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Tag: wearables

  • The Rise of Wearable Tech and Its Impact on Health and Fitness

    The Rise of Wearable Tech and Its Impact on Health and Fitness

    Wearable technology has grown in popularity in recent years, revolutionizing the way we track our health and fitness. From smartwatches, fitness trackers, virtual reality headsets, and smart clothing, wearable tech has become an integral part of our daily lives. With the ability to monitor our heart rate, sleep patterns, steps taken, and our mental health, wearable technology has the potential to transform the way we approach our overall well-being. This article details the rise of wearable tech and its impact on health and fitness, examining the latest trends and advancements.

    What Is Wearable Fitness Technology?

    Wearable fitness tech is a type of technology that measures and collects data about our physical activity levels, heart rate, calorie burn, sleep patterns, and more. The data collected is used to create detailed graphs and reports about our current health and fitness status, allowing us to monitor our progress over time.

    The report and data collected about your current health status are then printed and saved in PDF by online printing services for future health adjustments. Some of the most popular types of wearable tech include:

    • Smartwatches
    • Smart clothing
    • Fitness trackers
    • Virtual reality headsets
    • Wearable ECG monitors

    Wearable technology has the potential to revolutionize how we manage our overall health, providing data-driven insights into our activity levels and other health metrics. Wearable tech is not just a trend, it is here to stay and it can offer us a powerful way to track our progress and make changes in our lifestyle choices.

    How Wearable Fitness Tech Is Used

    Wearable fitness tech is used to help users understand their activity levels, set fitness goals, and create action plans to reach those goals. This technology can be used in various ways:

    • To monitor your daily exercise habits
    • To track nutrition
    • Sleep patterns
    • Hydration

    Wearable tech can also be used to provide actual feedback on your progress and offer insights into where you need to make changes to reach your goals.

    How Wearable Tech Can Enhance Your Fitness and Health

    • Tracking your physical activity levels on a daily basis: You can use this information to make small adjustments to your lifestyle and improve your overall health.
    • By setting goals for yourself and using the data from wearable tech to track your progress: You can stay motivated and encouraged to continue working towards better health. 
    • Wearable tech can also help you become more aware of your body’s limitations and give you the tools to adjust accordingly.

    Examples of Wearable Devices in Healthcare

    Wearable devices are becoming more popular in healthcare settings, allowing for more efficient monitoring of patients’ health. Devices such as Apple Watches, Fitbits, and glucose monitors have been used to detect changes in blood pressure or glucose levels, alert patients when they need to take medication or rest, and remind them when to get regular check-ups with their doctor. Wearable devices can be used to give doctors more accurate data on their patients’ signs, which can lead to earlier detection of health issues and improve patients’ health outcomes.

    Endnote

    With the ability to track our activity levels, monitor our signs, and even help us manage our mental health, wearable technology can empower us to take charge of our health like never before. However, it’s important to remember that technology alone is not a substitute for a healthy lifestyle. We must use these devices as tools to help us achieve our health and fitness goals, while also prioritizing things like regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep.

  • EU Regulators Set to Approve Google/Fitbit Deal

    EU Regulators Set to Approve Google/Fitbit Deal

    Following concessions by Google, the EU looks ready to approve its acquisition of Fitbit.

    Google made headlines in November with its plans to purchase wearable company Fitbit for $2.1 billion. Despite the company’s promise to protect user privacy, the deal was immediately met with scrutiny by US and EU officials.

    According to Reuters, however, it appears Google has managed to assuage concerns through concessions. The company promised to restrict how Fitbit data is used, in relation to Google ads, and to improve the monitoring process. The company also committed to supporting other manufacturers and services.

    “We’re also formalizing our longstanding commitment to supporting other wearable manufacturers on Android and to continue to allow Fitbit users to connect to third party services via APIs (application programming interfaces) if they want to,” Google said in a statement.

    Given that the EU is generally stricter than the US in regulatory matters, winning EU approval is an encouraging sign that the deal will proceed unhindered.

  • Google Fails to Stop Full-Blown EU Fitbit Investigation

    Google Fails to Stop Full-Blown EU Fitbit Investigation

    It appears Google’s efforts to prevent an investigation into its Fitbit acquisition have been unsuccessful, with the EU ready to launch a full antitrust probe.

    Google recently announced a deal to purchase wearable maker Fitbit for $2.1 billion. Almost immediately, the deal drew scrutiny from US and EU officials over concerns about data privacy. Given the vast amount of health data Fitbit has access to, officials were concerned about Google now having access to it. In addition, there were concerns Google might use that data to unfairly gain an advantage over its rivals.

    The search giant has worked to assuage those concerns, vowing not to use the data in its advertising business. It appears those concessions were not enough, however, as CNBC is reporting the EU is planning on launching a full investigation.

    Google has repeatedly said the deal is about the devices, rather than the data. Apple has a commanding lead in the wearables market, and Google is eager to become more competitive. A successful Fitbit deal would help it do just that.

  • Google Vows Not to Use Fitbit Data For Advertising

    Google Vows Not to Use Fitbit Data For Advertising

    In an effort to prevent the EU from challenging its Fitbit deal, Google has committed to not using Fitbit data in its advertising.

    Google announced in November that it had entered a definitive agreement to purchase Fitbit to the tune of $2.1 billion. Almost immediately, the deal was scrutinized by lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic. The DOJ announced in December it was opening an investigation into the deal, citing privacy concerns over the sensitive health information Fitbit has access to. Similarly, the EU launched its own investigation into the deal over similar concerns.

    In an effort to stave off any attempt to block the deal, Google has now committed to not using any Fitbit data to target its ads. In an emailed statement to Reuters, Google said the following:

    “This deal is about devices, not data. We appreciate the opportunity to work with the European Commission on an approach that safeguards consumers’ expectations that Fitbit device data won’t be used for advertising,” Google said in an emailed statement.

    Google’s statement emphasizes why it pursued the Fitbit deal to begin with, even outbidding Facebook for the wearable maker. Apple is currently the dominant wearables company, with Samsung making a respectable showing as well. Buying Fitbit gives Google a better chance of competing against the market leaders.

  • Apple Watch Outsells Entire Swiss Watch Industry

    Apple Watch Outsells Entire Swiss Watch Industry

    It may only represent a small percentage of Apple’s revenue, but the Apple Watch has already beat the entire Swiss watch industry by a large margin, according to Strategy Analytics.

    According to the press release, Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “We estimate Apple Watch shipped 30.7 million units worldwide in 2019, growing a healthy 36 percent from 22.5 million in 2018. A blend of attractive design, user-friendly tech and sticky apps makes the Apple Watch wildly popular in North America, Western Europe and Asia.”

    In contrast, the entire Swiss watch industry only shipped 21.1 million units in 2019, a 13% decline from 2018. Strategy Analytics chalked this up to Apple delivering a better product.

    “Traditional Swiss watch makers, like Swatch and Tissot, are losing the smartwatch wars,” Waltzer added. “Apple Watch is delivering a better product through deeper retail channels and appealing to younger consumers who increasingly want digital wristwear. The window for Swiss watch brands to make an impact in smartwatches is closing. Time may be running out for Swatch, Tissot, TAG Heuer, and others.”

    In view of this report, it’s little wonder Jefferies analyst Kyle McNealy is predicting 2020 will be a “breakout year” for Apple wearables.

  • 2020 Could Be ‘Breakout Year’ For Apple Wearables

    2020 Could Be ‘Breakout Year’ For Apple Wearables

    According to TheStreet.com, Jefferies analyst Kyle McNealy believes 2020 may be a “breakout year” for Apple wearables.

    Apple’s Wearables unit has been growing increasingly important for the company, as AirPods, AirPods Pro and the Apple Watch have become must-have devices for many people, especially during the holiday season. What’s more, these devices receive almost universally high praise from critics, increasing their appeal even more.

    Revenue from Wearables hit $10 billion in the latest quarterly earnings, and McNealy sees the category contributing 3% to 4% of total company growth in 2020 and 2021.

    According to TheStreet, McNealy said in a research note: “We see fiscal 2020 as a breakout year for Apple’s Wearables business. Multiple 2019 product launches, potential average selling price expansion from AirPods Pro, and strong customer interest across product lines support our view that 2020 will be a meaningful inflection point for the business.”

    This is good news for Apple, as the company looks to build its non-iPhone revenue streams.

  • Filings Reveal There Was a Bidding War Over Fitbit

    Filings Reveal There Was a Bidding War Over Fitbit

    Fitbit made news recently when it was announced that Google would be purchasing the wearables firm. According to CNBC, it appears Facebook was also interested and “bid several times to acquire” the company.

    An SEC filing referred to “Party A,” a previously unidentified third party who made several bids to buy Fitbit.

    “According to the filing, Fitbit CEO James Park had dinner with ‘the chief executive officer of Party A’ on June 11, 2019 to discuss the wearables technology landscape. That person would be Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, sources said. Park and other members of Fitbit’s senior management had dinner with Zuckerberg again on July 2, the filing said. Zuckerberg and Park met once more in September, according to the filing.”

    Evidently Facebook’s best offer, one they would not budge from, was $7.30 a share. A day after Facebook made its final offer, Fitbit signed an exclusivity deal with Google for $7.35 a share.

    While some users have understandably been concerned about privacy in the wake of the announcement Google was purchasing Fitbit, it’s probably a safe bet that far more users would be concerned if Facebook was the buyer.

  • Apple Is Trying To Be A Subscription Company

    Apple Is Trying To Be A Subscription Company

    “Just think about the long term value of Apple and where they’re going,”  says Chegg CEO Dan Rosensweig. “They were a phone company, they were an ecommerce company, and now they’re trying to be a subscription company. You see that in their services and their service numbers. They have the largest distribution system on the planet probably other than Google. If they commit to it there is no reason they can’t be successful.”

    Dan Rosensweig, President and CEO of Chegg, discusses how Apple has pivoted and is trying to become a subscription company selling services, leveraging its huge distribution system, in an interview on CNBC:

    Apple Is Trying To Be A Subscription Company

    Where Apple wants to make (their products) is where it’s cheapest and where they can make the best quality. They’re playing the game now sort of whack-a-mole which is watching the tariffs and all these things. Just think about the long term value of Apple and where they’re going. They were a phone company, they were an ecommerce company, and now they’re trying to be a subscription company. You see that in their services and their service numbers. The supply chain is a thing to talk about over the quarter but in the long term that is all going to be resolved. They’ll be wherever they need to be.

    They have the largest distribution system on the planet probably other than Google. They have been selling other people things through the iTunes store and through the app store. They bought companies in order to be able to sell news and other things and they sell their iCloud. They really have not gotten into content that they own in any significant way. Unless they commit to it they’re not going to be successful. But if they commit to it there is no reason they can’t be successful. 

    Most Of Apple’s Subscription Profit Is Coming From the iCloud

    If you ask what is it that Apple owns proprietarily and offers to their consumer in terms of content other than the iCloud itself, you really can’t come up with anything. Whereas, Adobe has all these software and services and Microsoft has these things. They’re sort of in the content area. They’re in the music subscription area. But even in the music subscription area, they don’t own the content. So it’s hard to make those things as profitable. Although, you can sign up a lot of people. 

    I would estimate that most of their profit from that is coming from just the iCloud. It’s selling storage that everybody needs because your phone is your home base. 

    Apple Is Well-Positioned In Wearables

    I think the iPhone is cyclical. There hasn’t been a big breakthrough. Everything has gotten a little smaller, a little better, a little cleaner, a little faster, and a little bit more secure. I don’t know what the next breakthrough is. What I do know is the need for mobility is endless. The kinds of things that are going to attach to our bodies seem to be endless. I think Apple is well-positioned to be that player. 

    Just in default mode, if you are a user of Apple products you prefer to use Apple products because it’s just easier. The payments there. The clicks there. The operating system is there. It’s just too familiar for you. They chose the highest-priced model. The highest-priced model is generally the smallest group and it ends quicker. The question is can they come up with lower-priced models and then make a lot of their money on subscription services.

    Apple Is Trying To Be A Subscription Company, Says Chegg Chegg CEO Dan Rosensweig
  • Amazon Will Soon Add  Alexa to Wearable Devices

    Amazon Will Soon Add Alexa to Wearable Devices

    Amazon’s digital assistant is branching out. In a January 5 announcement, Microsoft revealed a new developer kit aimed to help device manufacturers integrate Alexa’s functions into their wearable devices, which will essentially create a new, mobile version of the popular digital assistant.

    For years, Amazon seemed to be content in restricting Alexa as s speaker-based digital assistant. It was a smart move then as, obviously, it is a lot easier to interact with the AI via voice command and receive its response in audio as well. However, the tech giant concluded that restricting it to a speaker-based functionality is also limiting its market reach. Thus, Amazon introduced a host of Alexa compatible electronics such as the Amazon Fire TV, Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat, and even the Ecobee Smart Light Switch.

    But apparently, even connecting all devices in your home is not enough for the very helpful Alexa. Now, Amazon is targeting a host of devices that people, especially the fit and wellness crowd, usually take with them even when going out just for a stroll—their wearables.

    On Friday, Amazon announced a new set of developer tools called the Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit. As described by the company, the new kit is “a new way to bring Alexa to portable, on-the-go devices such as wearables, headphones, smart watches, fitness devices, and more.”

    Actually, the kit is already being used by a handful of businesses that already have various kinds of partnerships with Amazon. These include Bose, Jabra, iHome, Linkplay, Sugr, Librewireless, Beyerdynamic, Bowers, and Wilkins. With the kit now available to a broader set of device makers and solutions providers, it may hasten the development of new Alexa compatible mobile devices.

    Bose, for instance, is already laying down plans to test, design and build solutions which will be powered by Alexa’s AI. According to Bose Director of Product Management Brian Maguire, “Bose is excited to add a remarkable new Alexa experience for our customers. Accessing Alexa’s music, information, and a vast number of skills on our headphones will become easier than ever, and we’re looking forward to bringing our collaboration to life.”

    For device manufacturers such as Bose, Amazon’s offer to use Alexa in bringing AI to their devices is indeed an attractive offer. Since Bose does not have a digital assistant division of its own, using Alexa’s features will increase the competitiveness of its Bluetooth speakers against similar AI-powered offerings such as the Apple AirPods and Google Pixel Buds.

    [Featured image via Pixabay]

  • Crowdfunded Ion Belt puts a complete smartphone recharge around your waist

    Crowdfunded Ion Belt puts a complete smartphone recharge around your waist

    ​Portable battery boosters are a great idea. Trouble is you’ve always left them at home when your phone decides to haemorrhage its last 20% of battery and leave you in the lurch.

    This Kickstarter project is looking to solve that issue, however. The Ion Belt puts a 3,000mAh battery where you can’t forget it – around your waist, keeping your trousers up.ly.

    The work depicts Jobs in his trademark black turtleneck jumper carrying an early model of his Apple computer and with a black bin bag slung over his shoulder.

    With today’s announcement, SpaceIL is the first of the 16 Lunar X Prize teams to book a ride off the planet. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first Israeli mission — as well as the first private spaceflight mission — to soft-land a vehicle on the lunar surface. Eran Privman, CEO of SpaceIL, claimed the group isn’t focused on the competition, but they are confident they can win. “I promise you once we land on the Moon, we’ll look around and see we are the first,” he said.

    Only three nations have ever landed a spacecraft intact on the Moon: the United States, Russia, and China. Many countries have slammed lunar orbiters or probes into the Moon to study its environment, but gently landing a spacecraft is trickier. The Moon is big enough to have a gravitational pull, but it doesn’t have an atmosphere to slow incoming objects. Spacecraft in lunar orbit must fire retro-rockets, very precisely, in the opposite direction of the Moon. That way they can slowly descend without slamming into the rock. It’s a delicate procedure that usually requires a lot of time and money, which is why only government agencies have been able to do it up until now.

    A trait carried over from their debut, luckily for us listeners

    Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances.

    SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)
    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)

    That it was only then, on the homeward voyage, after the encounter, that the final monomania seized him, seems all but certain from the fact that, at intervals during the passage, he was a raving lunatic; and, though unlimbed of a leg, yet such vital strength yet lurked in his Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances, the old man’s delirium seemed left behind him with the Cape Horn swells.

    Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    Lauren Mayberry’s lyrics touches on elements of heartbreak

    God the direful madness was now gone; even then, Ahab, in his hidden self, raved on. Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    jh123But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot of Ahab’s broad madness had been left behind; so in that broad madness, not one jot of his great natural intellect had perished. That before living agent, now became the living instrument. If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark. I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as soon as they located my tracks. I had gone but a short distance further when what seemed to be an excellent trail opened up around the face of a high cliff. The trail was level and quite broad and led upward and in the general direction I wished to go. The cliff arose for several hundred feet on my right, and on my left was an equal and nearly perpendicular drop to the bottom of a rocky ravine.

  • Fashion brands up the smartwatch game with designer Android Wear watch faces

    Fashion brands up the smartwatch game with designer Android Wear watch faces

    ​Already tired of your smartwatch’s limited array of customisation options? Yeah, us too.

    Well, Google has partnered with a number of fashion brands to bring a new mix of designer Android Wear watch faces to the mix and bolster those update options slightly.

    The work depicts Jobs in his trademark black turtleneck jumper carrying an early model of his Apple computer and with a black bin bag slung over his shoulder.

    With today’s announcement, SpaceIL is the first of the 16 Lunar X Prize teams to book a ride off the planet. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first Israeli mission — as well as the first private spaceflight mission — to soft-land a vehicle on the lunar surface. Eran Privman, CEO of SpaceIL, claimed the group isn’t focused on the competition, but they are confident they can win. “I promise you once we land on the Moon, we’ll look around and see we are the first,” he said.

    Only three nations have ever landed a spacecraft intact on the Moon: the United States, Russia, and China. Many countries have slammed lunar orbiters or probes into the Moon to study its environment, but gently landing a spacecraft is trickier. The Moon is big enough to have a gravitational pull, but it doesn’t have an atmosphere to slow incoming objects. Spacecraft in lunar orbit must fire retro-rockets, very precisely, in the opposite direction of the Moon. That way they can slowly descend without slamming into the rock. It’s a delicate procedure that usually requires a lot of time and money, which is why only government agencies have been able to do it up until now.

    A trait carried over from their debut, luckily for us listeners

    Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances.

    SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)
    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)

    That it was only then, on the homeward voyage, after the encounter, that the final monomania seized him, seems all but certain from the fact that, at intervals during the passage, he was a raving lunatic; and, though unlimbed of a leg, yet such vital strength yet lurked in his Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances, the old man’s delirium seemed left behind him with the Cape Horn swells.

    Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    Lauren Mayberry’s lyrics touches on elements of heartbreak

    God the direful madness was now gone; even then, Ahab, in his hidden self, raved on. Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    jh123But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot of Ahab’s broad madness had been left behind; so in that broad madness, not one jot of his great natural intellect had perished. That before living agent, now became the living instrument. If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark. I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as soon as they located my tracks. I had gone but a short distance further when what seemed to be an excellent trail opened up around the face of a high cliff. The trail was level and quite broad and led upward and in the general direction I wished to go. The cliff arose for several hundred feet on my right, and on my left was an equal and nearly perpendicular drop to the bottom of a rocky ravine.

  • Domino’s Apple Watch app will tell you when it’s pizza time

    Domino’s Apple Watch app will tell you when it’s pizza time

    ​The only thing worse than a hangover is a New Year’s Day hangover, but help is now just a screen tap away for Apple Watch owners.

    Domino’s Easy Order App for the wearable lets users order a slice of hangover-banishing goodness faster than ever before.

    The work depicts Jobs in his trademark black turtleneck jumper carrying an early model of his Apple computer and with a black bin bag slung over his shoulder.

    With today’s announcement, SpaceIL is the first of the 16 Lunar X Prize teams to book a ride off the planet. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first Israeli mission — as well as the first private spaceflight mission — to soft-land a vehicle on the lunar surface. Eran Privman, CEO of SpaceIL, claimed the group isn’t focused on the competition, but they are confident they can win. “I promise you once we land on the Moon, we’ll look around and see we are the first,” he said.

    Only three nations have ever landed a spacecraft intact on the Moon: the United States, Russia, and China. Many countries have slammed lunar orbiters or probes into the Moon to study its environment, but gently landing a spacecraft is trickier. The Moon is big enough to have a gravitational pull, but it doesn’t have an atmosphere to slow incoming objects. Spacecraft in lunar orbit must fire retro-rockets, very precisely, in the opposite direction of the Moon. That way they can slowly descend without slamming into the rock. It’s a delicate procedure that usually requires a lot of time and money, which is why only government agencies have been able to do it up until now.

    A trait carried over from their debut, luckily for us listeners

    Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances.

    SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)
    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)

    That it was only then, on the homeward voyage, after the encounter, that the final monomania seized him, seems all but certain from the fact that, at intervals during the passage, he was a raving lunatic; and, though unlimbed of a leg, yet such vital strength yet lurked in his Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances, the old man’s delirium seemed left behind him with the Cape Horn swells.

    Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    Lauren Mayberry’s lyrics touches on elements of heartbreak

    God the direful madness was now gone; even then, Ahab, in his hidden self, raved on. Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    jh123But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot of Ahab’s broad madness had been left behind; so in that broad madness, not one jot of his great natural intellect had perished. That before living agent, now became the living instrument. If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark. I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as soon as they located my tracks. I had gone but a short distance further when what seemed to be an excellent trail opened up around the face of a high cliff. The trail was level and quite broad and led upward and in the general direction I wished to go. The cliff arose for several hundred feet on my right, and on my left was an equal and nearly perpendicular drop to the bottom of a rocky ravine.

  • Fitbit launches its first colour touchscreen tracker with the Blaze

    Fitbit launches its first colour touchscreen tracker with the Blaze

    Fitbit is the market leader in wearables, so it might come as a surprise to hear that it’s only just announced its first colour touchscreen device.

    Billed as a ‘smarter fitness tracker’ rather than a smartwatch, the Fitbit Blaze was announced during the company’s pre-CES 2016 press conference.

    The work depicts Jobs in his trademark black turtleneck jumper carrying an early model of his Apple computer and with a black bin bag slung over his shoulder.

    With today’s announcement, SpaceIL is the first of the 16 Lunar X Prize teams to book a ride off the planet. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first Israeli mission — as well as the first private spaceflight mission — to soft-land a vehicle on the lunar surface. Eran Privman, CEO of SpaceIL, claimed the group isn’t focused on the competition, but they are confident they can win. “I promise you once we land on the Moon, we’ll look around and see we are the first,” he said.

    Only three nations have ever landed a spacecraft intact on the Moon: the United States, Russia, and China. Many countries have slammed lunar orbiters or probes into the Moon to study its environment, but gently landing a spacecraft is trickier. The Moon is big enough to have a gravitational pull, but it doesn’t have an atmosphere to slow incoming objects. Spacecraft in lunar orbit must fire retro-rockets, very precisely, in the opposite direction of the Moon. That way they can slowly descend without slamming into the rock. It’s a delicate procedure that usually requires a lot of time and money, which is why only government agencies have been able to do it up until now.

    A trait carried over from their debut, luckily for us listeners

    Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances.

    SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)
    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)

    That it was only then, on the homeward voyage, after the encounter, that the final monomania seized him, seems all but certain from the fact that, at intervals during the passage, he was a raving lunatic; and, though unlimbed of a leg, yet such vital strength yet lurked in his Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances, the old man’s delirium seemed left behind him with the Cape Horn swells.

    Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    Lauren Mayberry’s lyrics touches on elements of heartbreak

    God the direful madness was now gone; even then, Ahab, in his hidden self, raved on. Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    jh123But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot of Ahab’s broad madness had been left behind; so in that broad madness, not one jot of his great natural intellect had perished. That before living agent, now became the living instrument. If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark. I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as soon as they located my tracks. I had gone but a short distance further when what seemed to be an excellent trail opened up around the face of a high cliff. The trail was level and quite broad and led upward and in the general direction I wished to go. The cliff arose for several hundred feet on my right, and on my left was an equal and nearly perpendicular drop to the bottom of a rocky ravine.

  • Kids can play whack-a-mole with these new Skechers

    Kids can play whack-a-mole with these new Skechers

    If you’ve ever experienced the joy of owning those light-up trainers as a kid – you know, the ones that had flashing red lights on the side when you walked – you’ll understand why kids will love these new gaming shoes.

  • Hands-on with Casio’s rugged Android Wear watch

    Hands-on with Casio’s rugged Android Wear watch

    You might not think that by looking at this thing, but the larger-than-life Casio Smart Outdoors Watch WSD-F10 marks a serious step forward in smartwatch evolution, honest.

    Not only is it the first true smartwatch designed for the wannabe Bear Grylls – a giant step away from the mass of carbon copy wearables – it marks the arrival of another ‘traditional’ watch maker in the smartwatch race. Casio joins Tag Heuer and Fossil in fronting up to the threat from Apple, Samsung and Motorola.

    The work depicts Jobs in his trademark black turtleneck jumper carrying an early model of his Apple computer and with a black bin bag slung over his shoulder.

    With today’s announcement, SpaceIL is the first of the 16 Lunar X Prize teams to book a ride off the planet. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first Israeli mission — as well as the first private spaceflight mission — to soft-land a vehicle on the lunar surface. Eran Privman, CEO of SpaceIL, claimed the group isn’t focused on the competition, but they are confident they can win. “I promise you once we land on the Moon, we’ll look around and see we are the first,” he said.

    Only three nations have ever landed a spacecraft intact on the Moon: the United States, Russia, and China. Many countries have slammed lunar orbiters or probes into the Moon to study its environment, but gently landing a spacecraft is trickier. The Moon is big enough to have a gravitational pull, but it doesn’t have an atmosphere to slow incoming objects. Spacecraft in lunar orbit must fire retro-rockets, very precisely, in the opposite direction of the Moon. That way they can slowly descend without slamming into the rock. It’s a delicate procedure that usually requires a lot of time and money, which is why only government agencies have been able to do it up until now.

    A trait carried over from their debut, luckily for us listeners

    Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances.

    SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)
    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)

    That it was only then, on the homeward voyage, after the encounter, that the final monomania seized him, seems all but certain from the fact that, at intervals during the passage, he was a raving lunatic; and, though unlimbed of a leg, yet such vital strength yet lurked in his Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances, the old man’s delirium seemed left behind him with the Cape Horn swells.

    Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    Lauren Mayberry’s lyrics touches on elements of heartbreak

    God the direful madness was now gone; even then, Ahab, in his hidden self, raved on. Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    jh123But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot of Ahab’s broad madness had been left behind; so in that broad madness, not one jot of his great natural intellect had perished. That before living agent, now became the living instrument. If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark. I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as soon as they located my tracks. I had gone but a short distance further when what seemed to be an excellent trail opened up around the face of a high cliff. The trail was level and quite broad and led upward and in the general direction I wished to go. The cliff arose for several hundred feet on my right, and on my left was an equal and nearly perpendicular drop to the bottom of a rocky ravine.

  • Google Launches Android Wear For iOS

    Google Launches Android Wear For iOS

    Google is rolling out Android Wear, its wearables operating system, for iOS so that people with iPhones can use their devices along with devices like Android watches.

    Android Wear now supports iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, and 6 Plus running iOS 8.2+.

    In a post on the official Google blog, the company says, “When you wear something every day, you want to be sure it really works for you. That’s why Android Wear offers countless design choices, so you can find the watch that fits your style. Want a round watch with a more classic look? Feel like a new watch band? How about changing things up every day with watch faces from artists and designers? With Android Wear you can do all of that. And now, Android Wear watches work with iPhones.”

    AndroidWearforiOS

    For now, Android Wear for iOS just works with the LG Watch Urbane, but all future Android Wear watches, including models from Huawei, Asus, and Motorola, will support iOS.

    Images via Google

  • Fitbit Files $100 Million IPO

    Fitbit Files $100 Million IPO

    Fitness tracking wearables company Fitbit has decided to go public

    According to Fortune, Fitbit will trade on the NYSE under the symbol FIT. The company says it plans to raise $100 million, but that number is likely to change.

    Fitbit’s regulatory filing revealed some interesting things about the company – including some impressive numbers in terms of revenues and profit.

    According to the filing, Fitbit hauled in over $745 million in revenues in 2014, up from $271 million the previous year. The company was profitable for the first time in 2014, generated nearly $132 million in net income. The previous year, that figure was a loss ($51.6 million).

    Fitbit also revealed just how many devices it has sold.

    In 2011, the company sold 200,000 devices. By 2012, that number was 1.3 million. Last year, Fitbit sold 10.9 million devices.

    “Our primary goal is to help our users improve their health and fitness. We believe our platform assists users in changing their daily behavior, such as eating healthier foods or going for a run or walking more to reach a goal or win a challenge. We empower our users to set their own health and fitness goals and track their progress towards these goals. We also offer premium services on a subscription basis that provide personalized insights and virtual coaching through customized fitness plans and interactive video-based exercise experiences on mobile devices and computers. Our premium services feature in-depth data analysis and personalized reports, as well as benchmarking against peers,” said Fitbit.

    And yes, if you were wondering, Fitbit’s filing takes a sideswipe at the Apple Watch.

    “By offering a broad range of products spanning styles and affordable price points and cross-platform compatibility, we empower a wide range of individuals with different fitness routines and goals that are difficult for other competitors to address. Moreover, our singular focus on building a connected health and fitness platform, coupled with a leading market share, has led to our brand becoming synonymous with the connected health and fitness category. This singular focus on health and fitness has driven us to dedicate significant resources to developing proprietary sensors, algorithms, and software to ensure that our products, which are specifically oriented towards health and fitness, have accurate measurements, insightful analytics, compact sizes, durability, and long battery lives. We believe this singular focus allows us to compete favorably with companies that have introduced or have announced plans to introduce devices with broad-based functionalities, including health and fitness tracking capabilities, which are not necessarily optimized for health and fitness usage.”

    Image via Fitbit, Facebook

  • Your Apple Watch and Your Tattoo Don’t Get Along, Confirms Apple

    Your Apple Watch and Your Tattoo Don’t Get Along, Confirms Apple

    Apple has confirmed that yes, your arm tattoo is probably messing with your Apple Watch.

    Earlier this week, some new Apple Watch owners discovered something rather troubling – their shiny new devices weren’t working quite right. Turns out, their sleeve tattoos were interfering with the Apple Watch’s heart rate monitor, which uses infrared or green light. Those with ink found that the Apple Watch’s sensor wasn’t detecting when it was removed from their wrist, an issue that messed with notifications and the passcode locking.

    The darker the tattoo, the worse the problem – or so people claimed.

    Now, Apple has confirmed it.

    The company has updated its support page explaining heart rate detection with the Watch to say the following:

    Permanent or temporary changes to your skin, such as some tattoos, can also impact heart rate sensor performance. The ink, pattern, and saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making it difficult to get reliable readings.

    If you’re not able to get a consistent reading because of any of these factors, you can connect your Apple Watch wirelessly to external heart rate monitors such as Bluetooth chest straps.

    There are workarounds, like turning off the wrist detection feature – but that eliminates some of the convenience of the Watch. It’s possible that Apple could remedy this siutation with a software update, but until now you’ll just have to deal with the fact that your Apple Watch and your tattoo do no get along.

    Maybe move the watch to the other arm?

    Image via Retina Boys, Flickr Creative Commons

  • Apple Watch Pre-orders Nearly Hit a Million on Launch Day

    Apple Watch Pre-orders Nearly Hit a Million on Launch Day

    Hours after Apple opened up pre-orders on its new wearable device, the Apple Watch, the product sold out. Shipping times slipped from the original target of April 24 to 4-6 weeks out, and even longer in some cases.

    Of course, Apple doesn’t tell us how much supply it had to begin with, so selling out doesn’t necessarily mean a stellar product launch. Nearly every product Apple puts out sells out within hours. It’s nothing new.

    But now, data from analytics firm Slice Intelligence provides us with a more concrete look at the first day of sales.

    According to Slice, about 957,000 people preordered an Apple Watch on Friday. The average Watch buyer pre-ordered 1.3 watches, and spent $503.83 per watch. Most people went for the less-expensive Sport version – 62 percent in fact.

    Slice has some more info on the most popular styles:

    The most popular type of case is the Space Gray aluminum case, with 40 percent of Apple Watch buyers choosing the option, followed by: stainless steel at 34 percent, silver aluminum at 23 percent and finally Space Black stainless steel at three percent.

    The Black Sport Band was by far the most popular among both Apple Watch and Apple Watch Sport buyers, with 49 percent overall pre-ordering one, followed by the White Sport Band at 16 percent and the more expensive Milanese Loop ($149 versus $49 for the black Sport band) rounding out the top three at around 10 percent.

    Early reviews of the Apple Watch have been mostly good, but if you want to see a giant list of everything wrong with Apple’s new device, check here.

  • Google Was Just Granted A Patent For Manufacturing Contact Lenses

    Google Was Just Granted A Patent For Manufacturing Contact Lenses

    On Tuesday, Google was granted a patent related to the manufacturing of contact lenses. This comes at a time when the company’s approach to Glass is in something of a transition.

    Google pulled the plug on the first phase of Google Glass earlier this year, but has maintained that the project is not dead. They’ve just kind of taken it back to the drawing board. Reports have been circulating this week about executive chairman Eric Schmidt saying that Glass is a “big and very fundamental platform for Google.”

    “We ended the Explorer program and the press conflated this into us canceling the whole project, which isn’t true,” he was quoted as saying. “Google is about taking risks and there’s nothing about adjusting Glass that suggests we’re ending it.”

    Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, Google does already make smart contact lenses that are not part of the Glass program. Early last year, the company made the announcement. Google’s current contact lenses are related to health – specifically keeping glucose levels under control for diabetics.

    Last summer, Google partnered with Novartis to develop the lenses and better compete in the blood-sugar tracking market as well as treat presbyopia, a condition in which eye focus diminishes with age. As part of the deal, Novartis’ Alcon eyecare unit would reportedly continue to develop and commercialize Google’s contact lens technologies.

    The project was co-developed by Babak Parviz, one of the original Google Glass engineers, who has since moved on to Amazon. If you’re still wondering about the connection between the contact lenses and Google Glass, beyond the fact that they’re both wearables focused on your eyeballs and that health-related functionality is where wearables ultimately shine, Parviz has actually given presentations about smart contact lenses that would lead you to imagine more of a crossover.

    Here’s one from Google’s “Solve for X” event in 2012, in which he mentions gaming, virtual reality, augmented reality, interfacing with mobile, super vision, night vision, and multi-focus as possibilities connected with the emerging technology.

    The point is that smart contact lenses may do a lot more interesting things down the road, and Google has been researching this stuff for quite some time. Now it has a new patent related to making them. Here’s the abstract:

    Contact lenses and methods of manufacturing contact lenses are provided. In one aspect, a method includes: forming a substrate having an uneven surface; providing a sensor at a first region of the substrate; providing a chip at a second region of the substrate; and encapsulating the substrate, sensor and chip in a polymer. The method also includes: patterning interconnections from the first region of the substrate to the second region of the substrate; and patterning metal pads proximate to the second region of the substrate. The chip can be provided on a metal pad. The uneven surface can be a sloped surface or one or more sloped channels in the substrate, and the channels can be wide enough to receive interconnections for the chip and to receive the chip. Further, the substrate can be ring-shaped and curved prior to encapsulation.

    The company applied for the patent in September of 2012, and it was just granted.

    I’m no expert on any of this stuff, so I won’t attempt to walk you through it. You can peruse it at your leisure here.

    One of the biggest obstacles Google Glass has faced has been the awkward look. Most people don’t want to wear these things on their faces. While they would still have a hard time convincing some people to wear contacts, such as device with similar technologies would at least get Google’s platform over the fashion hurdle – something Schmidt himself has brought up in the past.

    “I’m not sure you really want to walk through town with these odd glasses on, you know, looking like an airforce jetfighter or something,” Schmidt said five years ago.

    That mostly still applies today.

    The patent is only the latest in a series of related patents granted to the company. Take a look at some others here.

    Images via Google, USPTO

  • Google Glass Is Far from Dead, Says Eric Schmidt

    Google Glass Is Far from Dead, Says Eric Schmidt

    If you think Google Glass is dead, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt would like to tell you you’re wrong.

    “It is a big and very fundamental platform for Google,” Schmidt recently told the Wall Street Journal. “We ended the Explorer program and the press conflated this into us canceling the whole project, which isn’t true. Google is about taking risks and there’s nothing about adjusting Glass that suggests we’re ending it.”

    “That’s like saying the self-driving car is a disappointment because it’s not driving me around now, These things take time.”

    He added that Google Glass is being “made ready for users.”

    When Google made the decision to pull Glass off the market most realized that Google wasn’t going to can the whole thing. Google said that the whole program was being restructured. It moved out of the Google X “moonshot” lab and became its own department, led by Ivy Ross. The chain of command doesn’t end there, however, as the whole Glass unit reports to Nest CEO Tony Fadell.

    Glass as we knew it could be dead, but it’s clear Google has no intentions of abandoning the project.

    In fact, Glass will probably hit the market again when it’s perfect. And not a day before that.

    This is from a New York Times piece on Glass from last month:

    “Early Glass efforts have broken ground and allowed us to learn what’s important to consumers and enterprises alike,” Mr. Fadell said in a statement. “I’m excited to be working with Ivy to provide direction and support as she leads the team and we work together to integrate those learnings into future products.”

    Several people with knowledge of Mr. Fadell’s plans for Glass said he was going to redesign the product from scratch and would not release it until it was complete. “There will be no public experimentation,” one adviser to Mr. Fadell said. “Tony is a product guy and he’s not going to release something until it’s perfect.”

    Google X exec Astro Teller recently blamed Google Glass’ early failure on bad marketing – specifically inviting too much attention to a device that was pretty much still at prototype phase.

    Image via Google