Q "火勢" B's Blog

Google's Smart Contact Lens - One Step Closer

2014-07-15T08:01:00.001-07:00

Google and Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis announced this morning that they will be collaborating on bringing Google’s smart contact lens technology, which contains sensors for tracking things like blood glucose levels for diabetics, to consumers.

Google announced the smart lens project back in January, but at the time it was clear the company would need some sort of partner to make it a reality. The project came out of Google X, the skunkworks shop that also developed Google Glass and the company’s self-driving car initiative.

“Our dream is to use the latest technology in the miniaturization of electronics to help improve the quality of life for millions of people,” Google co-founder Sergey Brin said in a statement.

As part of the deal, Novartis’s eyecare arm Alcon will license Google’s smart lens technology to commercialize it. Specifically, Novartis says it’s interested in the tech’s glucose-sensing capabilities for diabetics, as well as its potential for helping people with presbyopia, who can’t read without glasses. The smart lens technology could eventually help to fix the eye’s autofocus capabilities for nearby objects, potentially by implanting it directly into the eye.

To be clear, the smart contact lens tech doesn’t do anything that Google Glass does. But now that Google has found a partner to make it a reality, it’ll be interesting to see what else Google will be able to bring right to your eyeballs soon.

The Movie Her - Hilarious Video Game

2014-07-14T16:46:00.004-07:00

Her - Alien Child / Hologram sequences from David OReilly on Vimeo.

If you haven't seen the movie Her I would highly recommend it. It was a very interesting take on a not so distant future, technology and human interaction. I won't give away the plot, but the way in which technology was utilized in the movie gave a different look as to how technology will impact our lives. It wasn't like Terminator where machines were trying to kick our asses and wipe us off the map. Or Minority Report where technology was so grossly overstated that is simply became implausible. With Her it was almost a seamless combination of human and machine interaction.

The link above is to a game being played by the main character, Theodore. The little character is hilarious, but pay attention to how it interact with Theodore and Samantha.

New Patent Filed - Better Keyboard on iPhone

2014-07-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

Back in 2012, a local Fox affiliate ran a news story showing off what they thought was the iPhone 5. In reality, it was a concept video with non-existent features like holographic images and a projection keyboard. The internet laughed and we all went on with our lives. Now, Apple has filed a patent that brings one of those mythical features a small bit closer to reality.

The patent, titled "iPhone Frequency Sensor/Magnifier Application" describes a system that, with an iPhone laying on a flat surface, uses various acoustic signals and vibration readings to effectively turn that surface into a functional touch panel. The surface in question can then be split into various regions that, when touched, could be used for various input.

The patent specifically calls out the possibility of such technology being used for keyboard input, game control, or for navigating and playing music from the iPhone. There's even a mention of being able to print out a paper keyboard that could be used in conjunction with the iPhone's sensing capabilities, as well as the idea that the iPhone itself could project the keyboard or other input grid onto a surface.

It's a wild idea, and while we've seen virtual keyboards in the past, they're typically clunky and usually not accurate enough to rely on for long periods of time. The technology described in Apple's patent seems much more advanced, so on the small chance that we ever see an iPhone that actually utilizes it, that futuristic concept video might not have been so crazy after all.

Microsoft Surface RT - Unboxing and Review

2014-05-12T09:01:00.002-07:00

I received a Microsoft Surface RT PC a coupe of weeks ago. That's right I said PC since this device isn't really a tablet. I will get into that later. So I made a deal with myself that I would use it for a month and write a review on the device. I must first say I am writing this review on my own and I am not being sponsored by Microsoft or any other company. This is purely my opinion and my readers can take it or leave it.

First impression:

I have used quite a few mobile devices. My desk looks like a mobile playground with all kinds of devices sitting on it. But this is my first Microsoft mobile product and I was really looking forward to giving the new Windows 8.1 a spin.

The Box

This may or may not be a Microsoft problem, but I have never received an Apple box in this bad of condition. Quite frankly I doubt an Apple store would allow one of their devices to leave the store looking like this. What ever its worth my first impression was not the best after inspecting the outside of the box.

Once I managed to slide the inside back free of the dirty outside box my expectations began to build as the almost familiar began to present itself. The white shell was clean and almost Apple like in its simplicity. As you can see there is only one word on the box Surface.

As you know the entire ritual of opening a new electronic device box was completely altered by Apple. Prior to that is was Sony who created an experience when it came to opening one of their new devices in its box. It is clear Microsoft has been paying attention.

The Surface is sitting in a holding tray with its single AC adapter on the side. No frills, but there is something missing. There are no additional connection cables, no microSD card and no screen cleaning cloth. Granted this is the low end model so those add ons are not included in the box.

Once the PC has been moved there is a small box containing a very short user introduction manual.

The PC has a nice weight to it. It is slightly thicker than other tablets, but it has a solid feel. The screen uses a 16:9 wide format which is noticeably wider than other tablets. The dimensions of the device are 10.81 x 6.77 x 0.37in. Carrying it around feels a little strange as it almost feels too long in landscape. If you carry it in portrait it doesn't rest on your arm comfortably and feels as if I am going to drop it at any moment. It has the standard 32GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM. Ok...I got all of that spec crap out of the way.

The AC adapter is another story. It has a weird shape to it and is too damn big compared to other adapters. Furthermore the power cord does not detach. Also for some strange reason Microsoft decided to use a proprietary plug which is a pain in the ass to connect. There is no way you can connect this thing in the dark let a lone with ample lighting. Have a look below:

The Surface has a Kickstand built into the back of the device which is an interesting addition. There is also a miniSD port hidden behind the kickstand which allows you to boost the Surface's storage space. Battery life is pretty good and the speakers on the device aren't bad. All in all from a hardware perspective the Surface is not a bad device.

I will dive into the OS and functionality of the Surface RT in Part II of my review.

Biometric Smartwear

2014-05-09T09:16:00.001-07:00

Smart wearables are here, and they’re huge. But most of them just hang on your wrist and count your steps.

That’s about to change, as your clothing gets smart — and starts talking.

Above: The OMsignal long-sleeved t-shirt. Buff body not included.

Image Credit: OMsignal

Montréal-based OMsignal is launching today with four smart bio-sensing T-shirts that track your heart rate, breathing volume, breathing rate, movement (yes, including steps, but not limited to that), the intensity of your movement, and the number of calories you’ve burned. All tested by the best athletes in the world, according to CEO Stephane Marceau.

“We spent time training with Olympians wearing our shirts,” he told me last week with a grin. “They’re on our fitness advisory board, and they kick our ass at the gym.”

OMsignal has been in private beta since October of last year, when Marceau told me about the company’s vision to help peoplebecome not only more fit but also more well. Physical as well as emotional, in other words.

Today for the first time, the fruit of their labor is available for purchase.

Instead of launching with just one shirt, Marceau chose to launch with four: an undershirt, a sleeveless shirt, a casual T-shirt, and a long-sleeved shirt. All can be either worn at the gym, under everyday clothing, or alone. They’re all made at a manufacturer that also makes NFL uniforms and UFC fighters’ gear, and include sensors to measure your movement and your intensity.”

“We use a silver-based thread, integrated into the shirt, that reads your heartbeat,” Marceau says. “It reads the electrical current, brings it to our little black box, then sends it via Bluetooth to your phone.”

Above: OMsignal’s sensor box, which can be moved from shirt to shirt.

Image Credit: OMsignal

That little box, about the size of a credit card, reads all the data and includes a little Bluetooth radio. It slips in and out of each shirt, so you can change your shirt but continue monitoring and recording. It also includes a magnetometer, gyrometer, and accelerometer that records your movements and steps. You read all the data, and get alerts and suggestions, via the companion smartphone app.

The company is currently focused on fitness fanatics.

“The interest we’ve gotten has been from quantified selfers, people with medical situations, and people who want to connect with themselves,” Marceau told me. “But the market that is most ready and hungry for this is the performance market … the weekend warriors. They don’t need to be super-athletes, but they care about fitness.”

Above: Another buff dude, this one in the short-sleeved shirt.

Image Credit: OMsignal

I’ve worn a Fitbit, Jawbone Up, and BodyMedia strap, and my chief complaint is that steps, while an easy measurement, are not an adequate measure of exercise. The Fitbit and the Up, for instance, have no clue about how much work you’re doing in the weight room. And while the BodyMedia knows your heart rate is up and your skinconductivity is increasing because you’re sweating, it isn’t too clear on whether you’re doing squats or bench press. In fact, all three devices have very little clue what to make of an ice hockey game, too, sometimes telling me I haven’t had very much exercise at all while I wring about two pounds of sweat from my equipment.

Theoretically, OMsignal could change all that.

According to the company, the shirt knows not only a lot more about the exercises you’re doing but also about how hard you’re working. It understands compression and movement, it captures your heart rate changes over time, it knows how much stress you’re under, and it knows when you’re reaching exhaustion.

Only if you’re a man, though.

I know OMsignal has worked on a sports-bra version, as well as shirts designed for women, and that some of the company’s 22 employees are women. At the moment, however, the women’s apparel is not yet ready for launch. Marceau said that women’s apparel will be coming in October to December of this year.

I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if more than a few fitness fanatic females take their chances on a men’s shirt, hoping for a decent fit and good results.

I haven’t tried a shirt yet, so it’s hard to know how well the technology works. What I do know is that OMsignal is one of the few startups with a chief medical officer, one who happens to have his PhD in neuroscience. And that designers at the company have resumes that include stints at Nike and other major companies. So I’m hopeful the shirts are as good as they promise to be.

But they won’t come cheap, at least not initially.

One shirt of any style will run you $199, which includes the transferable monitor. Two shirts (with a single monitor) will be a more justifiable $269, and those who want to go all in can order all four styles for $349. Those are launch specials, and all numbers will jump in June. But over time, as the company achieves economies of scale, the costs and prices should go down.

Here’s the company’s launch video:

The Sand Flea

2014-04-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Sand Flea is not your ordinary remote control vehicle. Have a look at the video.

Xbox One Finally Lets You Share Game play on Youtube

2014-04-09T12:14:00.001-07:00

A new YouTube app headed to the console tomorrow will finally enable gamers to upload recorded gameplay clips directly to theirYouTube accounts, Microsoft announced today.

Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 record game sessions and share them with the world. But until now, Xbox One owners could only share videos to Microsoft’s OneDrive or stream their sessions live via Twitch.

The addition of easy YouTube sharing likely won’t win over many new customers for Microsoft, but it’s yet another feature that Sony doesn’t offer in the PlayStation 4 (which can only share videos on Facebook).

The new Xbox One YouTube app also shows videos split-screen in Snap Mode as well as adds YouTube channels to your console’s OneGuide (which also lists TV channels and content from other apps).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - A Michael Bay movie

2014-03-27T15:24:00.002-07:00

There have been a few leaked images over the past months that were quickly pulled down by Paramount, but the studio is now ready to give everyone a look at the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This trailer debuted to exhibitors in Las Vegas Monday night as part of the CinemaCon convention, delivering the first real footage from the Michael Bay-produced reboot of the iconic comic book and TV franchise (many would argue that the previous film incarnations are better left forgotten). Directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles), the new film features Megan Fox as reporter April O'Neil and character actor William Fichtner as the villainous Shredder. As for Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Leonardo... well, take a look for yourself.

The Raid 2

2014-03-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I have been studying martial arts for almost 25 years. So that would naturally make me a fan of "Good" martial arts movies. Notice I used the word "good" as there are so many bad ones out there. Anyway, when I saw the Raid I though Oh My God these guys are nuts and holyshit they are good. They kind of remind me of Jackie Chan when he was still young and crazy. Well to my surprise I came across the trailer for the Raid 2. Solely going from what one can see in the trailer the movie looks even more intense than the first one.

Check it out and let me know what you think? Also for fun tell me what you think is the best martial arts movie of all time. What was the worse movie?

Snake is Back! - Metal Gear Solid 5

2014-03-18T13:18:00.003-07:00

Back in the day I bought a PS3 just to play Metal Gear Solid 4. Well the title says it all. Snake is back and probably at his all time best. Check out the trailer above.

Google's Wearable Project Just Dropped

2014-03-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Google has officially launched Android Wear, an initiative to extend the Android operating system to wearable tech.

Google says Android Wear devices will launch “later this year” and claims to be working with “Asus, HTC, LG, Motorola, and Samsung” on devices. Interestingly, Google announced that “fashion brands like the Fossil Group” will release “watches powered by Android Wear” in 2014. In other words, this project is quite mature.

Update: Motorola and LG just announced their Android Wear smartwatches.

At the forefront of the Android Wear project, Google claims, is “a user experience is designed specifically for wearables.” Like Android phones, Google is preparing for a wide variety of watch faces [pictured below] — from round to square.

This news follows days after Sundar Pichai, Google’s senior vice president of Android, teased the launch of a wearables SDK at SXSW. Currently, Android Wear is only available in the form of a developer preview.

Google Now plays a significant role in Android Wear [shown above]. Voice commands and Google Now cards run the experience.

This is certainly not the first time a company has tried to bring Android to smartwatches. Most famously, Samsung debuted its Galaxy Gear last year — a device which flopped and was followed up by the Gear 2 six months later. Other early entrants include the Neptune Pine.

Despite being late, Google’s move holds significant weight; as the developer of Android, this is a major signal to manufacturers and competing platforms.

The New Godzilla Movie

2014-03-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

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I am a huge fan of Godzilla and the new movie looks pretty darn great. Scheduled to be released May 16, 2014 the director Gareth Edwards says this movie will be a lot different than the last two. If you ask me that's not too hard to do as the last movies were down right awful. Especially the one in New York.

Check out the trailer and see for your self.

'Titanfall' review: how robots made me love online shooters'

2014-03-13T13:22:00.001-07:00

Titanfall represents a lot of firsts. It's the first major exclusive for the Xbox One, Microsoft's next-generation console (it’s also available on PC and, in a lesser capacity, the Xbox 360). It's the first game from Respawn Entertainment, a new studio formed by the creative brains behind the biggest shooter franchise around, Call of Duty. It's the first blockbuster console shooter to forgo a single-player campaign altogether, instead focusing entirely on competitive multiplayer action that requires an internet connection. These are all big things, but what makes Titanfall so special is a different, more personal first: it's the first multiplayer shooter to make me feel constantly like an absolute badass.

At its most basic, Titanfall is essentially Call of Duty with mechs. It’s a first-person shooter that takes place in a somewhat generic war-torn sci-fi universe, where two opposing factions are caught up in a long-running conflict, though the bare-bones story is really just an excuse to throw you into battle after battle. Titanfall eschews a traditional story-based campaign in favor of focusing exclusively on online multiplayer: every time you play, you'll be going up against a team of other real-world players in a variety of different modes. For someone like me — the kind of person who dies nearly instantly in a round of Call of Duty: Ghosts death match — this sounds horrible. But Titanfall gets past this with some smart design and a couple of important gameplay additions.

YOU'RE ALWAYS ONLY A FEW MINUTES AWAY FROM GETTING INTO A ROBOT SUIT

At the heart of the game is the interplay between the soldiers (or pilots, as they're called) and the titans. You start out each match on foot, but a few minutes in you'll have the option to have a titan drop out of the sky so you can hop in. Killing opponents and completing objectives can speed up this process, but even if you're having a bad game, you're always only a few minutes away from getting into a robot suit. Run up to it and jump, and it grabs you with its metallic hand and shoves you inside.

The mechs might be the focus, but there's no single, sweeping innovation that makes Titanfall work as well as it does. Instead, it's a series of seemingly small tweaks that make it feel both incredibly fresh, and surprisingly approachable. Perhaps the most important part of the game is simply how good it feels to play. When you're not in a titan, movement is incredibly fast and fluid: pilots can run along the walls, double jump to reach crazy-high areas, and sprint at ridiculous speeds. It almost feels likeAssassin’s Creed, but in first person, and much less automatic. And the streamlined, simplified controls mean that you can hop through the second-story window of a building with little effort — I often found myself searching for high ground just because it was so much fun to jump around. The titans, meanwhile, are surprisingly agile; you can dash around the level, and unleash on foes with some really cool weapons. Simply walking around and seeing the ground shake beneath you is fun.

But a titan isn't the all-powerful, omnipotent weapon it might seem. Though the mechs are bigger and more powerful than the pilots, strapping into one turns you into a target: everyone can see you, and there's nowhere to hide. I often found myself lasting just a few minutes in a titan before being forced to hit the eject button. In that brief window of time I'm usually able to do quite a bit of damage, whether it's firing a few rockets off at enemy titans or stomping on a few soldiers. But titans aren’t simply a reward, because even when you're out of the suit the game is incredibly fun. The speedy pilots are able to get places the titans can't, and the levels are expertly designed around this fact: you'll find plenty of small spaces to hide from titan fire, and if you're careful, you can even hop on the back of a titan and shoot its robotic brains out.

The balance between the titans and pilots is incredibly well-tuned, so you never really feel at a disadvantage either way. Just as important is the fact that, even if you aren't particularly skilled, you can do a satisfying amount of damage. It's pretty likely that you'll be able to take out at least a few enemy pilots and titans each match, but you're also able to boost your numbers by killing computer-controlled grunts that litter the battlefield. These AI soldiers help fill out the rather small teams of humans that square off in each match. And in a mode like attrition — essentially a team-based free-for-all, where you're trying to kill as many enemy soldiers as possible — it lets you contribute even if you spend a lot of time getting shot in the head. There’s a smart pistol that can lock on to enemies to help players who can’t aim all that well, though it requires a bit of patience, as you’ll need to wait for it to lock on. The smart pistol is a lot like the titans themselves: it gives you an easy way to have some fun, but nothing feels overpowering.

THE GAME GOES OUT OF ITS WAY TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD

In fact, Titanfall seems to go out of its way to help make you feel good, even when things aren't going your way. When you die, it only takes a few seconds to get back in the game; when your titan is about to explode, you can frantically hit the eject button to fly high above the level. Even when your team loses a match, there's still something to strive for: each round ends with an "epilogue," where you're racing to get to a drop ship so that you can escape the battlefield. The game also has a very generous progression system. You'll level up pretty quickly — I hit level 16 after just one solid day of playing — and with each level comes new satisfying features to use. You'll get new weapons to outfit both pilots and mechs, and special one-time-use "burn cards" that give you temporary ability boosts like faster legs or a quicker recharge time for a new titan. Really good players will unlock this content much more quickly, but you don't have to be amazing to get the good stuff.

The one potential drawback is that there isn’t a whole lot of variety at the moment. Aside from attrition, Titanfall has a handful of game modes, including mainstays like Capture the Flag. The most interesting is "Last Titan Standing," which tasks you with destroying all of the other team’s titans first. It’s not just the only mode that really feels unique to Titanfall, it’s also the most challenging, as it’s one where you can’t re-spawn. And while there’s no single-player mode, Titanfall does technically have a campaign, though it’s pretty disappointing. You’ll play through multiple missions, but each one is simply a regular multiplayer match with some underdeveloped story elements tacked on to the beginning and end. There seems to be an interesting fiction to Titanfall, but you’d never really know it from playing the game. The really cool stuff, like the lumbering dinosaur-like aliens or the swarms of tiny dragon creatures, is simply relegated to background material. You can look but you can’t touch (I tried).

Of course, there are also the inevitable issues related to an always-online game: if your internet goes down, or the servers are having problems, you simply can't play. Titanfalllaunched last night, and Xbox Live went down the same day, leaving many gamers unable to check out their new game for hours. The troubled life of the new SimCity is proof of just how hard it is to pull off an always-on experience.

The most important thing about Titanfall is how it makes you feel. Whereas most multiplayer shooters make the really skilled players seem superhuman and everyone else like cannon fodder, Titanfall evens the score. Those superhuman players still exist, and they'll still kill you, but Titanfall provides enough tools for you to have fun anyway. You'll be able to get in some kills and contribute to the team-based skirmishes in a meaningful way, and you'll also get to do some pretty thrilling things along the way. I can think of few other games that let me ride on the back of a giant robot or run along the side of a skyscraper. I can’t think of any where I can use ancient alien bones as cover while I methodically creep up on enemies and shoot them with a smart pistol.

Playing Titanfall is a lot like slipping into a mech suit: it makes you feel incredible, even if it only lasts for a minute.

iPhone 6 Concept Video - iPhone Air

2014-03-10T08:55:00.001-07:00

This is the most realistic iPhone 6 concept we’ve ever seen.

Never content to wait for Apple’s actual product launches, Apple fans have created yet another concept video. Unlike recent iPhone Air andiPhone 6C mockups, however, this concept by designer Sam Beckett just might hit the mark.

Check out the video below and let us know if you’d buy Beckett’s iPhone Air.

iWatch - Is it real or just a rumor?

2014-03-07T11:41:00.001-08:00

Apple has been rumored to be working on its "iWatch" smart watch for a while now, but the company is now accelerating work on the project as it tries to expand its family of mobile devices to the wrist. Apple has already started work on trademarking the name in a number of countries.

We don't yet know what an Apple iWatch will look like, so the photos we've included here are either mockups or existing non-Apple products. For example, the red watch at the top of the page is the Lunatik iPod nano watch.

The iWatch will serve as an accessory to the iPhone and other iOS devices, giving users easy at-a-glance access to common functions without having to take their larger devices out of their pockets or bags. It should also incorporate a number of its own sensors and software features to help stand on its own as a must-have device for users. Rumors have also suggested that the iWatch could serve as a control device forhome automation and there are reports suggesting it could come in multiple sizes for a customized fit.

Few specific details about the iWatch have surfaced as the project apparently remains in the early stages, but reports say that the watch will include a 1.5-inch display and that it might possibly run a "full" version of iOS.

Apple has recently signed a deal with GT Advanced that will see the company greatly ramping up its production of sapphire glass. It is likely that Apple will use a sapphire glass display for its smart watch, as sapphire is already extensively used in high-end watchmaking for its extreme durability.

Sensors and biometrics are said to play a key role in the iWatch. Apple has made multiple health-related hires in the past year, snapping up people with expertise in both health sensors and other mobile health devices to join its smart watch team.

Reports have indicated the iWatch may possibly include the ability to measure health-related metrics like glucose levels, heart rate, sleep quality, and movement. Apple is said to be aiming to make the health-tracking experience more accessible to the general public, so it remains to be seen how complex the included sensors will be.

The iWatch will integrate with the iPhone and other iOS devices, likely allowing users to check caller ID, place calls, and access maps as an accessory to the larger devices. Itmay also include inductive wireless charging capabilities, allowing the device's rumored 100mAh battery to charge from up to a meter away.

Apple is reportedly designing iOS 8 with the iWatch in mind, and the two are said to be heavily reliant on each other for health-tracking purposes.

Titanfall - Drops March 11

2014-03-07T09:15:00.001-08:00

After months of anticipation, EA will finally release developer Respawn’s sci-fi military shooter for Xbox One and PC on March 11 (and an Xbox 360 version on March 25). Through events like the big Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in June, Titanfall has built up a lot of hype. Many fans now share that excitement following a five-day beta test that gave more than 2 million players the chance to try a limited version of the game in mid-February. Now, EA and Microsoft, which both have a lot riding on the success of mech-based multiplayer title, are revving up the marketing machine to get fans hyped for one of the biggest releases of 2014.

Titanfall is only coming to Microsoft consoles and PC, and the manufacturer is positioning the game as the first big exclusive of the year for either the Xbox One or PlayStation 4. That shows in the ads, which all end with an Xbox One stinger, despite the PC release coming the same day. Microsoft and Sony both launched their latest consoles in November, but the PS4 has established an early lead. Microsoft expects Titanfall will help the Xbox One catch up. For a limited time starting on March 11, anyone who buys an Xbox One will get Titanfall for free, which should help retailers move the $500 machine off of shelves.

Likewise, EA is looking for a shooter franchise that can compete with the dominant Call of Duty from publisher Activision. It has Battlefield, but it took developer DICE two years to make Battlefield 4. EA is hoping that Titanfall can fill in the schedule until the next Battlefield.

With all that at stake, EA and Microsoft just need to get the word out. Respawn released a gameplay launch trailer for Titanfall earlier today. It reveals more of the multiplayer campaign than we’ve ever seen to date. It also highlights the wall-running and double-jumping abilities of the pilot characters as well as the destructive capabilities of the giant walking robot suits that gamers can control during battle.

Wello - Health Tracking Phone Case

2014-03-06T11:31:00.002-08:00

Wello from Azoi Mobile Technologies is a health monitoring device designed to work with iOS and Android smartphones. So far, it’s a pretty familiar story.

Not dissimilar to rival products, Wello promises to track your blood pressure, ECG, heart rate, blood oxygen, temperature, lung function (Spirometry) and more “with clinical accuracy”. The difference between it and the others, according to founder and CEO Hamish Patel, is that Wello will track all of these things, whereas the others do not. The general premise is that the better informed you are about your health, the better the choices you can make about it.

To achieve this, you use a device that slips over your iPhone and pairs via Bluetooth – ultimately looking like a regular iPhone case, and not a particularly bulky one either.

Despite not really much different from a normal case, it’s serious stuff, and while the measurements it produces are detailed, it has been designed to be simple to use and to provide easy to understand, actionable feedback via the complementary app.

“We made it very, very simple to use. Anyone not familiar with technology – like my grandmother – if they were to have this they just have to slip on this [case], put their fingers here [on the sensors] and wait a few seconds…[the results] can then be shared with anyone. Over time, you start seeing patterns and that allows you to make much better lifestyle choices.”

Clearly, for anyone with a specific medical need, being able to monitor your body at any time would be massively useful, but Patel argues that with heart and lung diseases being particularly significant killers, it brings the possibility of measurement into everyone’s realm. However, he’s clear that it’s not supposed to replace a visit to the doctor.

“You don’t have to go off and spend time [to do this], but that doesn’t mean we don’t want you to go to the clinic… For someone like me, I don’t have the time to go for regular checkups, so this is an awesome device as it gives me a basic sanity check of my health.”

Allowing users to choose whether to store the data on the device or in Wello’s cloud provides a balance between privacy and the possibility to share results and updates with trusted friends or family members.

Luxury or life-changer?

The real trick to Wello’s bow though, for fitness fanatics at least, is integration with popular workout devices and apps like the Jawbone and Fitbit – or virtually any other Bluetooth LE-equipped gadget, according to the CEO. Finally, you’ll be able to get instant measurable feedback on your workout, and exactly what it’s doing to your body.

It was this integration that really brought home the possibilities of Wello for me. When it’s released later in the year, it’ll be a lifestyle or training enhancement product in some markets, and in others it’ll be an essential piece of medical equipment that saves countless hours of travel and provides an alternative to considerably more expensive machines.

It’s actually this dual function that will result in it being compatible with Android devices as well at launch. Or as Patel explained it, the reason he “had to do Android”.

“We’re launching this product in 35 countries, so besides the US, UK and EU, we’re launching in India, for example, where iPhone isn’t that popular and people are more inclined to buy a $100 Android phone,” Patel said.

More than simply wanting to provide a version for handsets with a smaller price tag – and therefore a much larger potential market – Wello will be different things to different people. Simply not needing to travel to a hospital or clinic for a straight-forward will be a life-changer for some people. For others, that integration with Fitbit will be the main selling point.

The unit itself costs $199 – a set one-off fee with no further commitments, and while that’s not expensive in comparison to the equipment it essentially replaces, it is still twice as much as the phones it’s designed to work with in target markets like India. A fact that Wello should keep in mind. That cost does also include the Spirometer that clips on the side too though.

“Had to do Android”

That sentence should be a tell-tale sign that developing this device for Android in the same way as it has been for the iPhone has basically been impossible. The result is that instead of a neatly designed unit that fits directly over your phone, it’s a separate unit that connects to the standard Wello case and connects to your phone via Bluetooth LE. The end result is the same, but it’s not quite as elegant a solution to the problem.

Nonetheless, it’s actually this modular design that allows you to use Wello for the foreseeable future, rather than just until you lose it or replace your phone with a newer model. Patel said he didn’t want people to have to continually upgrade and rebuy entirely new Wello units just because they change handsets. The answer is a little insert – the ‘brain’ of the device, if you will – that sits in the back of the case. To swap to a new handset, you just need a new (set to be offered at a low price) case and to pop your ‘brain’ insert back in.

To further future-proof, there’s also a little ‘universal port’ left spare, so, if the company wants to launch an add-on glucose monitoring device, for example, it can do. For the record, as far as we know, there are no plans to do so right now.

The Amiigo - Close to Shipping

2014-02-26T11:09:00.001-08:00

As most of you know I backed a project called Amiigo last year. Amiigo is a fitness wearable device that blows the competition away. The Amiigo team has been business working on their device and it looks like they are finally close to shipping. Here is an update from their site:

Manufacturing Update: Attached are some photos of the recent molding trials in all 3 sizes, some ready-to-ship shoe clips and a lot of chargers.. We’ve spent the last ten days making a few tooling changes. The changes have enabled us to further reduce the crushing issue(discussed a few updates ago) resulting from the heat and pressure from the overmolding. Additionally, we made a change that locks the electronics housing in-position during overmolding. This translates to a much higher yield and fewer cosmetic imperfections. So far, the changes have paid off and we’re able to take units completely through the manufacturing process with no functional issues and very few cosmetic issues. We’re going to sample the tools again tomorrow in an effort to eliminate any of the remaining cosmetic imperfections and reduce percentage of units that fail our tests after the overmolding.

As a side note, you’ll notice we added the amiigo logo to the shoe clips and wristbands as an indicator for proper placement on the charging pad. If you can see and “read” the amiigo logo, and the device is placed in the center of the charging plate, it is in the most efficient charging position. We’re seeing a charging time of roughly 60 minutes in the shoe clips and 90 minutes in the wristbands. When a device begins charging, the charger beeps once and the green light turns blue. When it’s done charging, you will hear another beep and the blue light will change to green. You can also see the charging progress in the DEVICE SETTINGS page of the app. If the device is placed in the wrong position, the light will change from green to blue repeatedly and will beep every 5 seconds until the device is placed in the proper position or taken off the charging pad.

What to expect: This next week we will continue to run tests on the devices and sample the tools again tomorrow and Thursday. As you know, the Amiigo experience is driven by software, which depends heavily on good data coming from the units, so we’ll be checking signal quality coming from each of the sample devices. As for the apps, we will be submitting the iOS app to the App store in about 10 days. Once approved, we will begin shipping units in order of priority. For those who are on the list for next batch of devices, we will begin sending out emails containing acceptance codes about the same time we submit the app to the app store.. Thanks again for your support through this process. We’re extremely grateful for your patience. We will be back with more on the HW and apps next week. Thanks again!

Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare characters outclass the originals (preview)

2014-02-21T13:29:00.001-08:00

The Plants vs. Zombies series is known for its cast of appetizing plants and strangely attired undead attackers. Each plant has a specific purpose, like producing sunshine or spewing green peas, while each zombie has a unique method of devouring your defenses. For the 3D world of Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare, many of the plants have apparently undergone gene therapy to become versatile Frankenfoods, while the zombies have received extra training to become a formidable undead army.

The Plants

Peashooter

In the original games, the Peashooter is the Plants’ most basic defense. It’s the first turret that you can build after you collect enough sunshine, and later, you’ll be able to upgrade it to fire faster or in multiple directions at once.

In Garden Warfare, the Peashooter is an agile foot soldier, firing a slow, mushy glob of peas that causes splash damage. With enough experience, it develops the ability to run quickly and jump higher in Hyper mode, launch an area-clearing explosive Chili Bean Bomb, or take root with an extremely high-powered Gatling Pea. It’s a well-balanced unit, but the splotchy main weapon feels a bit like firing congealed soup.

Sunflower

In the original games, the Sunflower was essential for gathering resources, but you don’t need any sunshine to augment your forces in Garden Warfare. Now, the Sunflower fires a blazing-hot death ray at enemies while remaining rooted in place.

It can heal nearby plants, using a beam similar to the medic’s healing gun in Team Fortress 2. The Sunflower can also plant healing stations around the map, which is a lot friendlier than setting zombies’ hair on fire. Every team should have at least one healing Sunflower, because these support units are far from helpless.

Chomper

The Chomper probably represents the biggest departure from the first PvZ games. In the originals, the Chomper would stay put and chew up the first zombie to cross its path, but in Garden Warfare it acts as a stealthy, up-close assassin.

It can burrow underground to gobble up enemies in one bite or sneak up behind them and draw them in to your maw. The Chomper can also slow down prey with purple goop or lay vine traps that temporarily disable zombies. It doesn’t have any ranged attacks that cause damage, so this is probably the best choice for players who like to make every attack feel personal.

Cactus

The most sniper-like character of the Plants team, the Cactus can fire pointy projectiles with a great deal of accuracy. It was used in the original game to take out both air and ground targets, and you can still do that in Garden Warfare. However, the slower rate of fire requires you to pull the trigger for each shot, instead of holding it down.

The Cactus can also plant Potato Mines (which still explode beautifully, but without the “Spud-Ow!” onomatopoeia) and set up defensive Tall-nuts for cover. You can even take to the skies with a flying Garlic drone, which is great for exploring the map and surprising zombies with a sudden downpour of bullets.

The Zombies

Foot-soldier Zombie

Most of the zombies in the first two Plants vs. Zombies games looked like ordinary, everyday folks, except for the decomposition. Business zombies held newspapers, and dancing zombies wore disco suits. The Soldier Zombie in Garden Warfare is much better prepared for combat than those civilians.

He carries a rocket launcher, which he can use to jump extremely high or devastate a cluster of Plants. With a few upgrades, he can throw Stink Clouds, which cause a little bit of damage, but more important, obscure everyone’s view so that the zombie can maintain the element of surprise.

Engineer Zombie

The original game featured a digging zombie, whose girth and expressive sideburns seem the most similar to the Engineer in Garden Warfare. Instead of burrowing in your garden, the Engineer can toss sonic grenades to stun Chompers, or ride his jackhammer into battle like a noble steed. Like the Cactus with her Garlic drone, the Engineer can launch a robotic zombie head for an aerial view of the battlefield.

Scientist Zombie

The original games don’t have the Scientist Zombie, but there is Dr. Zomboss, who is at least educated enough to hold a higher degree. Like Dr. Zomboss, the Scientist Zombie has a few high-tech tricks that make up for his lack of brute force.

The Scientist Zombie has a shotgun-like blaster that is really only useful at close range, so he can combine it with his teleportation ability in order to appear suddenly next to your opponent. He can also lob explosive sticky bombs and place purple healing stations to regenerate nearby zombies. Think of him as a combination of the Chomper and Sunflower on the Plants side, but with a sporty lab coat.

All-Star Zombie

If you ever encountered this football-playing zombie in the original games, you knew you were in trouble. With full pads and a helmet, this athlete could rush ahead and quickly start crushing your defenses.

In Garden Warfare, the All-Star Zombie has a sudden rush move that causes a lot of damage, but he normally can’t run very quickly. Instead, he’ll hang back with a giant Football Cannon, which churns out bullets until it overheats. For special moves, it can generate a shield in the shape of a tackle dummy or punt an explosive Imp zombie, who detonates just like the Peashooter’s Chili Bean Bomb.

Additional characters

Beyond these eight playable characters, Garden Warfare’s co-op and checkpoint capture modes let you summon minions at either potted plants or freshly dug graves. Those one-time use items have to be collected through bonus packs, and they don’t have nearly as much versatility as the main characters and their special abilities.

Half of the fun is unlocking these attacks one by one, and discovering new ways they let you tilt the battle in your team’s favor. In our review of Garden Warfare next week, we’ll tell you how all these characters, items, and abilities work together, and whether it retains enough of the feel of the original strategy games.

Amiigo Update

2014-02-21T13:20:00.002-08:00

The Amiigo fitness bracelet is still in production. The Indiegogo funded project has run into its share of delays and needless to say the backers are very upset. However when I look at what this device can do it makes sense to hang in there a little bit longer and wait for it to be completed.

The shoe clip

The video below illustrates how custom activates can be programed to be recognized by the device.

Amiigo app from Amiigo on Vimeo.

Amiigo founders have been very slow to respond to questions which has cause quite a few people to complain and cancel their order. They have promised to release shipping information this coming Tuesday

Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare Drop Feb 25

2014-02-20T13:37:00.001-08:00

Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare hits stores and downloads Feb 25. Available on the Xbox One, 360 and PC. Sorry PS4 and PS3...

Apple Earbuds Doubles As A Health Sensor

2014-02-18T13:52:00.001-08:00

And here’s yet another reason to keep Apple products ingrained into your morning run:

Wrist-mounted smartwatches and fitness bands are all the rage right now, but a patent granted to Apple on Tuesday hints that the company is also concocting a decidedly different approach to the fitness tracking phenomenon: a “sports monitoring system” baked into your headphones.

This sports monitoring system would couple sensors and accelerometers to track physical activity, perspiration, and your heart rate. More importantly, the system and all of its requisite sensors would fit directly into earbuds or headphones.

The patent also covers a separate housing for the monitoring system. The housing could be attached to existing headphones or clipped onto your clothing, but chances are you’ll be wearing headphones anyway. If your new health-tracking iBuds did double duty, there’d potentially be no need to tote a fitness wristband or smartwatch around at all.

Here’s a look at some preliminary sketches from the patent filing:

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The patent also covers gesture-tracking technology that would let the system control other devices — say, an iPhone — by tracking your head’s movement and comparing captured motion data to predetermined gestures. The system would presumably have to be precise enough to distinguish between idle head-bobbing and a concerted gesture without making the user looking especially ridiculous.

Alas, details are scant; You can check out the full patent at the USPTO’s site.

The deluge of rumors about Apple entering the nascent smartwatch market, potential forays into health and fitness products, and CEO Tim Cook’s assertion that the company is exploring “new product categories” all point to something decidedly un-phone like from Apple in the coming months. Whether it’s a watch or an earbud or something altogether different remains to be seen.

Harmonix's New Music Based First Person Shooter

2014-02-17T11:06:00.003-08:00

Harmonix hopes that Chroma will be a groundbreaking game that combines music with a first-person shooter video game. It is a wonderfully creative, experimental, but very risky title that will throw video game fans for a loop. Chroma could be one of the craziest games ever created.

Harmonix

Harmonix’s Chroma

The game is the brainchild of a studio that pioneered music games like Dance Central, Rock Band, and Guitar Hero. If any game studio can pull off a music-driven shootergame, it’s Harmonix. But that’s a big if. I tried out a preview version of Chroma, and it isn’t intuitive. You have to marry your own ear for music with your instincts for shooting everything that moves in a combat game.

If you have a good sense of rhythm, and you’re also a good shot, this game will be a lot of fun. You can be like a rock guitar sniper. But if you have a tin ear, it will probably be very hard, and the people with musical affinity will be able to run circles around you in this game.

Cambridge, Mass.-based Harmonix acknowledges the free-to-play, multiplayer game isn’t perfectly tuned yet, so it is launched a limited closed alpha test today so that it can incorporate fan feedback into the design of the game, which will debut on the PC.

Harmonix is making Chroma in conjunction with Hidden Path Entertainment, the developer of games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Defense Grid: The Awakening. The game is meant to be a reimagining of the classic arena-based first-person shooter. It combines fast action with music-driven game play. For instance, if you shoot a grenade, it will bounce on a beat and you can detonate it on a downbeat for greater effect.

If that sounds crazy, it is. But Harmonix is known for taking risks. The company is also making a gesture-based control system for its upcomingDisney Fantasia: Music Evolved video game. That title, and Chroma, are unlike any video games that have been created before.

“Chroma has been a dream project of mine for some time,” said Harmonix co-founder and CEO Alex Rigopulos. “Watching the teams at Harmonix and Hidden Path begin to bring this vision to life has been tremendously exciting. We’re also thrilled to release an alpha version of this game and to evolve it in collaboration with our players. We can’t wait to hear what people think of this new approach to both first-person shooters and music games.”

Harmonix

Harmonix’s Chroma

The game uses the high-end Unreal Engine to produce visuals that are like something out of a laser light show. In the demo I saw, players split into a red team or a blue team. The music, which is normally part of the background noise, was front and center. As the beat changed or players hit their targets, they could cause the terrain to change dynamically. For instance, a building could rise under your feet and give you a sniper’s perch.

“Truly new experiences in video games are very rare,” says Mark Terrano, chief creative officer/founder of Hidden Path Entertainment. “At Hidden Path Entertainment, we were delighted to help Harmonix realize their dream of a musical shooter and are looking forward to the next step – seeing it continue to evolve with the energy, input, and creativity from the game community!”

Harmonix is taking applications for a limited closed alpha test. Those players will get an early look at Chroma while it’s still in development.

The game’s soundtrack will be directly relevant to combat, traversal, and unlocking key features. Music is your weapon in the game, and it is woven into the ever-changing landscape. You can choose a weapon that conforms with your musical style. You take your sounds into battle, and your team is the equivalent of a band.

The game has terrain that shifts at certain points of “change up” in the music in a song. You can use music to raise cover and keep a sense of rhythm in your firing. The game will be free-to-play, but you won’t have to pay to win. You can customize your character and weapons.

Chroma is still in its early stages. It has been under development for around four months with a team of 30 at Harmonix and a smaller team at Hidden Path.

Harmonix showed off a level where music is meaningful to everything that happens. If you jump on a downbeat, you get to leap farther. There are five character classes, like a character with a submachine gun, a sniper, and another that is dubbed a Tank.

The engineer is the one that depends most heavily on “beat matching,” or striking a button on a controller to simulate a guitar stroke as a note moves by on the screen. The engineer’s main weapon is a “dual pistol,” where players must fire by properly executing a two-lane beat match pattern. If you hit the buttons in the right pattern, the dual pistols will lock on enemy targets and fire repeatedly at them. Patterns will repeat with the music, so once a player understands a pattern, there will be no need to sight read notes on the fly.

The engineer’s second weapon is the shotgun. It has a beat match pattern that you have to execute in order to fire the gun most effectively.

Harmonix

Harmonix’s Chroma

Another class of player is the Sneak, a stealth fighter. She uses a sniper rifle which can be fired at any time. But to inflict maximum damage, the player has to focus on firing on the downbeat, which enables a one-shot kill. Her secondary weapon is a Streak Pistol. If you fire it on the beat with the pistol, you can build up a multiplier that does more damage.

The last character was the Support class fighter. She can heal teammates by locking on a friendly target, restoring health and providing a layer of shield.

You can play eight players versus eight enemies. With that many players, each one brings his or her own music to the party, layering on a bunch of music.

The challenge in that kind of environment is to make the music sound like more than just a bunch of noise. Harmonix hopes the game will feel like second nature once players get over the learning curve. It will be hard for players to shoot, run, and match the beat at the same time. In the match I played, my team had to take control of a bunch of points on a map.

In the first round of combat, I played a soldier with a submachine gun and I got zero kills. In the second round, I played a Tank with a rocket launcher, and I got 12 kills. If you use that weapon with the right music beat, you can shoot heat-seeking missiles. I had a lot of difficulty staying on the beat and firing the heat seekers. But I did just fine without them using unguided rockets. Of course, that kind of defeated the purpose of using music in the game.

The game has no single-player version, but there will be some narrative to the multiplayer levels. Expressing your musical personality will be important in the game. More game modes will be added over time.

A public beta test will start later this year. Chroma will grow with new content. General availability is expected to be this fall on the Windows PC via Valve’s Steam digital distribution platform.

One of the challenges is that the game will be eight players versus eight. That means the sound generated by each player will be layered on top of the others. That could very well result in a bunch of incomprehensible noise during the height of the game’s action. Harmonix is aware of this problem and is trying to do things to mitigate that problem, like making sounds “geo spatial,” where players on the far side of the map from you can’t be heard.

Titanfall Beta Program

2014-02-13T15:32:00.002-08:00

The Titanfall beta will commence this weekend, and developer Respawn Entertainment has engineered the perfect combination of panic, excitement, and frenzy. Why? Because not everyone will be able to get in and the beta is only going to be running for a few days.

How to get in:

The beta will only be available on Xbox One and PC, and will start on February 14 with codes going out then.
To apply for the Titanfall beta, you must sign up (and subscribe to the game's newsletter) by 16:00 PST on February 14.
Spaces are said to be limited, and anyone who is accepted will be notified no later than 23:59 PST on February 17.
The beta will end at 18:00 PST on February 18.
You do not get a key for preordering the game: you must apply through the site.
Stats from the beta will not transfer over into the final version of Titanfall.
Users who gain access to the beta are allowed to post their impressions alongside capturing, streaming, and uploading video footage.
Players from all over the world can apply, but only the English language version of the game will be available in beta.

Gameplay specifics:

Two maps will be available: Angel City and Fracture. It is currently unknown how many maps will feature in the finished game.
Three modes will be available: Attrition, Last Titan Standing, and Hardpoint. The former is essentially Team Deathmatch, Last Titan Standing does away with respawning and has each player spawn straight into a Titan, and Hardpoint is Call of Duty's popular Domination mode.
You unlock the ability to customise your own class at level 5.
Matches of Titanfall have six human players on each team, alongside up to 12 AI players.
Scoring points makes your Titan countdown tick down faster. When spawned, your Titan can either be piloted, set to guard a location on the map, or follow the player.
The minimap sits at the top left of the screen and has individual icons for AI enemies (small dots), other Pilots (big dots), and Titans (large triangles).
Titanfall will also feature single-use powerups called Burn Cards, which will confer bonuses: Prosthetic Legs, for instance, makes you run faster as a Pilot. Burn Cards drop during play, and Respawn has said that the game will not feature microtransactions.
You can kill other Titans by dropping your own Titan on them.

Xbox One specifics:

The beta of the game runs at a native resolution of 792p on Xbox One, but the final version of the game could run at 900p. The Xbox One will upscale this to 1080p, and Respawn Entertainment is also working with Microsoft to improve the machine's upscaling technology in time for the Titanfall launch.
Microsoft will also release an Xbox One update to modify the controller's analog sticks in time for Titanfall.

PC specifics:

Users on Twitter are reporting that the PC Titanfall beta weighs in at about 12.3GB.
An Origin account is required to play.

Titanfall will be released on Xbox One and PC on March 11. The Xbox 360 version will be released on March 25.

Titanfall Beta

Is this Apple's New Wearable Tech - iWatch?

2014-02-03T08:44:00.003-08:00

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest problems wearable gadgets face is the sad state of battery technology today.

So it’s not a huge surprise to hear that Apple is exploring ways to get around aging battery technology for its oft-rumored smartwatch project — in particular, wireless inductive charging and solar charging — according to the New York Times.

Both methods aim to remove the headache of taking off Apple’s “iWatch” and plugging it into a charging cable. With wireless inductive charging, you only need to place a device on a wireless charging mat to transfer power. The technology is already available in some smartphones, though it isn’t widely adopted among consumers. Solar power, naturally, could help you juice up the iWatch without ever taking it off your wrist.

Like most companies, Apple tests out plenty of solutions for its future products that never see the light of day. Nest’s Tony Fadell, who led development for the iPod and iPhone, tells the NYT that Apple explored different ways to implement solar charging in those devices for years, but it was never very practical since they’re usually in your pocket when outdoors.

In a bid to make solar charging more practical for the iWatch, the NYT notes that Apple is also looking into adding a solar charging layer to the device’s screen. Given just how inefficient solar charging is today, it sounds like Apple is looking at solar tech as a secondary way to keep the iWatch charged when you’re out and about. The company is also looking into charging the iWatch’s battery through physical movement.

Current rumors hint that the iWatch will have a curved display and serve as a dedicated health tracker. Above, UI designer Todd Hamilton offers up the best iWatch concept I’ve seen so far.

Expect to see plenty more reports throughout the year as additional details leak about the iWatch project. Apple has gained a reputation for solving significant device challenges through a combination of thoughtful design and innovative new technology — and as the wearable market takes shape, you can bet Apple’s competitors will keep a close eye on how it solves the battery issue.