap of $459 billion…that’s just about TWO Walmarts! Amazon has just been a public company for 18 years!
BMW, Intel, & Mobileye have now been joined by Delphi in their self-driving platform development. Techcrunch.com says Delphi will supply key computing components to the system. Intel and Delphi had previously worked together on autonomous tech. They are shooting for 2021 to bring their platform into production…not just for BMW vehicles but for other auto makers and system developers.
Apple Working on Non-Invasive Glucose Monitor; Next iPhones Getting More RAM; Amazon Offering Echo’s Voice Recognition to Other Device Makers
Posted: April 13, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Alexa, Amazon, Apple, Apple Watch, Blood glucose monitor, Echo, iPhone, Memory, OEMs, Through skin, USB type C, Voice Recognition Leave a commentApple has a team of biomedical engineers working on sensors to monitor blood glucose levels accurately through the skin, without the finger prick and blood draw. Macrumors.com says Apple may do this via an add on and app instead of building it into every Apple Watch, since FDA approval for the entire watch would take so long, they couldn’t produce new models yearly. It will be a huge boon to diabetics who test to monitor blood sugar without repeated ‘sticks.’ Others have tried using light through skin to measure glucose for years, but they’ve been inaccurate, or the sensors have burned the skin. Stay tuned!
All 3 iPhone models due out this fall will come with 3 gigs of memory, according to macrumors.com. They will continue to carry Lightening connectors, but with USB C power delivery for faster charging. The present iPhone 7 Plus already has 3 gigs of memory, which is handy if you have lots of browser tabs open and helps the portrait mode on the camera to function.
Amazon is going to make its tech available to other device makers that gives the Echo its great voice recognition. Techcrunch.com reports that it will be by invitation only. Amazon will pick the OEMs it allows to incorporate its tech into their devices. It apparently works with different CPUs like ARM, Intel, and Raspberry Pi. ‘Hey, Siri, have Apple apply for voice recognition help from Alexa.’ Ok, we can dream, can’t we?
LTE Apple Watch & AR Glasses Coming; Amazon Puts Off Brick & Mortar; Faraday Future Punts California Plant
Posted: March 28, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon Go, Apple, Apple Watch, Augmented reality, brick and mortar, Ca, Electric Car, Faraday Future, Las Vegas, LTE, NV, Vallejo, VOiP Leave a commentIn a report picked up from Barron’s by 9to5mac.com, an analyst for Susquehanna Financial picked up repeated rumors of an LTE connected Apple Watch 3, complete with micro SIM card. It will have a very low power chip to save battery and VoIP tech for calling.
Also, the drumbeat continues that Apple is going big with Augmented Reality. Macrumors.com says Cupertino is focusing on moving from the science project stage towards a finished consumer product. Even at that, it will probably be a 2018 launch at the soonest….although one analyst insists they will roll out AR glasses with the iPhone 8 this fall.
Amazon Go, the brick and mortar Amazon store, has been put on hold. Recode.net says the biggest sticking point is that the tech in the stores with no cashiers or checkout lines can’t handle crowds. More than 20 people inside, and it goes bonkers over tracking people and what’s been taken from specific shelf space.
Another shattered dream for further revitalizing the former submarine base at Mare Island in Vallejo, CA. According to techcrunch.com, vaporware electric car maker Faraday Future has walked away from finalizing an assembly plant and showroom there, at least for now. Faraday plans to focus on finishing their original billion dollar, 3 million square foot plant in Nevada near Las Vegas…but has downsides that to 650,000 square feet. They say they will open it this fall.
Waymo Self-Drivers More Independent Last Year; Apple Watch Owns Wearable Market; AT&T Starting 5G Rollout
Posted: February 2, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 5G, Alphabet, Apple, Apple Watch, AT&T, Fiber, Gigabit, Safety, Samsung, Self Driving Cars, Waymo, Wearables Leave a commentAlphabet’s Waymo division continues to march relentlessly towards fully autonomous self-driving cars. 9to5google.com says California DMV figures showed far fewer safety related disengages in 2016 and considerably more miles driven. In 2015, there were .8 disengages per 1000 miles, and in 2016 that dropped to .2 per thousand. Both numbers are exceptionally low, and now word is, Waymo has started using an updated sensor suite just last month…which presumably will drive the figures lower.
Apple said they had record sales 4th Quarter for the Apple Watch, but still doesn’t release details. According to data from Strategy Analytics, though, they pumped out 5.2 million of them for the holidays, grabbing 63.4% of the market. Samsung was next at 9.8%. Overall, smartwatches were up a tiny 1% in 2016 from 2015.
Later this year, Austin, Texas and Indianapolis, Indiana will be first to get blazingly fast 5G service from AT&T. Theverge.com reports that speeds will hit 400 Mbps. That’s not true 5G, which is 1Gigabit, but AT&T claims some top speeds will hit that by year’s end. At any rate, it’s 40 times faster than 4G, and unquestionably in the ballpark with fiber speeds.
Apple iPhone ‘Ferrari’; Wearables Market Hitting the Skids
Posted: December 21, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Apple Watch, Ferrari, Fitbit, iPhone, iPhone 8, Wearables Leave a commentAs we’ve reported, it’s looking more and more like there will be 3 iPhone models next year….a couple of incremental upgrades to the 7 and 7 Plus, and a ‘wow’ factor model. Bgr.com reports that a new leak says the top line iPhone 8 is code named ‘Ferrari.’ The leak also outed the internal code numbers for the models. Interestingly, Chinese site cnBeta claims Apple will drop prices noticeably on the 7s and 7s Plus models to grab market share, with the 8 commanding a premium price…maybe even more than the present models do.
Apple still says its Watch sales are ‘doing great,’ without releasing figures to back that up, but according to a report from eMarketer picked up by techcrunch.com, wearables like the Fitbit and Apple Watch were supposed to grow 60% from 2015 to 2016, but only grew 25%. It should be pointed out that a lot of product categories would kill to have growth as high as 25%, but in a newish tech category, expectations are always high. Without making a clear case for people to want or need a smartwatch, those wearables in particular have failed to impress enough buyers. eMarketer expects wearable devices to hit 15.8% of the population this year, and 21.1% by 2020. Apple Watch did sell better in the runup to the holidays this year, but market watchers are skeptical that Apple alone can save the wearable category as a whole.
Facebook Messenger Has Tons of Artsy New Text Filters; Watch App To Track Falls of Elderly
Posted: December 15, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple Watch, AR, Facebook, FallCall, Graphics, Medstartr, Messenger, Selfie filters, Snapchat Leave a commentIn a move to syphon off users from Snapchat, Facebook Messenger is rolling out a new feature for the camera that gives users a nearly infinite number of overlaid graphics. Techcrunch.com reports that the improved camera app also has AR selfie lenses, holiday themed masks, and tons of filters…over a billion different ways to spice up your text and pictures. It is rolling out, and will be on all iOS and Android phones by the 21st.
A trauma surgeon and emergency doctor are crowdfunding an Apple Watch app called FallCall, which automatically detects when a person falls and calls for what they describe as ‘the appropriate level of help.’ According to 9to5mac.com, the docs cite statistics that a third of people over 65 fall every year, and many aren’t able to call for help…either because they can’t reach a phone or are unconscious. The campaign is on Medstartr (no ‘e’ in starter), and is shooting for 180 grand. Contributors of at least $20 will be listed as a patron.
Android Rules the World in Number of Smartphones; Apple Watch Coming to Kohl’s
Posted: November 3, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple Watch, Black Friday, Dick's Sporting Goods, iOS, Kohl's, Macy's, Nike, Smartphones, Tizen Leave a commentA report out from strategyanalytics.com says that Android now accounts for 88% of global smartphone shipments in the third quarter of this year, with a total of 375 million phones. Apple slipped to 12%, mainly on losing ground in China and Africa. Other operating systems only account for .3% at this point, including Tizen. Apple’s iPhone running iOS obviously does far better in the US and in the narrower market for higher priced phones.
Kohl’s Department Stores will start selling the Apple Watch at 400 locations ahead of Black Friday. 9to5mac.com says they’ll roll out the smartwatch starting November 15th. Kohl’s has 1100 stores, so you’ll have to check ahead if one near you will carry the Watch. Macy’s has the Watch, but only in 180 stores. You can get the Nike+ version of Apple Watch at Dick’s Sporting Goods and Nike stores.
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