CES 2014: LG Debuts Earphones That Monitor Heart Rate [iOS Blog]
LG yesterday announced a new set of fitness-oriented earphones, which are designed to offer real-time heart monitoring. The earphones, which connect to a small medallion that is strapped on an arm or waistband, track both metabolic rate and maximum oxygen consumption while allowing users to listen to music. They function through sensors that measure blood flow through the inner ear.
In addition, the Heart Rate Monitor Earphones include an accelerometer that measures a wide range of data, including distance, calories burned, steps taken, and more. It also includes hi-fi sound and a built-in microphone for phone calls.
It’s never been easier —or more tuneful—to track your metabolic rate and cardiovascular fitness (VO2 max). And it’s all accomplished with LG’s revolutionary HRM Earphone Heart Rate Monitor. Because of the unique physiology of the ear, users can count on health and fitness metrics with none of the inconvenience of chests strap measuring devices.
The add-on medallion that connects to the earphones serves as a data processing hub that sends real-time biometric information to an iPhone via Bluetooth, which can be accessed by the LG Fitness app. The earphones are also designed to work in conjunction with LG’s recently announced Lifeband Touch activity monitor. Along with the LG app, the earphones can sync with popular third-party apps like MyFitnessPal and Runkeeper.
The earphones will ship during the first half of 2014 and will retail for $179.99.
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Apple Requests Removal of External Compliance Monitor in E-Book Antitrust Case [Mac Blog]
Apple today requested that U.S. District Judge Denise Cote disqualify Michael Bromwich, the external compliance monitor Apple was ordered to hire to ensure the company complies with all antitrust requirements in the future, from serving in his position, reports Reuters.
An attorney for the consumer technology giant on Tuesday asked U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan to disqualify Michael Bromwich from serving as an external compliance monitor, arguing he had shown a personal bias against the company.
In a letter to Cote, Apple’s attorney claimed the report filed by Bromwich last month, in which he accused Apple of blocking interviews and disrupting his investigation, was a “wholly inappropriate declaration”.
Bromwich’s report was filed in reaction to a complaint Apple had filed in November, in which the company claimed Bromwich was overcharging them for his services. In addition, Apple cited Bromwich had aggressively sought to interview top executives when his mandate required him to assess the company’s antitrust policies 90 days after his appointment.
Those same complaints were re-asserted in Apple’s letter to Cote requesting the removal of Bromwich. Apple was found guilty of conspiring with five publishers to raise the prices of e-books in July.
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Apple Opens Official Store On Popular Chinese E-Commerce Site Tmall [iOS Blog]
Apple has partnered with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba to open an official online store on its popular online marketplace Tmall, reports the Wall Street Journal.
An Alibaba spokeswoman confirmed that the Tmall page is indeed Apple’s and that it opened recently, but declined to comment further. An Apple spokeswoman wasn’t immediately available for comment.
Tmall is one of Alibaba’s two dominate online marketplaces and hosts over 70,000 merchants, including brands like Nike and Gap. Its structure is essentially an online shopping mall, with trusted brands each having their own store portal. However, Tmall requires each seller to pay a deposit, an annual service fee and charges a commission on each transaction.
The online store mirrors Apple’s own Chinese store portal, but allows the company to reach China’s fast-growing population of online shoppers.
The move is yet another effort by Apple to boost sales in China as the company is also set to start selling iPhones to China Mobile’s 700 million subscribers on January 17. Apple also recently announced its annual Lunar New Year sale, a one-day event for Asian countries also known as “Red Friday” because of its similarities to Black Friday, would take place on January 10 in Asia.
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FINsix laptop adapter is tiny, yet powerful, arriving in time for summer
It’s 2014, and while some of you have already upgraded to an Intel Haswell laptop, many still have to carry a bulky power adapter for the more demanding machines. Luckily, MIT spin-off FINsix has come up with a breakthrough technology that dramatically reduces both the size and weight of laptop adapters. As you can see above, the startup’s new 65W brick is dwarfed by its conventional counterparts; the claim is it’s four times smaller and six times lighter. The new adapter also comes with a handy 2.1A USB port alongside the laptop plug, both of which can be used at the same time. Fret not, MacBook users, as FINsix is working on getting Apple’s approval to make a MagSafe version as well.
We won’t go too deep into the technical details, but in a nutshell, the FINsix adapter is enabled by MIT’s VHF (very high frequency) switching technology, which is a thousand times faster than what we use today. As with all legit electronics, this new product will go through the usual safety compliance tests, so there should be nothing to worry about once it hits the shelves. There’s no pricing just yet, but watch out for a pre-sale campaign in two months’ time ahead of the summer launch. Check out our video after the break, in which the lovely CEO Vanessa Green introduces her company’s product at CES.
Filed under: Peripherals
Vizio’s 4K Ultra HD TVs start at $1,000 for a 50-inch set (video)
If all of the 4K — or 8K! — talk from CES has you jonesing for a new TV, but you’re short on scratch, we’ve got good news. Vizio has announced pricing for its P-series of Ultra HD panels and they’ll sell for a lot less than you might expect. A 50-incher will run you a measly grand. Each five-inch bump in size ups the price $400, all the way up to the $2,600 70-inch set. Given that Vizio has a solid reputation, this line could be a reliable way to watch House of Cards in its native resolution without breaking the bank.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Vizio
Panasonic’s first-person 4K camera debuts at CES, set for launch in late 2014
Wearable devices and 4K are two of the biggest trends at CES, and Panasonic has managed to make both collide. The outfit’s revealed a UHD camera that folks can wear on their head with the help of a plastic mount that wraps around their ears and neck. While the prototype is nearly identical to the HX-A100 cam the firm debuted at last year’s show (yes, it’s still waterproof), this Ultra High-Definition model is lined with some more powerful innards. Detailed tech specs are being kept under lock and key, but the unit on display was sending a live feed of the pixel-packed footage to a 4K display through a mini-HDMI port — a feature that will be available in the final version. Despite the hardware’s compact form, it produced sharp video free of stuttering, and caught a fairly wide field of view courtesy of its fisheye lens. While there’s no word on pricing, the first-person camera is slated for a release later this year.
Meet WowWee’s MiP: A gesture and app-controlled robot with moves like Jagger
They see me rollin’, they hatin’…
Filed under: Robots
Check out 3Doodler’s upcoming accessories and swappable tips
WobbleWorks’ almost finished shipping Kickstarter backers their 3Doodler 3D-printing pens, and next month, post-crowdfunding pre-orders will begin to be filled. The company announced today a US retail launch later this year — a “major retailer” in the UK is also on board, apparently — but in addition to that, it showcased its first round of accessories for the device here at CES. While pricing and availability info elude us, we’ve seen a range of new tips for the pen, from different standard nozzle sizes to square and triangular heads, among others. They’ll come neatly contained within a tool you’ll need to swap them out, the design of which is still being finalized.
If your freehand 3Doodling is more Picasso than Monet, then look forward to the DoodleSuit, which looks like a cradle, but functions more like a computer mouse. Three legs stabilize the pen, and buttons on two of the legs tell it how fast you want heated plastic to come out of the tip. If you’re still struggling to make pretty things, then perhaps you’d better let DoodleBlocks guide you. They’re basically stencils for tracing uniform shapes, and although WobbleWorks only had a star to demo today, more are planned, including some that’ll let you create elaborate 3D shapes, minimal skill required.
Nicole Lee contributed to this report.
Filed under: Misc
Source: WobbleWorks
Panasonic’s next GH mirrorless camera will record 4K video, arrive late February for under $2,000
With plenty of 4K displays in Panasonic’s booth, it’s appropriate the firm’s finally shown off a camera in its GH line that records 4K video. The company’s keeping most of the hardware’s specs close to its collective vest, but a representative was able to divulge a few details. UHD content can be recorded at 200 Mbps, and output in a full live feed via a mini-HDMI port (thanks to ALL-I Intra mode) to display on a computer or record to a hard drive. Of course, the Micro-Four Thirds shooter can save footage straight to an SDXC card — a UHS Class 3 prototype variant tuned for such a task was on display — though space will run out fairly quickly.
There’s no word how many megapixels the cam totes, but it will be able to simultaneously snap photos while recording video. More details are set to arrive with the camera’s official release in late February, when it’ll arrive with a price tag of $2,000 or less. In the meantime, look out below for a glimpse of the shooter in the gallery.
Filed under: Cameras
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: The Engadget HD Podcast
CES is always a big show for big TVs, and there’s no reason to expect that 2014′s edition will be any different — though it may well be a bit more… curved than in past years. Join Richard Lawler and special guests for an HD Podcast preview of the week to come.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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