Hands-on with Garmin’s windshield HUD prototype
We’ve tracked Garmin’s K2 since last year at CES and this year sees a HUD concept introduced into its navigation mix. In our conversation with Garmin, it seem this in large part this system’s focus is on following NHTSA driver distraction guidelines. Interaction with the HUD is very simple as there are only three buttons on the steering column: a scroll wheel which is mounted in capacitive housing, a back button and a menu button. Each level of the menu is well thought out, and only requires a roll of the finger to get in or a tap of a button to hop back out of. Colors, fonts and general layout have all been chosen to work well in brightly lit, snow, dark and most other conditions you find yourself in while out driving making the task of peeking down at the HUD quick and simple. Of course, we’ve seen many similar setups, but Garmin’s infotainment-focused offering adds a dimension of useful and quick interaction to the system that makes it much more compelling than a simple read out of speed, direction and time. We look forward to see this hit retail but in the meantime give the video a once over if you want to see s bit more.
Filed under: Transportation
Mad Catz’ Tournament Edition Rat is lighter, faster and brighter
If you didn’t have enough transforming mice in your cursor collection, Mad Catz has one more for you: the Rat TE (Tournament Edition). It’s the latest in the company’s line of formerly Cyborg-branded mousing products and is designed specifically, as the name implies, for professional and competitive gamers. That means its lighter (to improve inertia, the company says), offers faster reaction times and has been outfitted with a new 8200 DPI laser sensor. Mad Catz has also given the mouse the ability to adjust its lift-off height calibration, giving pro gamers one more aspect of play to fine-tune. That said, it’s not a exactly a dead-ringer for the original Rat – the horizontal scroll wheel is missing and the ever-important sniper button is twice as large as the mouse’s first design. Mad Catz hasn’t announced the teal-accented mouse’s price yet, but expect to see it ship in early 2014.
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: AMD’s Kevin Lensing
And what about the chips that power all of those shiny new devices we’re seeing on the show floor here at CES? Kevin Lensing, the director of AMD’s mobility product line will discuss the hardware that makes our mobile devices tick.
Follow all the latest CES 2014 news at our event hub, and check out our full stage schedule here.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, AMD
Internal game development at Oculus VR is already happening (and yes, it involves John Carmack)
It’s hard to imagine John Carmack not developing games. Sure, he signed on to Oculus Rift as Chief Technology Officer, but he’s also the man who co-created such gaming classics as Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein 3D. With Oculus Rift, Carmack and the many talented game developers working at Oculus VR have a new test on their hands: showcasing their new device with impressive software. Thus far, Oculus has relied on third-parties to create demonstrations of the Rift. From our conversation this morning with CEO Brendan Iribe and director of dev relations Aaraon Davies, it sounds like that may change in 2014.
“He’s working on a lot of exciting tech,” Iribe told us of Carmack’s role. “But, his heart and soul and history certainly lies in the game development side.” That means, like Epic Games before them and id Software before Epic, Carmack and co. are working on software that’ll showcase the Rift’s many functions. “That’s always been Epic’s philosophy. And it’s what allowed them to make what they made. It’s certainly been id’s philosophy in the past. It’s been John Carmack’s philosophy — you gotta eat your own dog food here, and develop internal content also,” he told us.
So that’s what Carmack and Oculus are doing, with plenty of game developers in-house to expedite the process. “You’ll see, over the next six to 12 months, if you monitor the careers page, we are putting up our team out there. We wanna make this a very open company. Pay attention to that page and you’ll see more and more game developers showing up,” Iribe added.
That’s to say nothing of supporting external dev studios, both big and small, or even outright publishing third-party games. The company even hired ex-EA Partners director David DeMartini to lead that charge. There’s also a blend of the two, where the folks at Oculus discover an especially exciting mechanic but don’t have the means to dig in themselves. “When we catch on to a nugget that seems like it should become a full experience, we may end up doing it ourselves. We may end up putting it out and working with a third-party studio that does. We’ve actually started to engage with third-party studios like that through the relations group, the publishing group, as well as our own development,” he said.
Of course, when the Rift ships later this year, it’ll have some form of UI built in for navigation and management. All that is being developed in-house at Oculus VR. In terms of internal game development, though, that avenue is just now being explored. “We’ll see where it goes,” he added. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t do more and more internal development.”
Sony debuts Xperia Smartwear
Sony is officially in the game of wearable tech with the debut of the Xperia Smartwear which records your activities throughout the day. Now I said “activities” because this is much more than just another fitness band that counts steps and calorie output. However, it’s not quite a smart watch such as the Qualcomm Toq.
Smartwear gently vibrates on your wrist when you receive a notification or a call, but the really cool feature is the bookmark feature. With the simple press of a button on the wristband, Smartwear will record everything that is happening at that moment. For example, you’re out with friends at a restaurant or you hear something on Pandora, it will record that moment in time for future reference. It also comes in a plethora of colors to choose from!
There is no set price or date of availability, but Sony promises something soon!
Features of Sony SmartBand
- Lifelog app can see if you’ve been walking, running, cycling or travelling by train – and how you’ve slept.
- Look ahead in time to see just how much more you need to cycle to achieve your daily activity goal.
- Helps to track weather and alert the user
- Bookmark your special moments by pressing the Life Bookmark key.
- Press the Life Bookmark key on your SmartBand and everything going on at that moment will be caught and remembered forever.
- Waterproof
- Removable Core unit and a stylish and comfortable wrist band
- Sony fastening button and LEDs
- Vibrates when a call, message or other notification comes in
- Play, pause and skip tracks using your SmartBand
- Battery performance of up to 5 days.
The post Sony debuts Xperia Smartwear appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google Glass prescription lenses now available from Wetley
Users have been asking for prescription lenses for Google Glass for some time now, and Wetley is answering those pleas. They’ve launched a line of prescription glasses and sunglasses compatible with Glass, which you can see in the demo video below.
There are several different options to consider, so if you’re a Glass user looking for quality prescription lenses, make sure you check out their product page.
The post Google Glass prescription lenses now available from Wetley appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Audi and NVIDIA debut 10.2-inch dockable tablet
Audi and NVIDIA have teamed up to create the Audi Smart Display, which is a dockable tablet able to withstand temperatures varying from 176 degrees to -40 degrees fahrenheit and it is also shock resistant, just in case you find yourself in a pickle, your tablet will be safe.
The greatest thing about the tablet is that it’s powered by our favorite OS, Android! Featuring the latest version, KitKat, it has full access to Google’s host of apps! This is great news so when you’re on those long car rides and the passengers won’t settle down, just play a movie or listen to your favorite music! The tablet is powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 and connects via in-car WiFi.
The device will first appear on the 2015 Audi TT sports coupe.
Source: NVIDIA
The post Audi and NVIDIA debut 10.2-inch dockable tablet appeared first on AndroidGuys.
YiFang launches NextONE smartwatch and wristband pedometer
YiFang Digital launched a few pieces of wearable tech this week at CES, and they’re hoping to make a splash in a market that’s quickly becoming more populated. The NextONE line of devices offers a smartwatch and a wristband pedometer for Android and iOS devices. Both are set to launch in Q1 of 2014, so we should see them hit shelves in the next month or two.
The NextONE smartwatch is packing Android 4.1, Bluetooth 4.0, a 1.55-inch 240 x 240 display, and a 290 mAh battery. Compared to devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, the NextONE isn’t going to blow anyone away. But at just $99, it’s sure to give the Pebble a run for its money.
The NextONE pedometer appears to be intended for the health gurus out there, as it tracks distance walked/ran, calories burned, intensity of activity, and more. The pedometer will be priced lower than the smartwatch, at just $39.99.
This is YiFang’s first foray into wearable tech, and it looks like they’re off to a good start. If you’d like to get more details on either of the NextONE devices, you can check out YiFang’s product pages.
The post YiFang launches NextONE smartwatch and wristband pedometer appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Sprint intros Framily plans for January 10
New option promises group savings with separate bills
Sprint on Tuesday introduced its latest weapon in the battle against other wireless providers. Called “Framily” plans (no joke), they allow groups of up to ten lines to share in the billing of service. These new plans will be offered to new and existing Sprint customers when they take effect on January 10. Unlike plans from other carriers, Sprint lowers the cost per user based on the number of people in the plan
For one line of service, new Sprint customers pay $55 per month per line for unlimited talk, text and 1GB of data. For each additional new Sprint customer that joins the Framily group, the cost per person goes down $5 a month up to a maximum monthly discount of $30 per line. Build a group of at least seven people and everyone gets unlimited talk, text and 1GB of data for $25 per month per line (pricing excludes taxes and surcharges).
Each member in the collective can tailor their plan to match their needs.
For only $20 per month per line, Framily members can buy up to unlimited data plus get a new phone every year. Plan members can share the savings, without the hassle of sharing a bill. Each account can be billed separately. Unlimited features are while on the Sprint network.
The Sprint Framily Plan will be available in Sprint company-owned stores and Sprint third-party dealers beginning Friday, Jan. 10. Visit www.sprint.com/framily for more information.
While this sounds incredible on the surface, getting that many people together could prove to be a task. Not too many of us have that many family members. Then again, since it allows friends to get in on the action, it could be worth the effort!
How does a Framily Plan sound to you?
The post Sprint intros Framily plans for January 10 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
HiSense launching Vidaa, an Android Smart TV in 2014
Coming in March 2014, HiSense is launching its own line of Android Smart TVs ranging from 50-65 inches. The Vidaa will come out of the box loaded with all your favorite Android apps such as Google Search, Chrome, and PrimeTime.
Hisense claims to know what the user really wants as far as apps and will be able to pull content from Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and Skydrive. Vidaa also promises to be able to switch between apps with one button, so if you’re wanting to check the score of a football game while watching a movie, it will pause the movie and resume when you’re done cheering your team on!
This comes at a convenient time for Philips who is also debuting their Ambilight Android powered Smart TVs as well. There is no price available yet, but with a March release date, I am sure it’s not far.
Source: TechRadar
The post HiSense launching Vidaa, an Android Smart TV in 2014 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
AIVAnet 