IBM spins Jeopardy-dominating Watson robot into a billion dollar business group
Ever since it was unveiled four years ago, Watson has been the factotum of the robotics world, working a slew of gigs in hospitals, on Wall Street and the like. Now IBM’s ready to give its supercomputer what may well be its toughest gig to date. The company is pumping $1 billion into its new Watson Business Group, which is “dedicated solely to the development and commercialization of cloud-delivered cognitive innovations.” The division will be headquartered in Manhattan, focused on applying the computer’s smarts to apps aimed at such diverse fields as healthcare, finance, travel, telecom and retail. Apparently the old ‘bot hasn’t quite settled on one gig after all.
Filed under: Misc
Home automation is the future and Archos knows it
Yes, this is another post about the internet of things blorg — you know, that terrible buzz phrase for this new and actually exciting era of connected gadgets. Except this time, it’s brought to you by Archos. The French outfit’s branching out from its traditional portfolio of Android smartphones and tablets with a new Smart Home solution — an ecosystem that’s similar to Smart Things. The platform, which Archos announced just prior to the new year, incorporates a tablet-like gateway and various sensors that users can place in and around their homes for remote monitoring.
Archos is gearing this whole system more towards convenience than security and its array of Bluetooth sensors prove this point. Smart Home revolves around Archos’ gateway, a 7-inch tablet that gathers and manages a feed of all the data from its various Bluetooth sensors; sensors designed to monitor video, motion, weather and electricity. Though the initial $200 kit comes with just the gateway, one video camera and one motion sensor, users can go out and buy additional sensors piecemeal for anywhere from $14 – $50 (e.g., the weather sensor costs $30).
You may be worrying about the longevity of these sensors, but because Archos has done some work on the Bluetooth stack, battery life is expected to last from 18 months to two years. They’re also water-resistant and feature replaceable batteries, so you can swap out when the charge starts to run low. Additionally, that bit of Bluetooth tinkering also means Archos’ Smart Home system can maintain upwards of 30 individual device connections — that’s way more than traditional low energy Bluetooth.
We were only privy to a brief demo of the Smart Home app running on the gateway — never fear, Android and iOS apps do exist — but the premise is quite simple. The software allows users to set specific triggers based on sensor data to effect actions. So say the temperature in your car drops below freezing, a notification will be sent alerting you that it may be time to de-ice the Chevy, or salt the driveway. Again, it’s all about convenience and users can tailor the system to automate their lives in myriad ways.
Archos intends to begin shipping the $200 Smart Home bundle — which includes the gateway, and two sensors (one for video, one for motion) — in Europe first this February, with the US to follow in March.
Filed under: Household
Here’s a smart tennis racquet that’ll improve your swing
Unless you’re Novak Djokovic or John McEnroe, then it’s highly unlikely that you’re able to take advantage of the computer-assisted coaching used by tennis pros. Like Sony, French racquet maker Babolat is hoping to bring such tech to the masses with the Play Pure Drive, a smart racquet that’s packed full of sensors. The gear inside measures gyroscopic and vibrational data to show how many backhand and forehand swings you’ve made and where they’ve hit on the strings. You needn’t worry that the sensors will weigh you down either, as the handle was designed to weigh the same as a normal model. Naturally, all of this data is pushed over Bluetooth to your smartphone, where the accompanying app will analyze your data after the fact, and give you helpful hints. For instance, if you’re hitting it too close to your open throat, then the app will advise you how to get better. There’s also a social component that lets you see how far your skills match up to Babolat’s team of professional testers – although given that the top-ranked name on that list is Rafael Nadal, it might add to that inferiority complex.
Nicole Lee bellowed “You can not be serious!?” during this report.
Filed under: Misc
Apple and Samsung CEOs to meet by February 19th, give peace another chance
Previous attempts by Apple and Samsung to negotiate a truce in the patent wars haven’t exactly panned out, but they haven’t given up hope yet. The companies’ CEOs have just agreed to attend mediated settlement discussions no later than February 19th, potentially averting a trial in March (and likely future legal action). We’d like to believe that Apple and Samsung will finally reach an understanding, but we’re not optimistic given how long the two have been at each other’s throats.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Samsung
Source: Reuters
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: The Engadget Mobile Podcast
Granted, it hasn’t exactly been a huge week for mobile devices, but the podcast crew still has plenty to talk about in what’s been a crazy busy week all around. Join Brad Molen and the rest of the gang for some sweet mobile podcasting action.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
WWE Network to stream choke slams 24 hours a day for $10 a month
CES isn’t all about new devices. It’s about programming too, and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has an event of its own to announce plans for the year. Those plans include a subscription-based network that will provide grappling coverage 24/7 in the US. WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon made the announcement here in Vegas with a smattering of wrestlers (like Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin) lending a hand. The $10-per-month price tag will include 720p streaming all 12 of WWE’s live pay-per-view events — including the popular WrestleMania. In addition to the live content, you’ll also be able to access past pay-per-view events from WWE, WCW and ECW cards on-demand at your leisure. Yes, that means you can rewatch your favorite Royal Rumble whenever you like.
The network’s original series WrestleMania Rewind will allow subscribers to relive classic bouts with commentary from the wrestlers themselves. There will also be a one-hour Countdown series that will rank the top finish moves, submissions and more. If you lived through the rivalry between WWE and WCW like this editor did, Monday Night War runs down the battle for beginning-of-the-week supremacy. In terms of access, the WWE Network will be available on the desktop with iOS, Kindle and Android apps for mobile devices. The content can also be streamed to PlayStation consoles, Xbox 360 and Roku set-top boxes at launch, with support for Xbox One and smart TVs being added sometime this summer. A second screen icon will pop up when the program you’re viewing offers that functionality on a mobile device for accessing that complimentary content. While the launch is slated just for the States for now, the company has plans to extend the offering beyond by the end of the year.
The WWE is set to go live after Monday Night Raw at 11:05 p.m. on February 24th and WrestleMania 30 will be the first pay-per-view event to be streamed on the service. If you’re looking to take it for a spin, you can nab a limited-time one-week free trial when the switch is flipped next month.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: WWE
Airtame wireless dongle mirrors your computer onto any HDMI display
Here’s yet another option for wirelessly mirroring your computer screen to another display, but don’t worry, this one rather impressive. Airtame, the creation of a group of Danish folks, is an HDMI dongle that links your PC — be it running on Windows, OS X or Linux — to whatever display it’s plugged into over WiFi. Installation is a breeze: all you need on the PC side is just the software, and from there you can choose which dongles to beam your screen to. Yes, dongles, because you really can beam one PC to multiple screens, thus beating Miracast. We also played a game on one of the laptops, and the response time on the remote display was surprisingly good.
Airtame’s Indiegogo campaign has long reached its $160,000 goal, but you can still pre-order this $89 dongle in the remaining nine days left. Do also check out our video from the CES show floor after the break.
Apple and Samsung CEOs Agree to Mediation Meeting in U.S. Patent Fight [iOS Blog]
Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung Electronics CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon have agreed to attend a mediation session on or before February 19, in advance of a March court battle over smartphone patents, reports Reuters.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon will attend the session with in-house lawyers only, according to a Wednesday court filing. Their legal teams had met on January 6 to “discuss settlement opportunities,” the filing read.
In late December, The Korea Times reported the two companies had resumed settlement talks in their ongoing negotiations over their patent-infringement dispute and that Samsung Mobile CEO Shin Jong-Kyun could be heading to the United States to meet with Cook.
Cook had met with former Samsung CEO Choi Gee-Sung in 2012 to discuss the subject, but talks fell through because Samsung would not accept Apple’s patent royalties demand. The two companies also met last year in Seoul, Korea but discussions failed to progress.
This is yet another turn in the long, ongoing patent battle between Samsung and Apple, which began in 2011 and continued into 2012 when Apple was awarded $1 billion in damages in a U.S. trial. A judge voided nearly half of that award in March 2013, and then ruled in November 2013 that Samsung was to pay Apple $290 million for willfully violating multiple patents. Another infringement lawsuit between the two companies will be held on March 31, with another trial centering around Apple’s call for a U.S. ban on Samsung products. This is all in addition to other patent trials between the two companies taking place all over the world.
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Live from the Engadget CES Stage: The Engadget Podcast
Missed the announcement of the finalists for our first ever Best of CES? No worries, we’ll be breaking down all the nominees competing for one of those really cool new 3D printed trophies.
Toshiba’s 5-in-1 laptop concept debuts at CES with a detachable keyboard
Sure, notebook makers crow about their 2-in-1 hybrids, but Toshiba’s brought something to CES that’ll humble its competition: a 5-in-1 laptop. The transforming device comes with a slick magnesium alloy case reminiscent of a MacBook, and a 13.3-inch touch screen. So, just what can this laptop transform into? On the tamer side of things are a run-of-the-mill notebook configuration and tablet mode, the latter of which is achieved by pushing the display all the way back, much like with Lenovo’s Yoga line of devices. The next three forms are where things get interesting, and they’re made possible by a detachable keyboard and a bit of metal left attached to the screen’s hinge, which acts as a stand and houses stereo Harman Kardon speakers.
In “canvas” mode, the laptop is lifted from the table at an angle helpful for drawing, particularly handy since the hardware’s display packs a digitizer and its top half holds its own stylus. “Presentation/TV” mode is the fifth and final form, which props the display upright. When it comes to connectivity, the laptop sports two USB ports, a microSD slot and a spot to jack in a mini-HDMI cable. Since the hardware’s still a concept phase, there’s no word on detailed specs, price or if and when it’ll see the fluorescent lights of your local electronics store. For now, you can take a peek at three of its forms in the neighboring gallery.
Filed under: Laptops
AIVAnet 