[Deal] Sony’s SmartWatch 3 drops under $150 on Amazon
Smartwatches that launched last year to assist with Android Wear’s debut are starting to drop in price. For example, the Google Store has the Moto 360 for $149 and the ZenWatch for $129, a considerable savings compared to when they launched. And right now, the Sony Smartwatch 3 will only cost you $147. That is, if you want it in white. The smartwatch also comes in black and lime green color options that will command more money. The black model will set you back $170 and lime green costs $159. These prices are down from the original $299.
If you’re looking for an Android Wear smartwatch that has built-in GPS and can be exposed to dust and water, you might want to take advantage of this deal.
[Amazon]
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Sony’s SmartWatch 3 drops under $150 on Amazon
Samsung stepping up mobile security on the Galaxy Note 5
We’ve got another rumor to throw on top of the Galaxy Note 5 pile. Samsung is reportedly working on increasing mobile security in a handful of ways on the Note 5, including an improved security suite, a better fingerprint scanner, and a new trick that will link security elements to the phone’s processor.
Samsung has always taken security pretty seriously, which is evident by how many high-end phones they ship with KNOX on board, so these rumors seem pretty likely at this point.
The biggest thing they’re going for with the Note 5 will be speed. By linking security elements to the processor, communication between the two should theoretically be faster. KNOX should also be getting some speed improvements, and the fingerprint scanner will supposedly be getting a slight revision to make it more secure, too.
These features are mostly aimed at business and enterprise users looking for tight security on their phones, but even average consumers should be happy knowing Samsung is on top of things in this department.
source: Korea Herald
via: Pocket Now
Come comment on this article: Samsung stepping up mobile security on the Galaxy Note 5
Moto Maker options surface for Moto G via leaked image
The Moto G has been a successful venture for Motorola as it allows it to reach a wider range of consumers, mainly those that are cash-strapped and can’t afford the higher priced alternative. Price does not always equal better quality however as the Moto G has proven to be a worthy contender in the mobile arena and if these leaked images are real, the latest iteration will be no different.
The Moto G was unveiled back in November of 2013 as a cost effective alternative for emerging markets. Fast-forward to 2015 and the Moto G is now available in developed markets due to the immense success that Motorola’s saw with the device, as it quickly become the mobile giants top selling smartphone.
Sporting a 4.5 inch LCD display, Android 4.4, Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, and 1GB Ram, the Moto G is not a beast when it comes to specs. This is to be expected as the device was not created to be the fastest nor a flagship.
The leaked images don’t give out a whole lot of information, but at least we know that the new device will have a plethora of customization options and at least 2GB of Ram. A slight upgrade to the 1GB found in the 2013 version though it should help make some apps run a bit smoother. You will also get the option to choose between a 16GB version and an 8GB.
As with all leaked information, this should all be taken with a grain of salt. We won’t know what all the new Moto G will have until Motorola releases an official statement or the device hits shelves.
The post Moto Maker options surface for Moto G via leaked image appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Moto X (2015) pictures and leaks coming fast and furious
We’re fast approaching the time of year when Motorola announces its Moto X and/or Moto G smartphones. With an event scheduled for July 28, it’s possible we get to see both devices introduced in but a few days.
Although the leaks and rumors have been circulating for the next-generation Moto X and Moto G, things have been picking up as of late. For the more powerful flagship model, the Moto X, the details are coming at a quicker clip this week.
The pictures above, courtesy of Peru Android’s Facebook page, show what could be the 2015 Moto X with a front-facing flash in the top right corner. Details observed in the photos may include a true stereo front-facing speaker layout, metallic-ish frame, and textured rear cover.
Below is a picture from hellomotoHK which is alleged to be an actual photo and not a render. Matching up with the others, it looks to have a champagne colored trim that matches the Moto 360.
Rumored and Unconfirmed Specs May Include
- 5.2-inch QHD AMOLED display (2560 × 1440 pixels)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor
- Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
- 32/64GB storage capacity
- 4GB RAM
- 16-megapixel rear camera
- 5-megapixel front-facing camera
Reportedly, Motorola Senior Director of Product Management, Mark Rose, posted a couple of photos to Google+ which have since been deleted (h/t AndroidPit). Depending on how much weight you put behind it, these might be some of the first samples of the rear camera for the Moto X 2015. Keep in mind that these are shrunken down and have likely lost some of the original quality.
Whether it’s launched next week or not, we’re getting very anxious to see what Motorola has for us. How about you?
The post Moto X (2015) pictures and leaks coming fast and furious appeared first on AndroidGuys.
‘Nourish’ System Provides Supplements Based on Fitness Tracker & App Data
FitNatic yesterday launched a new Indiegogo campaign centered around a device called the “Nourish.” The “Intelligent Countertop Supplement System” aims to provide users with a detailed, personalized concoction of vitamins based on information collected from health apps and fitness trackers synced with the Nourish.
The system itself is a black box with a 15-inch touch screen on its front and rows of 16 “seeds” lining its top. After taking into account data collected from locations like an Apple Watch or the Health app — including exercises, blood pressure, and sleep patterns — Nourish will dispense a specific cocktail of personalized nutrition in the form of a powder that users simply dump into a bottle of water and drink.
As Aldo Beqiraj, founder of FitNatic, explains, the combination of data collected from sources like a Fitbit and apps like MyFitnessPal, the Nourish can present users with a detailed list of nutrients scheduled out over daily and weekly dispenses. The Nourish also can ask users for extra caffeine in the morning if they’re feeling tired, or inquire as to whether you want more glutamine in a post-workout blend if feeling sore.
When a particular seed is beginning to run out, Nourish will notify its user, and FitNatic will deliver replacement seeds if the user opted in for the company’s automatic home delivery service. FitNatic even says Nourish will begin to learn your preferences over time, and begin to suggest new seeds “that will be more beneficial and help you reach your goals faster.”
There’s also an app for the system that lays out a weekly dispensing schedule for the device, highlights nutrients your body needs, and points you towards ways to capitalize on the system. The app also reminds you of your “optimal metabolic window,” and sends a push reminder to drink the next blend. Users just need to tap dispense, and the Nourish mixes the ingredients, eventually raising the 15-inch touch screen to reveal a hidden compartment holding the Nourish Pod with the requisite blended nutrients.
The 16 ‘seeds’ filled with various supplements that line the top of the Nourish
FitNatic is looking to crowd-funding to help make the molds its manufacturer needs to enter the device into a larger-scaled production line, along with basic funding requirements like cloud optimization, final firmware development, production and tooling, and shipping and fulfillment. The perks for the Indiegogo start at $299 for one Nourish alongside a one month supply of supplement seed pods. After that early bird special ends, the same perk will cost those interested $399.
Nourish has 37 days left to reach its $65,000 goal, so there’s plenty of time left for anyone thinking about backing the project to decide whether or not to contribute to FitNatic’s fitness-focused system. Those who do are promised a shipping date estimate of January 2016.
Apple rumored to let other companies make Watch chargers
Apple is believed to be ready to let third parties build magnetic charging cables for the Apple Watch in the same way as it does for the iPhone and iPad. A report by 9to5Mac claims that the company is gearing up to launch a Made for Apple Watch licensing program that’ll enable other firms to build their own. Currently, watch stands have to have a groove cut out of them into which you can cram your bundled charging cable. Unfortunately, that’s not a very elegant solution for your nightstand, especially if you’ve dropped $100 on a custom dock. If the report is to believed, then we should start seeing integrated chargers all over the place by early 2016.
Source: 9to5Mac
3D-printed DNA ‘bunnies’ could deliver drugs into your body
“DNA origami” is nothing new — in fact, IBM once considered it as a way to make microchips. However, Scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have become ridiculously good at folding the building blocks of life, and built a bunny to prove it. The point was not to do a party trick, of course, though rabbit-shaped DNA is delightful. Rather, the team wanted to develop a fully-automated, 3D-printing-like method for folding DNA. Researchers could one day use the technique to create structures that don’t break down in the human body in order to precisely deliver drugs.
Currently, scientists form such structures by attaching short DNA strands to longer ones and manually folding them at the joints. But even using software, that’s a fiddly process that requires shapes to be designed helix-by-helix. With the new technique, scientists can first develop the shape they want and let the software figure out how to build it. The algorithms try to find a way to join the base pairs, and if they don’t succeed, they create new edges — in much the same way that complex 3D models are built on a computer.
The scientists built other shapes to test the technique, including a bottle, ball and waving man. Fun aside, they think that the research will prove useful in the near future. Earlier DNA shapes were were hard to use on organisms, since the charged helices tend to repel each other and cause the structure to break down. “But the new design has more space between the helices… (which) makes it functional better in a biological environment, such as inside the human body,” according to a DNA scientist who observed the study.
As a result, it could be used to deliver cancer drugs and help scientists understand how cells communicate in the body. “These structures will be a guide for developing future research, including drug delivery systems, possibly in the next 5 to 10 years,” according to lead researcher Björn Högberg.
[Image credits: Karolinska Institutet]
Filed under: Science
Via: The Verge
Source: Nature (subscription)
Modified rice plant produces more grain, less methane
Apparently, the secret to better, more eco-friendly rice plant is another type of grain: barley. A team of scientists has created genetically modified rice that borrows a single gene from barley and found that the altered organism can generate up to 43 percent more grains per plant. Plus, its methane emission is down to 0.3 percent, a lot lower than regular rice’s 10 percent emission observed during the scientists’ experiments. Methane, as you might know, is one of the most potent greenhouse gases and is the second most prevalent in the US after carbon dioxide.
It’s not 100 percent clear why the modified organism produces less greenhouse gas, but the scientists believe it could be because it stores more starch and sugar in its stems and grains than its roots. Regular rice has more starch and sugar in its roots, which tend to leak out and serve as food to microbes that turn them into methane. While this barley-rice organism sounds promising, the scientists still need to turn it into a variety farmers can easily cultivate, and that could take five to ten more years.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Science
Via: Technology Review
Source: Nature
Huawei Ascend Mate 8 is delayed till 2016, Mate 7 Plus to be announced on Sept 2nd
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Not sure what to make of this one, but we’ll come back to that. Huawei has started teasing that it will be hosting an event on September 2nd and it had been widely anticipated to be the time and place where Huawei would announce its new flagship. However, if the rumours are true, that flagship, the Huawei Ascend Mate 8 is delayed till 2016 and the event on September 2nd will actually feature a device known as the Ascend Mate 7 Plus – think a marginally more premium version of the Ascend Mate 7.
The root of these rumours appears to be the belief that Huawei’s Kirin 950 processor, said to feature in the Ascend Mate 8, will not be ready until October. What really rubs me the wrong way about this rumour is that the Huawei Nexus is expected for release sometime between October and November and, you guessed it, that device is supposed to be based on the Ascend Mate 8. Just to clarify, this rumour doesn’t necessarily negate our previous understand of the Huawei Nexus – it just clouds it a whole lot more, if true. We’ll have to see what actually goes down on September 2nd.
What do you think Huawei is going to announce on September 2nd? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: MyDrivers via Phone Arena
The post Huawei Ascend Mate 8 is delayed till 2016, Mate 7 Plus to be announced on Sept 2nd appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Mugen’s 6,200mAh Extended Battery doubles the battery life of the LG G4
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how big the battery is in your smartphone, sometimes you need more. Even more than the standard 3,000mAh battery that comes with the LG G4. With this in mind, Mugen has just announced the arrival of its new 6,200 mAh extended battery that will help your G4 power through the day.
While you can always buy extra batteries for your handset, it can be a pain swapping them out to recharge them after use. This is where extended batteries come in their own because you just insert the charging cable as normal and it begins charging. The downside is a some added heft and weight to the handset, but another plus side would be not having loose batteries bouncing around in your pockets or backpack. Perhaps, more importantly, with the extended battery inserted, you would never be caught out when you need that extra charge.
Mugen’s HLI-G4XL 6,200mAh extended battery uses Lithium-Ion battery technology and provides more than twice the capacity of the stock G4 battery. The Mugen extended battery can be had in black, gold or white for $89.50 from the Mugen website with free worldwide shipping included.
Source: PRNewsWire
Come comment on this article: Mugen’s 6,200mAh Extended Battery doubles the battery life of the LG G4
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