Parrot Zik Sport headphones do noise cancelling, heart monitoring
Parrot’s Zik 2.0 noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones may not be ideal for workouts, but fans may want to give the new Zik Sport a spin to get a similar experience. Granted, these are actually in-ears instead of the ear cup type, but Parrot and Philippe Starck still managed to tuck in eight microphones — six for noise-cancelling, two for voice calls — in addition to a heart rate sensor, pedometers and a five-hour battery (and that’s with all the features turned on). That’s a very impressive package given how much smaller these headphones are.
Understandably, the Zik Sport is made out of plastic and will be coated in a chrome finish, in order to achieve the impressive 75-gram weight. What’s more, it’s designed with five contact points — the top, the two black boxes (which store the battery and circuitry) and the earbuds — with your head, so that it can be worn securely with great comfort. That’s certainly the case with the prototype we played with at CES.
These headphones have a dedicated companion app that not only lets you adjust the level of noise cancellation and sound effects, but it also monitors your heart rate, running speed and even finer details like vertical oscillation (the less the better) plus left and right step detection (they should be in sync). Thankfully, the fitness data can be shared with most other sports applications, but we’ll hear more about that in the near future.
What remain unknown are the price and the exact launch date for the Zik Sport, so we shall keep an eye out for them later this year.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Wearables
Follow Android Central for all the best from CES 2015
When it comes to CES 2015, what happens in Vegas definitely does not stay in Vegas. Android Central has landed and we’ll be on the ground for the next week with our Mobile Nations colleagues to bring you the absolute best of everything that the annual Consumer Electronics Show has to offer.
But the experience goes beyond just the posts that hit the front pages. For the behind the scenes stuff and the complete CES experience you’ll want to keep one eye on the socials, too. Here’s all you need to follow Android Central at CES 2015.
Share your stories with the new Social News Windows Phone beta app from Microsoft
Microsoft’s latest app in the Windows Phone Store is a beta called Social News, which has been designed to not only allow users to share their local events with others but to possibly have those stories posted for a larger audience to read.
Shortcuts app adds the ability to create Voice Notes and home screen shortcuts in latest version
If you are a person always searching for ways to be more productive and reducing the number of clicks it takes to perform actions then this application is for you. Designed for those who prefer typing over clicking, we’ve featured Shortcuts before in the weekly roundup and it is an extremely useful tool for invoking your most common actions by just typing one, two, or three keystrokes in the BlackBerry 10 search box or by creating a home screen shortcut to these functions.
CES 2015: BRAVEN announces the BRAVEN 805, a Bluetooth speaker for the home
We’ve reviewed two speakers from BRAVEN‘s 800 series already, the 850 and the 855s. We loved both of them, so we’re pretty excited by the speaker that BRAVEN just prior to the start of CES 2015, the BRAVEN 805. Quite like the 850, the 805 is designed for the home – one big indicator of […]
The post CES 2015: BRAVEN announces the BRAVEN 805, a Bluetooth speaker for the home appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Kenu Stance: For the smartphone photographer
Nowadays, it is hard not to find the exact accessory you are searching for your smartphone. Smartphone photographers- look no further. A company called Kenu has an aluminum tripod available for all smartphones, as it connects to your phone via micro-USB with a plastic plug that fits into you phones port. iPhones will need an adaptive plug sold separately.
The Stance is flexible enough to position your phone how you want to, and can even be used to prop up your phone for landscape media viewing. Stance is small and compact, making it easy to take anywhere. It weighs only 1.2oz (34g) and is smaller than a pack of gum. Out of nowhere, the Stance can also be used as a bottle-opener… so you are able to take photos while enjoying a cold, hard one.
Kenu Stance is available on its website here for $29.95, if you are truly passionate about smartphone photography.
The post Kenu Stance: For the smartphone photographer appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Roku TV is gearing up for a future full of 4K
Roku is going 4K! Eventually. The company has announced plans for a 4K reference model of a Roku TV, and that TCL would be the first to partner with the company in the Ultra HD space. What does that mean? Well, it means soon enough Roku will have a board and software capable of spitting out unnaturally hi-res video from the likes of Netflix (one of the first to announce it will deliver 4K through Roku TV), but that it will be up to TV manufacturers to turn that into a consumer product. How long will that take? Who knows? The company isn’t nailing down a time frame just yet. But we don’t expect anything to hit shelves until the summer at the earliest. (And we’re probably being optimistic.)
As for Roku’s standalone devices? They don’t support 4K. And the company wouldn’t comment on any new models that may be on the roadmap right now. But, it’s probably a safe bet that they’re in the works. Roku CEO Anthony Wood believes that 4K will be mainstream soon enough, and that streaming will be the de facto format. Right now, if you’re looking for Ultra HD content you won’t find it in broadcast or on any physical medium. Basically the internet is the new Blu-ray.
You can’t show up to CES without something to show off, though. So Roku announced that Haier and Insignia (Best Buy’s in-house brand) will soon offer models running Roku TV. A lot of details about them are still unclear, but you can bet pricing will be squarely in the budget realm. Haier’s models will start with a 32-inch 720p model, but will run all the way up to a 65-inch 1080p version. Insignia’s probably won’t differ too much from its existing line up, and you can probably expect to pay only a small premium over its un-connected sets.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Acer announces budget friendly Liquid Z410 smartphone
Acer continues to grab the early spotlight for CES 2015 with one of their latest devices to be announced, the Acer Liquid Z410 smartphone. Acer is focusing on the budget buyer with the Liquid Z410 which gets a starting retail price of €129 ($155 USD) when released to EMEA markets at the end of February. Even with the low price, Acer is bringing a smartphone with a 64-bit quad-core chip and support for 4G LTE to market.
The Liquid Z410 will come with a 4.5-inch IPS display, a 5 MP rear-facing camera and 2 MP front-facing camera. Acer did not indicate how much RAM will be installed or what internal storage options may be available. Acer says they will demo the Liquid Z410 at CES 2015.
For our continuing coverage of CES 2015, be sure to check back here at TalkAndroid.
The full Acer press release for the Acer Liquid Z410 is below.
Ready to Boom: Acer Introduces the Liquid Z410 4G Smartphone
LAS VEGAS
Come comment on this article: Acer announces budget friendly Liquid Z410 smartphone
New leak claims a ‘gold’ Nokia Lumia 830 launches in China January 8th
Microsoft might be close to launching a gold colored version of its Lumia 830 in China, if some recently leaked images from a Weibo account are accurate. The announcement could come sometime on January 8.
Internal Foxconn Sketch Said to Be of Apple’s ‘iPad Pro’ Surfaces
A new internal sketch of Apple’s larger-screened iPad Pro has surfaced by way of a Foxconn worker (via Nowhereelse.fr, Google Translate), showing what may be our first look at the large tablet and its physical features.
The employee who captured the sketch notes that initial testing phases for the larger iPad were halted last summer after Apple received new prototypes, but adds that mass production on the device will begin soon. The source also notes that the tablet will be between 6.9 and 7.5mm thick, and feature four integrated speakers with two on the top and two on the bottom.
Previous rumors have suggested that the iPad Pro is expected to feature a screen size between 12.2 and 12.9 inches along with an A8X processor, 2 GB of RAM, and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Most recently, Japanese magazine Mac Fan published possible schematics of the upcoming device, which suggested that the tablet would carry a 12.2-inch LCD display and carry the name “iPad Air Plus”.
It is currently unknown as to when Apple would launch its larger-screened iPad, with reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggesting that the tablet would not enter production until the second quarter of 2015 due to increased attention on iPhone 6 Plus production. However, with the supply of its larger phone greatly improving as of late, it is possible that Apple is now ready to put its full production efforts towards its larger iPad for a launch later this year.
AIVAnet 