TomTom’s newest fitness watch plays music too
As sales of satellite navigation units slowly dry up, TomTom is making the gentle transition into a fitness and wearables company. That’s why the firm decided to smash up its existing range of bulky running watches in favor of a ground-up rebuild. The result is that TomTom is launching the Spark, which look pretty much like the previous generation of devices, albeit after a very good diet. The most notable addition to the range this year is Bluetooth music playback, although that’s made matters a little more confusing than in previous years. Slideshow-317011
Rather than selling just one or two variations on the same watch each year, there are actually four, with a bare-bones GPS, sleep and activity tracking model at the bottom. Then, you can opt to get a version with an optical heart rate monitor, or 3GB of built-in storage, while at the top of the range you can get both. There’s also two extra models that come with a pair of company-branded Bluetooth headphones if you don’t already own a set. The company’s Walter Hermsen isn’t worried about confusing his customers, however, saying that this way it’s easy for people to only pay for the things they’ll actually use.
The hardware itself looks like an evolution of last year’s model, shrunk down to better hide under your shirt cuff. The charger’s been redesigned, too, with a clicking latch that makes enough noise so there’s no longer a risk that you’ll think it’s connected, but isn’t. Unfortunately, the four-way joystick button remains below the watch itself, and it’s still as obviously fitness-orientated as before — although Hermsen feels that that’s the point. After all, as he says, “if you’re spending your days sat on your couch, this watch is not for you.”
The company has also tweaked the way it represents activity tracking, giving you a seven-sided polygon to represent your working week. “The idea is to walk 10,000 steps a day, but really people don’t behave like that. Instead, they walk more on the weekends and less in the office.” As such, you’re given a weekly view of your movement so you can fill out the shape rather than feel guilty of failing to hit the target during the 9-5. You’ll be able to track two weeks at a time before you need to re-juice the Spark, although that battery life drops to 11 hours if you use GPS and just five if you’re using GPS, optical HRM and the music playback at the same time.
TomTom is promising that smartwatch features will come to the various Spark models before the end of 2015, although it’ll be limited to just Caller ID and Message ID. It was felt that anything more would be a distraction, even though the watch comes with a Pebble-esque 144 x 168 high-contrast LCD display. There’s also no option to change the face from the default, which is something of a disappointment.
Pricing isn’t yet set for each of the more granular models, although we can all probably work it out on the back of an envelope. All we know so far is that the flagship Spark Cardio + Music that comes with all the trimmings will be priced at €249 / £189.99 and that the range will hit stores this October.
Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
Tags: Bluetooth, GPS, hands-on, ifa, ifa2015, MultiSport, Running, Spark, TomTom
UK police arrest pirate who cost the music industry ‘millions’
In its ongoing fight to reduce online piracy in the UK, the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) often targets people suspected of illegally sharing movies, music and other digital downloads. In Liverpool, the City of London division has today, with help from Merseyside Police and UK copyright agency PRS for Music, arrested a 38-year-old Liverpool man linked with illegally distributing the UK’s Top 40 singles via download sites.
PIPCU says the man distributed the top-selling tracks and acappella music (songs that feature only vocals) via his website, netting him “significant advertising revenue” in the process. According to TorrentFreak, the uploader is also known for sharing his collections on two of the world’s biggest torrent sites: The Pirate Bay and KickassTorrents.
City of London Police Detective Inspector, Mick Dodge, said: “This is a crime that is costing the UK creative industry hundreds of millions of pounds, money that not only supports the artists but the thousands of technical and support staff working in this sector.” It marks an active few months for UK police, after forces successfully began putting the squeeze on pirate site advertising and seized thousands of modified Android streamers.
Filed under:
Internet
Source:
Merseyside Police
Tags: pipcu, police, prs for music, thepiratebay, torrents, uk-feature
Airbnb’s Apple Watch app focuses on putting hosts and guests in touch
The last year or so has seen Airbnb put a major focus behind design, from its company logo and identity to new apps for phones and tablets. Now, it’s putting its attention towards a new platform: wearables. Starting today, the iOS Airbnb app is compatible with the Apple Watch. Fortunately, Airbnb put a lot of thought into what features would make the most sense living on your wrist rather than try and cram the entire experience onto the smallest screen in your life. To that end, the first iteration of Airbnb’s Watch app will focus primarily on messaging, so hosts and guests can stay in touch quickly.
Airbnb went through numerous tests of the Watch’s capabilities to decide what made the most sense for its app, and told us that enabling hosts quickly respond to booking inquiries and questions was one of the most important things it thought it could do. When you receive a message, you’ll get a notification on your watch that you can respond to using your voice or one of the pre-written responses, just like Apple’s own messaging app. The coolest thing Airbnb is doing here, however, is that it lets you write your own pre-selected responses. So if you’re tired of guests pinging you for your WiFi password, you can set up a response with that info and have it always at the ready for a quick reply. You’ll have the same features at your disposal if you’re traveling, but we figure that hosts will probably be more likely to benefit from the fast interactions the Watch offers.
Similarly, hosts will have the ability to respond to booking inquiries from their wrists. When an Airbnb user submits their request, you’ll see all the details in the notification, including your guest’s name, the dates they want to stay and their full message. You can accept right then or send a message back if you’re not ready to confirm the booking. On the guest’s side, you’ll get a notification when your booking request is accepted.
That’s about all the app can do, and that’s probably for the best. If you open the app without a notification prompting you, you’ll just get an overview of your messaging box; you can look at the conversation thread and respond if you’re so inclined. Otherwise, it’s pretty bare bones — there’s just no reason to use such a tiny screen to do things like search for listings or do more detailed management of your upcoming reservations. That’s all stuff better suited to a bigger screen. That said, we feel like the “canned” responses that Airbnb are including in the Watch app could be just as useful in the full-sized iPhone version — but as of today, that app is unchanged. Hopefully the next update will change that; for now you can go grab the Apple Watch version of Airbnb in the App Store today.
Tags: airbnb, airbnbapp, apple, applewatch, booking, messaging, travel
ICYMI: Self-driving golf carts, water hoverboards and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: A new golf cart that can drive itself has been designed, complete with a tool to let people schedule pickups and drop-offs. Like *cough* Uber *cough*. A Canadian inventor is showcasing his water hoverboard that we all now want. And we get to toss in a reference to the person who says he just caught a fish with a drone, which is really the point here, friends. Also, motorized tricycles for adults are a thing and a pretty fun looking one at that.
From the strange video files: A iPhone’s ringtone putting ants into a trance, forming a circular, moving mass around it.
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, Robots, Transportation, Science, Internet
Tags: video
Sphero’s BB-8 is the ‘Star Wars’ toy everyone will want
Back when Disney released the first trailer to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, one of the characters that caught most people’s eye was BB-8. And for good reason: it’s an adorable rolling droid. Now, Disney is bringing it to everyone through Sphero, the company known for its connected robotic toys. Meet BB-8 by Sphero, a toy version of the ball-shaped personality you’ll see in the next Star Wars episode which opens in theaters December 18th. Although this droid comes on a smaller scale than the prop introduced at the Star Wars Celebration a few months ago, it is as close to the real thing as you’re going to get. Best of all, it is arguably one of the best (and cutest) Star Wars toys to date — and that’s saying a lot.Slideshow-315970
Like Sphero’s other toys, the BB-8 connects to iOS or Android devices, though there’s no need if all you want to do is keep it safe in the box or on a shelf. Once paired, the companion app offers access to three modes: Driving, Holographic Messaging and Patrol. For the second mode, Sphero used its augmented reality engine to turn videos into Star Wars’ trademark holo messages — those are recorded and viewed on the application. Patrol, meanwhile, shows a real-time log of BB-8’s movements, based on the gyroscope and accelerometer sensors from your smartphone or tablet. Sphero says it chose to have these event logs because, even if it’s a toy, it wants to encourage kids to learn about programming.
At launch, BB-8 won’t be compatible with other Sphero apps, most of which are education-focused, but the company’s CEO Paul Berberian says the plan is to work with Disney and Lucafilm to add more functionality in the future. “It is a connected toy. It will only get better with time as we get exposed to the story [Star Wars: The Force Awakens]”.
“As we get to learn more about the character, we can bring more to it.” Berberian adds that his firm is really interested in the notion of physical hardware, emphasizing how BB-8 is a new kind of toy. “It’s not a plush toy, this is it. It is a robot. Now that we have that capability, it opens up this whole new realm. How do you tell a story with a physical robot? This is the perfect character to do it.”
Compared to the regular Sphero, essentially a blueprint for this BB-8, Sphero improved the internals in a couple of ways. Other than the obvious changes, like having magnets to support BB-8’s head, there’s low-energy Bluetooth for the first time and its charging crate can now plug in directly into a USB port for power, rather than depending on an outlet. But the best parthttp://www.sphero.com/starwars about the toy, which fits in the palm of your hand, is simply how detailed it is — just look at those tiny BB-8 antennas. That said, I do wish it looked more worn, stratigh out of the box , similar to the bigger BB-8 from the Star Wars Celebration convention. Still, I’m sure that’s possible after playing with it for a few hours. And you’ll want to do that as much as possible, because it’s a ball of fun to control a rolling droid.
BB-8 by Sphero will be available at midnight for $150, but you better act fast — we have a hunch it’s going to be in high demand. Worst case scenario, you could always try to make your own.Slideshow-317007
Source:
Sphero
Tags: BB-8, BB8, hands-on, hdpostcross, Robot, Robots, RobotToy, Sphero, StarWars, Toy
NASA starts testing light and flexible plane technology
NASA has successfully completed a series of tests making sure that the X-56A Multi-Utility Technology Testbed (MUTT) aircraft can withstand flights up to 130 knots in speed. See, the X-56A isn’t your typical aircraft: it’s a remote-controlled test model the space agency’s using for the development of flexible flight tech, which will be used for lightweight, eco-friendly planes. NASA needs to test the technology extensively, since planes with pliable wings are typically more susceptible to strong winds and vibrations. In fact, this recent round of testing only completed all of the agency’s “stiff wing objectives.” X-56A 2.0 — yes, this is the second version, as developer Lockheed Martin already put the first one through the wringer in 2013 and 2014 — doesn’t have its flexible wings yet. Those special airfoils will be attached in the next few months before the aircraft takes off for its first flexi-wing flight in early 2016.
[Image credit: NASA Photo / Jim Ross]
Filed under:
Transportation
Source:
NASA
Tags: aircraft, MUTT, nasa, plane, X-56A
Moto 360 (2nd gen) receives its first commercial
Motorola unveiled its second generation Moto 360 smartwatch yesterday and immediately stuck the device up for pre-order. To drum up a little business, Motorola has also released its first advertisement for the new Moto 360, which walks us through a few of its features.
We can spot a number of familiar Android Wear features in the ad, along with a selection of compatible apps, such as Spotify and Facebook. The commercial also highlights the Moto 360’s voice controls and promotes the familiar health tracking features.
If you like what you see, you can already pre-order the Moto 360 (2nd gen) from the Google Store, Motorola.com and Best Buy, in your choice of Black, Gold, Silver and Rose Gold (women’s variant only) with either a leather, stainless steel, or Rose Gold strap. Have any of you pre-ordered yet?
Samsung unveils new SmartThing hub, available today for $99
Just a little over a year ago Samsung took a big step forward towards improving its Internet of Things game with the purchase of SmartThings. As expected, at IFA 2015 Samsung and SmartThings have now formally unveiled the 2nd-gen Smart Hub, a high-tech router that powers various sensors around your home.
The newer Smart Hub hardware adds a few big improvements over the original, including 10-hour battery backup life, and a faster processor which subsequently allows the hub to now handle video monitoring. The SmartHub will allow users to log into the newly redesigned Android app 24/7 to view live video, though the hub will only record video when it detects activity. In addition to recording, the new system will also send notifications in the event it detects a fire, smoke, leaks, and so on. While connecting to the web is a great way to make the most of the Smart Hub, an Internet connection isn’t technically required, which could put security conscientious minds at ease.
The new SmartThings hub will go on sale for today, priced at $99. Various sensors will be offered from around $30 to $50. We will be sure to update this post as soon as the product is available for purchasing later today in the US. The hub will also be offered in the UK starting next week, and should be making its way to more parts of Europe in early 2016.
Sony Xperia Z5 hands-on and first look
After weeks of leaks and speculation, a lot of which turned out to be true, Sony took the wraps off their latest flagships offerings. While the plus iteration, or “Premium” in the case of Sony’s smartphone, seems to be more enticing, the more standard flagship has to lot to offer as well. We go hands-on, and give you the first look at the Sony Xperia Z5!
At first glance, the Xperia Z5 looks a lot like all the other Sony flagships that it follows, which isn’t entirely unexpected, but there are a few new aspects to the design language and features that should sweeten the pot a little, and hopefully, this device will be available in more markets that just in Europe and Asia. Noticeable changes to the design are seen on the side, with a much larger power button being featured now, which doesn’t look as iconic as the signature round button from before, but still has a very unique look.
The reason for this change to a wider power button is the fingerprint scanner that is now integrated into the power button. It is ideally placed to allow the device to be unlocked easily by placing your right thumb on the button, which does seem to be the best way to go about it. In general, the Xperia Z5 feels really nice in the hand, as most Xperia devices do, with the symmetrical design making the phone very easy to grip, and its relatively standard footprint makes for a great handling experience.
On the specifications front, the Xperia Z5 isn’t all that much of an upgrade when compared to its predecessor, the Xperia Z3+, with the latest Sony flagship retaining a 5.2-inch Full HD display, the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 3 GB of RAM, and the availability of expandable storage via microSD card. The Snapdragon 810 does a great job of keeping things smooth and snappy, helped along with the near-stock version of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop that the device is running, which doesn’t feature much extra, other than Sony staples like the Small Apps.
What is obviously the most exciting part about the latest Xperia flagship is the new camera, with Sony introducing a major change in this department after a very long time, and we are really looking forward to putting this 23 MP ExmorRS sensor to the test. What is intriguing to us is that Sony put out there the fact that their imaging department has been one of the best, and Sony has released some great Alpha cameras, so hopefully, we’ll now see some of that quality make its way over to the smartphone segment as well. The Xperia Z5 also features on of the fastest auto-focus capabilities around, and the device did a great job in the short time we got to spend with it. The Xperia Z5 also packs a 5 MP front-facing camera.
Looking at the camera application, Sony continues to pack the camera software with a slew of features, with everything from AR, panorama modes, slow motion, face in picture, and pretty much everything you can hope for to make your smartphone photography experience that much more fun. We have seen some fantastic flagship smartphone cameras this year, and we can’t wait to see whether this Sony camera can provide the quality to compete with the high standards that have been set so far.
As mentioned, Sony also introduced a plus iteration of their current flagship, dubbed the Xperia Z5 Premium. No one was able to get their hands on this device at the press event, but we do have a meeting with Sony coming up soon where we will be able to bring you a much closer look at this phone.
Of course, the big news with this smartphone is its 4K resolution display, which results in an absolutely mind-boggling pixel density of 801 ppi. This is obviously the highest resolution we’ve seen till date on a smartphone, but what Sony is doing with the Xperia Z5 Premium, as they have done with some of their TVs as well, is that the phone itself is going to upscale all of the media content, so it has a sharper look to it. A high resolution such as this does bring up concerns with regards to battery life, but the 3,430 mAh battery that the device packs, compared to the 2,900 mAh unit of the Xperia Z5 proper, should allow for at least average battery life, helped along with the slew of battery saving modes that Sony bakes in to their devices.
So there you have it for this first look at the Sony Xperia Z5! While the Xperia Z5 isn’t a major departure from the Sony standard, new elements like the fingerprint scanner and updated camera package does bring the device more in line with the current crop of smartphone flagships, and we can’t wait to put the Xperia Z5 through its paces as we give it the full review treatment. Stay tuned with Android Authority for more great coverage from Sony, and everything else that is on offer at IFA 2015!
LG’s roll-up keyboard is cute, but predictably uncomfortable
Getting anyone at all interested in a new portable Bluetooth keyboard is quite the feat, but LG has just about managed it with its new, quirky roll-up peripheral. The Rolly, as it’s inventively named, is intended for those who want to be a bit more productive with their tablet time, and I’ve had a brief tinker with it here at IFA. The benefit of having a keyboard that rolls up around its battery, of course, is that it takes up the least amount of space in your backpack. And neat, the Rolly certainly is. The magnets that run down either side of the key grid are no weaklings, keeping the thing tightly wound and generating a satisfying snap as you roll it up. Slideshow-316994
When unfurled, the Rolly is nice and solid, to the extent you can’t tell there are seams in between the rows of keys. As advertised, the keyboard automatically wakes up the nearest paired tablet — in this case, I tested it with LG’s new G Pad II slate, which came to life as soon as I’d levered open the first row of keys. The feel and travel of the island keyboard is not dissimilar to the MacBook I’m using to write this, but like every portable Bluetooth keyboard ever, it’s no fun to type on. Due to the cramped layout that’s unavoidable at that size, I was missing keys, hitting the wrong ones, and clawing up my hands in the hope they would somehow shrink before RSI set in. Also, the magnets on either side of the keyboard are slightly higher than the keys themselves, but they still feel like keys to peripheral fingertips, resulting in many a useless tap.
But let’s be honest, the Rolly is as much about style points as it is hammering out a quick email at the airport. And me even using the phase “style points” when talking about a Bluetooth keyboard means LG has done something right. With a suggested retail price of $119 when it launches in the US later this month (before dropping elsewhere shortly after), though, you’d have to be rolling in it to pick one up without at least a test drive.
Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
Filed under:
Peripherals, Tablets, LG
Tags: bluetoothkeyboard, hands-on, ifa, ifa2015, keyboard, lg, rolly
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