Fitbit has received nearly 10,000 reports of skin irritation from Force owners
Fitbit kicked off a refund program last month after learning its Force activity tracker caused skin irritation in a “small percentage” of users, and now we’re finally getting a better sense of the situation. According to the official recall notice from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the company received around 9,900 reports of skin irritation and around 250 reports of blistering. The notice also points out that the recall affects about 1 million of the wearables in the United States and about 28,000 more in Canada. So what happens next? Well, the CPSC’s stance is clear: contact the company and take the money.
“Whether you hear about this recall from the CPSC or Fitbit directly, take advantage of the refund right away,” CPSC communications director Scott Wolfson told Engadget. “It’s actually somewhat rare for firms that we deal with to provide a refund, especially a full refund.”
The Commission also wants the company to inform as many of its customers of the recall as possible, and it doesn’t seem thrilled with what Fitbit has accomplished so far. At time of writing, Fitbit’s popular Twitter (77,700 followers) and Facebook (250,000 likes) accounts make no mention of the recall. That’s not to say Fitbit is just sitting around though: a representative confirmed to us that it’ll email all Force owners “over the next few weeks” to make sure they’re aware of the situation.
Source: CPSC
Threes is finally available for Android
Android owners, we’ll understand if we don’t see you for a few days — Threes is now available for your phones and tablets. If you’re not familiar with Threes, prepare to fall in love. The $1.99 game has been rocking the top of the iOS charts for weeks, but has been MIA for other platforms. The number-based puzzle has you match numbers together to create multiples of three. Sounds simple enough, but it’s a bit more challenging than it looks — especially when you start dealing with triple-digits. The game has an adorable soundtrack, beautiful design, and is more addictive than Flappy Bird. You can try your hand at the game (and start losing hours of your life) now, by heading over to Google Play.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wireless, Mobile
Via: Android Community
Source: Google Play
FiftyThree’s Paper outfits sketches for iOS 7 with improved zoom and more
FiftyThree has updated its popular Paper (no, not that Paper) iPad sketching app for iOS 7, and the visual tweaks should be immediately apparent. In addition to the usual speedier menus and simplified icons, the outfit crafted a fresh design, claiming to have “polished every pixel.” There’s a lighter color options, vibrant journal covers, custom fonts and improved readability across the board. In terms of new tools, there are two key additions. First, the Zoom function features tools that adapt when you need to get a closer look at that doodle. Draw, Erase and other options adjust automatically for better control without the need to toggle an on-screen switch. Pressure sensitivity is now simulated in Draw and Erase based on how long you press down on the screen with a fingertip or stylus nib. If all of that sounds too good to pass up, the free app and its new version are available now over at iTunes.
Source: FiftyThree, Paper (iTunes)
Hasbro wants you to add a word to Scrabble’s dictionary
At one point or another, all of us have probably argued about a questionable word or three during our Scrabble careers. Hasbro wants to make that easier (or harder, depending on your view) with a contest to add a word to the game’s official dictionary. Simply head over to the contest’s Facebook page to make a suggestion. Early submissions include “photobomb” and “amazeballs” — surely you can come up with better by the March 28th deadline. From there, contest officials will put the 16 best words into an elimination bracket, and they’ll tally your votes and announce a winner come April 10th. Remember: vote often. After all, you don’t want something silly like “dingledorf” to go down as the first player submission, do you?
[Image credit: Logan Sakai/Flickr]
Filed under: Gaming
Via: New York Times
Source: Hasbro (Facebook)
Check out this Nintendo Entertainment System machined from a solid block of aluminum
If you’re any kind of self-respecting gamer, you hold a special place in your heart for the true king of consoles, the original Nintendo Entertainment System and its Japanese counterpart, the Famicom. That’s why Analogue Interactive, an outfit known for building bespoke Neo Geo consoles out of the finest hardwoods, is crafting a custom NES out of aluminum. Called the Analogue Nt, it’s machined from a single block of metal, has cartridge slots to accommodate both Nintendo and Famicom titles and is “designed around the heart and brain of the original NES” — which means there’s no emulation going on like with Hyperkin’s Retron 5. Analogue’s not letting on any other details, but knowing how much its Neo Geo replicas can cost, we’re betting that grabbing this bit of NES nostalgia will set you back a pretty penny when Analogue starts taking orders at the end of March.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Nintendo
Source: Analogue Interactive
Daily Roundup: SXSW wrap-up, touring the Sony Archives in Tokyo and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Touring the Sony Archives in Tokyo
From robot dogs, to Walkman Cassette players, to, yes, a golden guinea pig, Sony’s Archive building outlines 60 years of the company’s history. Read on as Engadget’s Matt Smith travels to Tokyo and visits some of Sony’s most fundamental products during a tour of the facility.
Life in 140 characters or less: My first eight years on Twitter
Back in 2006, Engadget’s Nicole Lee wasn’t sure “tweeting” would ever catch on. The social network’s early days were simple, full of seemingly boring conversations and awkward third-person updates. Much to her surprise, the charm of Twitter prevailed in the test of time.
Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 review
Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 stands just a little taller that its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab 3, packing a full HD display. And while the Tab Pro 8.4 does have a sleek, premium feel, its seven hour battery life leaves us wanting. But if you’re not worried about power, this $400 tablet is a worthy alternative to the iPad mini.
SXSW 2014 wrap-up: Snoop Dogg, stun copter, Snowden, Mario Kart and more!
SXSW 2014 was full of awesome gear like IBM’s Watson-powered food truck and Chaotic Moon’s stun copter, but today we’re saying farewell. It’s not too late to catch up on the action, though. Check out some of our favorite highlight photos from the event right here.
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Filed under: Misc
DotEmu Launching ‘Little Big Adventure’ March 25th (a.k.a Relentless: Twinsen’s Adventure)
The company behind bringing back classics like R-Type and Another World, DotEmu, have been hard at work on their next game to return from the ashes. The legendary RPG Relentless: Twinsen’s Adventure, will be making a comeback on March 27th. Relentless: Twinsen’s Adventure was first released in 1994 by Frederick Raynal and was a pretty big success.
The game will make its triumphant return on iOS and Android but under a different name. The rebranded game will be known as Little Big Adventure. Check out the trailer for the upcoming release.
If you remember this game then I am sure you will be all over picking it up at launch. If you are about as clueless as I was in 1994, I was only 12, then you might want to know a little bit more.
In Little Big Adventure, you play as Twinsen, a young soon-to-be-hero living on Citadel Island in a world ruled by the dictator Dr. FunFrock. You’ve been having strange dreams in which your planet is about to be destroyed. These dreams don’t make Dr. FunFrock particularly happy, and he locks you away in an insane asylum. As Twinsen, you’ll need to escape from your cell and discover your incredible destiny as a descendant of a long line of magicians in charge of protecting your planet’s secret!
LBA boasts and epic story, challenging puzzles and tons of character dialog. I can only image how large the game file must be. Be on the look out March 27th for the games release. We will mark it on the calendar and let you know when we see it.
TIP: Password protect your purchases through Google Play
In the wake of news that Google is facing a class-action lawsuit due to unauthorised charges accumulated through in-app purchases without parents permission. The lawsuit has been filed against Google in the US District Court for the Northern District of California by a New York resident, Llana Imber-Gluck, whose child spent $68.95 on the Marvel Run Jump Smash! game without her permission.
You can help avoid such a situation by password protecting your Google Play in order to prevent unauthorised purchases.
- Open the Google Play Store app.
- Touch Menu > Settings (depending on your device, your Menu icon may look different).
- Under “User controls,” check the box next to Password – Use password to restrict purchases.
- Enter your password when prompted.
After checking the Password box, you will be asked to enter your password before making the next purchase on Google Play. After signing in to your account, you will be able to make purchases on Google Play for 30 minutes without having to re-enter your password. After the 30 minutes has expired, you’ll have to re-authenticate by entering your Google account password.
Taking necessary steps to prevent transactions from being carried out with your consent will help protect against any unexpected charges arising from purchases on your account, especially on a shared device.
The post TIP: Password protect your purchases through Google Play appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Eddy Cue on iTunes Festival: ‘It’s All About the Artists and the Music’
For several years, Apple has put on a month-long concert series in London called the iTunes Festival. This year’s series included performances from a number of artists, across a variety of genres, including Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Elton John, Ludovico Einaudi and many more.
Even with the huge success of the festival in London, Apple was hesitant to put on a similar series in the United States. This month, however, at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, Apple presented an iTunes Festival with a number of different artists including Willie Nelson, Soundgarden and Coldplay. Apple journalist Jim Dalrymple sat down with Apple’s iTunes chief Eddy Cue to discuss the concert and why it took so long to bring it to the States.
“I wasn’t sure we would ever bring it to the U.S.,” Cue said. “We have something so special at the festival in London that you had the feeling that if you did it anywhere else, it just wasn’t going to be quite good enough. You have to have the right place. The combination of Austin, which has a culture of music, and this venue is fantastic — it’s made for music.”
Cue went on to note that Apple is “not trying to pitch our products”, instead the company wants to focus on “the emotion of the artists and the fans.”
Dalrymple says that it’s not just the fans who like to enjoy the music — after playing its opening performance, the band Imagine Dragons went offstage and then sat in the balcony to watch Coldplay, an atypical thing for a major musical act. Apple doesn’t choose huge stadiums for its musical events, though it could probably sell out. Instead, Apple chooses small venues like the 2750-seat Moody Theater in Austin that it used at SXSW. It also gives away tickets for free, allowing all fans an equal opportunity to see their favorite acts, regardless of their ability to pay for tickets.
He also mentions the production behind the iTunes Festival, saying that the sound quality is the best he’s ever heard at a live event. With concerts being streamed live around the world on iPhones, iPads and the Apple TV, quality is important. Cue says that Apple takes a lot of pride in the iTunes Festival because the company has “such an admiration for what the artists do.”
Apple updated both the iTunes Festival iOS app and the companion Apple TV channel ahead of this week’s iTunes Festival. On-demand streams of the Austin concerts will be available for a limited time, while concerts will also stream live through Saturday.
Tonight, Isaiah Rashad, ScHoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar will appear, with Capital Cities, Band of Skulls and Soundgarden on stage on Thursday. Friday will see G.R.L, Zedd and Pitbull, with Mickey Guyton, Willie Nelson and Keith Urban wrapping up the festival on Saturday. The full lineup is also available on the iTunes Festival website.
iTunes Festival can be downloaded free from the App Store. [Direct Link]
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