ASUS smartwatch gets concept art tease ahead of IFA 2014 announcement
We’ve seen ASUS tease their new wearable already, however they may have felt inclined to reveal a little more about their device after LG showed a much more revealing teaser of their own. The result is the above image, showing what look like concept art that helped design the ASUS smartwatch, which will presumably look very similar to the product that ASUS announces at IFA 2014 next month. The same quote by Khalil Gibran from the previous teaser is present again as if to confirm the new smartwatch’s innovative credentials.
Details about the ASUS smartwatch are a bit hazy, but we’re fairly certain the wearable is going to be running Android Wear after ASUS was announced as one of the partners of the operating system at Google I/O. The ASUS smartwatch is going to have some stiff competition at IFA as it will be announced alongside devices from Samsung, LG and Sony, and those are only the ones we’ve heard about. Still, it’s going to be an exciting event and we won’t have long to wait as the announcement event is scheduled for September 3rd.
What do you think about the concept art of the ASUS smartwatch? Let us know your opinion.
Source: Facebook via TalkAndroid
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Microsoft cuts prices for its Surface 2 tablet by $100
Have you been holding out for a price cut on the Surface 2 before taking the plunge? You now have your chance. Microsoft has slashed $100 off the price of its second-gen Windows RT tablet, regardless of the model you buy. It now costs as little as $349 for a base 32GB WiFi edition, while splurging on the 64GB LTE slate is slightly more reasonable at $579. Just be aware that the folks in Redmond aren’t doing this out of the kindness of their hearts. The Surface 2 is nearly a year old — Microsoft is very likely clearing inventory, whether it’s ahead of a new model or just to focus more attention on the Surface Pro 3.
Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft
Via: TechCrunch, Ars Technica
Source: Microsoft Store
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BlackBerry’s leaked roadmap shows when its revamped phone line arrives
BlackBerry has been more than willing to tell you about most of the smartphones coming down its pipeline, but it hasn’t been very clear about when they’ll show up. There aren’t many mysteries left now, though: N4BB has posted a roadmap (below) revealing most of what’s happening in the remainder of 2014, as well as how the devices are positioned. Both the wacky, squarish Passport (“Windermere”) and the luxurious Porsche Design P’9983 (“Khan”) are tentatively slated to arrive near the end of the third quarter, or around September. They’ll represent the “innovation” and “prestige” models, respectively. There’s no mention of the Classic or a leaked Z3 with LTE, although the timetable has the Classic launching with a BlackBerry 10.3 update (10.3.1) due in the fourth quarter. You’ll have to be patient if you prefer that old-school BlackBerry feel, in other words.
The roadmap is also notable for what’s not making the cut. While we knew that many existing BlackBerry devices weren’t long for this world, it now looks like all but the Z3 and legacy 9720 will be gone by the end of this year. If you’ve been jonesing for a Z30 or Q10, you’d better act quickly — they’ll be museum pieces within a few months.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Via: CrackBerry
Source: N4BB
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Robo Brain teaches robots how to understand the world
For a robot to be able to wash clothes, vacuum carpets or serve you cocktails on a Friday night, it needs to be loaded with the appropriate software and data. In the future, though, a robot will easily be able pull info they need to do those things (and more) from a single online service called Robo Brain. Researchers, roboticists and companies, for instance, will be able to download whatever skill they want and then load it onto their creations. Robots already deployed to do their jobs, on the other hand, can go online to use the service and look up anything it comes across that it can’t recognize.
According to project lead Ashutosh Saxena from Cornell (the study’s a joint effort between Brown, Cornell and Stanford Universities as well as the University of California, Berkeley), his team’s goal is to “build a very good knowledge graph — or a knowledge base — for robots to use.” Think of Robo Brain as Wikipedia (without all the unsourced information) that robots can tap into when they need to understand how we speak and how we see the world — both extremely important if they are to organically perform their tasks. Those are a lot more complicated than what they sound like, since we have to program machines to make connections that we do. For example: A mug, for them, is only just a mug, whereas we know that it’s used to drink liquid, particularly hot drinks like coffee or chocolate.
This isn’t the first project that aims to build a comprehensive source of knowledge and skillset for machines — European researchers are working on a similar endeavor called RoboEarth, which was demoed in January. As for Robo Brain, well, it has a ways to go, as you can imagine: right now, it’s in the midst of processing and storing info from a billion images, 100 million how-tos and manuals and 120,000 YouTube videos. Thankfully, the project’s at least well-funded and supported by a healthy number of sponsors, including Google, Microsoft and Qualcomm. If you’d also like to help advance the project in your own way, you can do so by fixing any mistake you spot on the Robo Brain website, where the team posts all the new info the service has learned.
[Image credit: Getty/Petrovich9]
Filed under: Robots
Via: Wired
Source: Robo Brain
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Engadget Daily: Amazon’s war on e-books, Ralph Lauren’s smart shirt and more!
Today, we break down Amazon’s controversial e-book-pricing model, learn about Ralph Lauren’s smart shirt for athletes, anticipate LG’s round-faced G Watch R and more! Read on for Engadget’s news highlights from the last 24 hours.
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GoPro’s new Fetch mount lets your pooch capture video in comfort
It’s easy to get a dog’s-eye view of the world by strapping an action camera to your canine, but making it stable and comfortable is another matter — you don’t want Rover shaking off that costly video gear. That’s where GoPro’s new Fetch mount should come in handy. The padded harness lets your dog carry up to two cameras (back and belly) in comfort, whether it’s a tiny French Bulldog or a bigger Golden Retriever. The add-on includes a camera tether and water resistance, too, so your companion can play rough without losing any equipment. You’ll have to spend a significant $60 to make Fetch happen, but it might be worth the outlay if you’re eager to record the adventures of a four-legged friend.
Filed under: Cameras, Peripherals, Wearables
Source: GoPro
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California governor signs smartphone kill switch into law
Well, it’s official: following a drawn-out Senate voting process, California governor Jerry Brown has signed his state’s smartphone kill switch bill into law. Companies wanting to sell handsets in the state now have to include a remote disabling option that lets you render a stolen device unusable. There are certain exceptions, primarily for incompatible older gear, but manufacturers face fines as high as $2,500 per phone if they don’t follow the rules.
California isn’t technically the first state to enact a kill switch measure; that honor belongs to Minnesota. However, the combination of a large population and an important role in the tech world will make this law tougher to ignore, since phone makers risk giving up a huge potential audience if they flout regulations. There isn’t much danger of that happening when most major brands have already embraced the technology, but this should keep any stragglers in line. Is it a good idea? That’s a tougher call — while studies suggest that mandatory kill switches could save money by deterring crooks, there are concerns that the requirement could both hinder progress in anti-theft systems and complicate any phone launches. It’s too late to back out, so we’ll just have to see how this safeguard works in practice.
Source: Governor of California
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California Law Now Requires All Smartphones to Have Built-In Kill Switches By July 2015
A California bill requiring all smartphones sold in the state to have antitheft technology installed was today signed into law by California governor Jerry Brown. Introduced in February, the SB-962 Smartphones bill, which mandates a “kill switch” for cellular devices, was initially approved by the California State Assembly in early August and passed a final vote in the California Senate shortly after.
The law requires smartphones to include software or hardware that will render the device inoperable to an unauthorized user in the event that the phone is misplaced or stolen. The anti-theft technology, which has to be able to withstand a hard reset or operating system downgrade, must prevent reactivation of the smartphone on a wireless network except by the authorized user. The anti-theft tools must be installed during the phone’s initial setup process, and it must be reversible so an authorized user can unlock the device if it is returned to their possession.
California’s new law is designed to curb smartphone thefts, which have long been a problem plaguing major metropolitan areas like San Francisco and New York City. Co-sponsored by San Francisco district attorney George Gascón and state Senator Mark Leno, the law will go into effect in July of 2015.
“California has just put smartphone thieves on notice,” said Senator Leno, D-San Francisco. “Starting next year, all smartphones sold in California, and most likely every other state in the union, will come equipped with theft deterrent technology when they purchase new phones. Our efforts will effectively wipe out the incentive to steal smartphones and curb this crime of convenience, which is fueling street crime and violence within our communities.”
“This epidemic has impacted millions across the nation and millions more around the globe, but today we turn the page,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “Seldom can a public safety crisis be addressed by a technological solution, but today wireless consumers everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief. Soon, stealing a smartphone won’t be worth the trouble, and these violent street crimes will be a thing of the past. The devices we use every day will no longer make us targets for violent criminals.”
While the bill will likely affect smartphone manufacturers like Samsung and Microsoft, Apple already ships its iPhones with Activation Lock, a feature first introduced with iOS 7. Activation Lock locks the device to a user’s iCloud account and is turned on when Find My iPhone is enabled. A stolen iPhone is essentially bricked with Activation Lock, as thieves cannot sign out of Find My iPhone, deactivate iCloud, or wipe the device without the original user’s Apple ID.
A similar federal law might be passed, if The Smartphone Theft Prevention Act is approved. This act would mandate the inclusion of a “kill switch” in all smartphones sold across the country, which would be used to make a lost or stolen device inoperable and allow consumers to remotely wipe all of their personal data.
Currently, only Minnesota and California have legislation mandating anti-theft technology for smartphones, but back in April, major smartphone manufacturers like Apple, Google, Samsung, Nokia, and all major carriers agreed to add anti-theft tools to all smartphones manufactured after July 2015.
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Google’s app for presentations, Slides, launches on iOS
It took quite a while to get here, but Google has finally brought its Slides app to Apple’s mobile platform. Roughly three months ago, the search company introduced standalone apps for creating/editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations, but Slides didn’t arrive until weeks later, and only on Android. As of today, Google’s application for PowerPoints presentations is now also available on iOS. Those of you who own an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch can use Slides to make, edit and view files, which shouldn’t come as a new experience if you’re already familiar with the Docs and Sheets apps. Speaking of which Docs and Sheets as well — Google notes it’s now easier than ever to work on projects from any of your devices, anywhere, thanks to enhanced saving and offline editing features.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: App Store
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We’re hiring writers in NYC!
If you hadn’t noticed, things are changing around here. No, we haven’t figured out how to clone reporters (we’re just really good at Photoshop), but we do have a new vision and we’re looking for a few good folks to help us see it through. If you’re an experienced writer with a deep interest in technology (and a good sense of humor) living in New York City, check out the details after the break.
We’re looking for writers with:
o. At least two years of experience
o. Passion and a unique voice
o. A deep understanding of technology
o. Experience writing for the web
o. A pleasant disposition
o. Photography skills
And a little bit of experience with:
o. HTML
o. Photoshop
Must be willing to:
o. Work well with others
o. Rethink the way we tell stories
o. Write on tight deadlines
Must be:
o. Based in NYC
o. A self-starter
o. Witty
Interested? Hit us up with a resume, cover letter and links to your best work at jobsATengadgetDOTcom and make sure to use “Senior Editor” in the subject line. If we’re picking up what you’re putting down, we’ll get in touch.
[Image credit: Will Lipman]
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AIVAnet 