Sony SmartBand 2 unveiled with heart rate monitor
Sony has just officially lifted the lid off its new SmartBand 2, as the company looks to grab a bigger share in the crowded fitness tracking market. Again, Sony’s tracker is trying to cater to quite a wide audience, but the hardware change-up might make it more appealing to the sports market this time around.
The e-paper display is the most noticeable feature to be dropped from the SmartBand 2. In fact, the new band doesn’t feature a display at all, but does vibrate to alert your attention to a few little things. However, the new Sony fitness band has gained a heart rate monitor and is IP68 water resistant for depths up to 3 meters.
Sony is pitching the SmartBand 2 not just as a fitness device, but as a handy day-to-day companion. The band can vibrate to alert you to calls and messages, if you accidentally leave your phone behind, when you achieve a daily or monthly fitness goal, and it even works as an alarm clock. The band can also pause and play music from your phone with a couple of taps and has a night mode to disable notifications.
For the fitness side of things, the SmartBand 2 pairs up with Sony’s Lifelog app, which keeps track of your stress levels, heart rate and various other activities. It also functions as a timeline of your events, pictures and music, so you can presumably see how these activities affect your health and lifestyle. You will also find all of the usual fitness statistics to track over time, including steps taken and heart rate, but the SmartBand 2 doesn’t appear to do anything all that new.
The SmartBand 2 supports Android devices running 4.4 KitKat or later and will be available to purchase sometime in September. The retail price is set for around $130 (€119) and will be available in black, white, pink and indigo color options.
‘iPad Pro’ Production Reaffirmed for September-October Ahead of Rumored Late 2015 Launch
Taiwanese website DigiTimes today reported the “iPad Pro” will enter production by the end of the third quarter and go into mass production in the fourth quarter, corroborating a recent KGI report that said the rumored 12.9-inch tablet would enter mass production in September-October.
“iPad Pro” mockup places 12.9-inch tablet alongside iPad Air and iPad mini
The report claims the “iPad Pro” will be released in the fourth quarter, with an estimated 4-5 million shipments in 2015. DigiTimes reported in July that the “iPad Pro” could launch in mid-November as Foxconn prepared to start supplying components at the time, but the release timeframe remains uncertain.
The report claims Sharp will be the main supplier of LCD displays for the tablet, while Foxconn subsidiary General Interface Solution (GIS) will provide touch panels. Samsung Display and TPK will be secondary suppliers of LCD assemblies and touch modules respectively, according to the report.
Apple Watch Expands to Retail Locations Outside of Apple Stores in France
Apple today continued the expansion of retail locations that offer the Apple Watch to customers, this time expanding the wearable device’s availability in France (via iPhone Addict) [Google Translate]. The company confirmed customers in Paris will be able to purchase the Watch at Fnac locations within the city, starting with just one store alongside the Fnac official website.
The Fnac retail store — essentially equivalent to Best Buy — initially selling the Apple Watch is the one located at the Champs Elysées, and will officially begin to sell the wearable on August 21. Other Fnac stores will begin to offer the Watch “within the next week,” and the store’s employees will be trained to field questions and concerns from customers regarding Apple’s smartwatch.
Fnac will be the first European brand to offer the Apple Watch. Initially, it will be possible to buy it on the site of Fnac and at Fnac Champs Elysées. Other Fnac will have it within the next week, warns the sign. Employees will be trained to answer questions from interested users and thus better guide customers.
As iPhone Addict points out, the availability of the Apple Watch in new retail stores could dramatically increase sales for Apple in France, considering that there are only 18 Apple Stores in the country but over 100 Fnac locations. There was no confirmation of the exact range of models to be sold at Fnac, although it’s likely the company will follow Best Buy’s footsteps in offering the Apple Watch Sport and mid-tier Apple Watch in both the 38mm and 42mm sizing options alongside multiple Apple-branded bands and third-party accessories.
82.2% of all new smartphones sold are Android devices
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If you’re still wondering why BlackBerry would need to even consider making an Android-powered phone, let this statistic blow your mind: 82.2% of all new smartphones sold are Android devices, and if you add in iOS as well, 96.8% of all smartphones run either Android or iOS. This latest data is contained in a quarterly sales report by Gartner and really puts into perspective what a futile battle the smartphone market is if you aren’t called Google or Apple. Windows and BlackBerry device sales are slowly but surely dwindling, though we do wonder if the Windows 10 factor will help Microsoft claw some ground back in the future.
While the short term news is good for Android, Gartner also suggests that the smartphone market is reaching its peak with the Chinese market reaching “saturation”. This has caused global growth to slow to 13.5%, the slowest since 2013 which means manufacturers are going to have to really sell their devices to consumers who are looking for replacements, rather than their first devices. And if these reports are anything to go by, it’s a pretty good chance that the replacement is going to be an Android device. Just sayin’.
What do you think about the fact 82.2% of all new smartphones sold are Android devices? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post 82.2% of all new smartphones sold are Android devices appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Citizen Mars: the story of five people and a one way trip to the Red Planet
You’ve heard about Mars One. We’ve spoken to its CEO and co-founder. And, plenty of ink’s been spilled on the project due to the unanswered questions regarding its scientific, technological and financial feasibility. The concerns don’t end there, either. Traveling to Mars is an incredibly lengthy and dangerous endeavor, and it’s unclear how the crew will deal with the social and psychological stresses inherent to the mission. There are those who believe Mars One is preying upon the largesse of its backers and would-be colonists.
Who would, despite such questions, still dedicate themselves to Mars One and the dream of walking on another planet? Citizen Mars tells the story of five such individuals.
The five part series premieres on Engadget September 1st.
Filed under:
Science
Tags: citizenmars, marsone, video
MusicCast is Yamaha’s answer to Apple Airplay and Google Cast
There’s no shortage of WiFi-networked speakers for consumers, but Yamaha wants to bring its own solution and products to the market. Enter MusicCast, the audio manufacturer’s version of Google Cast or Apple Airplay, which lets you use an app to wirelessly play music across multiple devices in a home (or office) — so long as they’re all connected to the same WiFi network. Of course, this isn’t only designed to be a competitor to Google or Apple’s technology, with Sonos being another main player in the space. But Yamaha hopes to stand out by offering MusicCast on more than just speakers. According to the company, its High-Fidelity-ready tech will also work with streaming services, internet radio apps and Bluetooth devices, as well as external sources like set-top boxes, sound bars and Blu-ray players.Slideshow-313638
For now, Yamaha is rolling out the feature to the RX-V 79 and Aventage RX-A50 AV receivers, via firmware update. Other new products, including speakers, sound bars and HiFi receivers, are expected to be available starting next month — prices will range from $250 to $1,700, depending on what you’re looking to get. By the end of the year, Yamaha says it’ll have more than 20 MusicCast-enabled devices.
Filed under:
Misc, Home Entertainment, Peripherals, HD
Tags: Airplay, AppleAirplay, GoogleCast, hdpostcross, MusicCast, MusicStreaming, StreamingMusic, Yamaha
ICYMI: Hypersonic plane, social connections app and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Germany is trying to revive a decades-old plan for a hypersonic commuting plane which would deliver people from Frankfurt to Australia in 90 minutes. A video for a social connection app called Knock Knock stars a couple celebs who will likely never ask to be connected to little ol’ me at a party. And a custom drone builder is calling it what it is with a giant eyeball drone. Just to clear up any confusion.
And if your Mom keeps shooting videos to you in portrait orientation, tell her she may actually be a filmmaking genius after seeing this video of an art project displaying films in portrait form.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under:
Misc, Meta, Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video, Transportation, Internet
Tags: app, application, celebrities, celebrityendorsements, drone, engadgetdailyshow, engadgetvideo, eyeballdrone, Germany, hypersonic, hypersoniccommute, hypersonicplane, icymi, InCaseYouMissedIt, KnockKnock, plane, rocketplane, socialconnectionapp, video
Huawei Honor 7i announced with 180-degree rotating camera
Huawei has just unveiled its latest Honor smartphone, the 7i. The handset looks like another decent mid-ranger from Huawei, but with one quite unique feature – a rotating rear camera than pops up for higher quality selfies. I’m going to nickname it the periscope.
Typically, smartphones include a lower resolution front facing camera for video calls and pictures, but these have never really been that great. Some newer phones have begun including higher resolution front facing sensors, but the Honor 7i’s 13 megapixel, f/2.0, Sony Exmor based rear camera simply flips up to take selfies, saving on component costs while also eliminating the quality difference between your scene and selfie shots.
Huawei also states that the hinge is sturdy enough to withstand heavy use. The mechanism will last at least two years of use, even if you flip it up and down 132 times a day! Huawei isn’t the first to experiment with a dual purpose front and rear camera. We also quite liked the rotating camera that was included with the Oppo N1.
The rest of the specifications are what you would expect from a smartphone looking to bridge the gap between the mid and high-end tiers. The Honor 7i features a 5.2-inch display with a 1080p resolution. The handset is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor, 2GB or 3GB of RAM depending on if you pick the 16GB or 32GB internal storage option, and a 3,100mAh battery. To sweeten the deal, Huawei has thrown in a fingerprint scanner, which is oddly attached to the side of the smartphone rather than on the back or front.
The Honor 7i will cost around $250 for the 16GB model and $300 for the 32GB variant in China, but the international handsets could cost somewhere between $300 or $400.
What do you think about the unique “periscope” camera?
Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge update brings select Note 5 and S6 Edge+ features
Last week Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and the S6 Edge+, bringing both devices a number of new software enhancements that weren’t seen on the Galaxy S6 or the S6 Edge. Thankfully for owners of the GS6 and Edge, a new update is now being pushed out in South Korea that introduces at least a few of these changes. While some of the cooler features of the Galaxy S6 and Edge aren’t present – like RAW image shooting and control of the camera’s shutter speed – its still great to see Samsung working hard to keep its Galaxy family on parity.
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So what exactly does the update bring to the table? Probably one of the most obvious and expected additions is that of Samsung Pay, the Korean giant’s new mobile payments system. Beyond Pay however, the update includes the new revamped icons and UI elements from the Note 5/Edge+ TouchWiz, a minor update to KNOX, Apps Edge for the Galaxy S6 Edge – which lets you launch up to 5 apps from a sideloading pane, and audio-enhancing software, UHQ Upscaler and Vacuum Tube Amp Pro.
At least for now, the firmware update is only available in South Korea, though we imagine it is only a matter of time before the new firmware officially makes its way to more regions. For those who are a bit more daring, it is possible to manually flash the update if you have a compatible device (Galaxy S6 SM-G920S or a Galaxy S6 edge SM-G925S). You can find the new firmware over at SamMobile.
Don’t already own a Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge? You can pick up the Galaxy S6 unlocked and ready to go for just $567.13, or $657.32 for the Edge.
Lenovo A2010 offers LTE connectivity on a tiny budget
India has plenty of inexpensive smartphones on the market these days, but they don’t offer a whole lot of extra features. Lenovo is aiming to up its game in this market segment next month when it stars selling its new A2010, a smartphone that boasts 4G connectivity for just 4,990 INR (around $76), making it the cheapest LTE smartphone in the country right now.
There’s not too much else really exciting about the smartphone, but at this price point the rest of the specifications are decent, so I’m certainly not going to complain. Inside, the A2010 is powered by a quad-core MediaTek TM6735M SoC clocked at 1GHz, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage, with the option to expand thanks to a microSD card slot.
There is a 5 megapixel camera on the back, accompanied by a 2 megapixel sensor on the front. The phone also comes with a 2,000mAh battery, dual-SIM card slots, and Android 5.1 Lollipop installed right out of the box. The handset’s display measures 4.5-inches with a quite modest 854 x 480 pixel resolution.
The Lenovo A2010 goes on sale on September 3rd in India and will be available from Flipkat in your choice of either black or white. If you’re interested, you can already pre-register to grab one once sale commences.
AIVAnet 