SwiftKey’s predictive text input makes its way into your car stereo
It’s no secret that we’re pretty big fans of SwiftKey ’round these parts, but even we couldn’t have predicted where it’d wind up next. Today, the keyboard app announced that its adaptive text-entry will be integrated with Clarion’s forthcoming AX1 head unit. It might seem odd at first, but since Clarion’s kit has native apps for email and web browsing, predictive text (compared to a standard keyboard) ought to make the device easier to use. As SwiftKey tells it, the company is taking everything it’s learned from the mobile environment, and applying it to other areas where it makes sense. In other words, this likely isn’t the last time we’ll see the third-party keyboard somewhere other than a phone or tablet. The AX1 is expected to release sometime this quarter for $800, and if you’re feeling antsy you can pre-order one right now.
Filed under: Transportation, Mobile
CES 2014, Day 3: The trade show highlights they don’t want you to see!
While the White House was busy extending the lifespan of the International Space Station, we were pounding the CES 2014 show floor. Sure, the Las Vegas Convention Center is packed with home automation demos, arm-bound muscle sensors and prototype smartwatches, but there’s more to a trade show than just the exhibition hall — there are celebrity cameos, killer interviews and WWE programming announcements, too. Take a step back from the CES crowds and join Engadget for a look at the show from another perspective.
And the nominees are…
Our daily roundups are one way to look at the show, but if you want to know what’s really cooking at CES, there’s no better place than the official Best of CES awards. We’ve handpicked more than 40 products across 13 categories, representing the most exciting technology to come out of the show. Of course, it’s not just our judges who are picking from the litter: We’ve also built a special People’s Choice category, just to make sure you get a say. So take a breather, check out the finalists and pick a favorite — you’ve got until 6PM EST tomorrow, January 9th, to declare a winner.
Legere, Live
There may be a formula to hosting a CES keynote, but sometimes, all you need is a quirky character. T-Mobile’s John Legere certainly fits the bill. After sneaking into, and rapidly being kicked out of competitor AT&T’s CES party earlier this week, Legere hosted an event of his own. “The biggest evil in this industry is the family plan,” he says, and T-Mobile wants to take it down. How? Well, by paying the early termination fees of customers switching from competitor family plans to the Uncarrier network, up to $350 per line. It’s a pretty bold promise, but it seems to be working out: The company did just have its most successful quarter in more than eight years.
Beyond Ultra High-Definition
While Samsung and LG are busy fighting over who can make a better curved television, Sharp is focusing on resolution. Apparently, the 4K standard that defines what the industry calls an Ultra HD set isn’t good enough for the firm — it’s upped the ante to 8K. Sharp’s 85-inch 8K glasses-free 3D TV is truly a sight to behold, even if its stereoscopic trick can come off a bit blurry at times. It’s still too early to judge this prototype, but it’s a surefire marker of how fast the display industry is moving. The vibrant behemoth might not be an award winner, but we can’t wait to see the fruit its technology bears.
Highly automated drifting
There’s putting faith in technology, and then there’s putting your life in the hands of BMW’s highly automated robot driving system. Suffice to say, we survived and we also had a blast. BMW’s automated M235i drifted Engadget’s editors through the curves of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, automatically and without human assistance. Although the car was following a pre-defined path, its ability to react to slick road conditions was stunning. BMW doesn’t expect robots to be driving us to work until about 2020, but that doesn’t make this CES presentation any less thrilling.
A day in the life
It’s one thing to read a tech blog’s explorations of CES 2014, but it’s another to see it happen. We strapped a GoPro and a FuelBand to one of Engadget’s busiest bodies and let the tech record 24 hours of trade show trailblazing. Follow Michael Gorman as he braves the CES crowds, shoots hands-on photos, conducts interviews, attends press conferences and tells the world about it all on national TV. If you’re not exhausted vicariously, drop us a line. We could use someone with your stamina.
Filed under: Misc
Magellan’s Echo is a remote control for your smartphone
Magellan is a company known for its GPS products, so it might surprise you to learn that its latest smartwatch doesn’t contain any mapping hardware whatsoever. Instead, the Magellan Echo works more like a remote display for your phone, streaming data from apps like Wahoo Fitness, Strava and MapMyRun. Once inside an app, not only can you customize what information is available on your wrist, but you can also assign buttons to control specific features on the phone – like your music player. Considering that it looks as unthreatening as an old-school fashion watch, we imagine there’s plenty of scope for this to catch on.
Nicole Lee contributed to this report.
Filed under: Wearables
Samsung’s 105-inch curved UHD TV and 85-inch bendable screen hit retail this year
If you dug the 105-inch curved Ultra HD TV and bendable 85-inch UHD screen (above) Samsung debuted this week, we have good news. They’ll both hit retail sometime in the second half of this year, according to the tech giant. If you were expecting pricing info, well, you’re going to have to wait a little longer because we don’t have that just yet. However, it’s going to be at least six months before these sets hit stores, so we suggest you start saving your pennies right about now — unlike other options, we have a hunch that these beauties won’t be cheap.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung
Source: MarketWatch
Gemini Planet Imager photographs alien worlds in just a minute
Although it has been possible to take direct photos of exoplanets for a few years, the technology involved has been low-resolution and slow — it can take up to an hour to get a crude shot of a dimly-lit world. It’s much easier with the recently launched Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), though. Scientists have released early images from the Chile-based instrument that took a mere minute to capture, and reveal more detail than ever before. Researchers have already spotted a full dust ring (seen at left) and the spectrum of a young planet. The imager’s secret ingredient is a deformable, etched silicon mirror that can correct for atmospheric distortion much more effectively than traditional glass. GPI is still relatively untested, but it should ultimately let astrophysicists focus on quality over quantity when studying alien worlds.
Via: Space.com
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
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