Runtastic takes on Withings with ‘Moment’ analog fitness watch
Runtastic may have started as a training log app, but it soon progressed to putting its badge on running watches and accessories. The Orbit was possibly the company’s most confident step into the world of wearables, and today it’s making another with the “proper watch” Moment activity tracker. The Moment logs all the basics you’d expect from a fitness tracker: steps, distance, time active, calories burned and sleep patterns, along with a dial on the watch face showing progress towards your goal. Like Withings’ Activité and Pop devices, the Moment’s analog styling extends to running on a regular watch battery, so it won’t need daily/weekly charging. This means no annoying ports, too, which helps keep things nice and sealed — waterproof to 300 feet by Runtastic’s reckoning.
If you’re looking for differences between Withings’ offering and The Moment, then it’s maybe more about the number of options than the feature set. The Moment comes in two sizes, four different styles, with a selection of straps — which improves on the two or three color options Withings offers. Though the Moment does sneak in a few more on-watch info (the progress dial is configurable, and there’s LED feedback). Then there’s the question of price. The Moment starts at $130 for the “Fun” edition, which is $20 under the Pop, but the more stylish Elite and Classic models will run you $180 (still some way off the Activité’s $450). There’s also the matter of personal preference (including that of which app you want to commit to using). Whether Adidas’ recent acquisition of Runtastic means the Moment series will evolve, or get absorbed into the miCoach family remains to be seen. If you like what you see right now, though, you can snap one up today.
Filed under:
Wearables
Source:
Runtastic
Tags: activitytracker, adidas, fitnesstracker, moment, runtastic, runtasticme, themoment, wearable, withings
Grab the Nexus 6 from Amazon today for as low as $349
Rumors are swirling and reports are rolling in regards to when the next Nexus device(s) will be released. In the mean time, the current Nexus 6 has seen some price cuts here and there. Today, Amazon has another price cut for everyone who’s in the market for the current generation Nexus device.
Normally priced at $499, for the 32GB variant, and $549 for the 64GB variant, Amazon has slashed the prices of the Nexus 6 by $150. You can head over to Amazon via the links below and pick up the 32GB Nexus 6 for only $349.99 or the 64GB variant for only $399.99.
- Nexus 6 32GB (blue) – $349.99
- Nexus 6 64GB (blue) – $399.99
- Nexus 6 32GB (white) – $349.99
- Nexus 6 64GB (white) – $399.99
With these reports coming out about a new Nexus phone or two coming out at the end of the month, we can expect to see the price slashed for these devices. This price reduction through Amazon is probably just the first of many to come ahead of the announcement at the end of the month.
Let us know if you have picked one of these up or whether you’re holding out until the next generation gets released.
Source: Android Authority
The post Grab the Nexus 6 from Amazon today for as low as $349 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
IFA Day 2: Samsung’s product showcase
Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub!
Filed under:
Samsung
Tags: IFA2015, samsung, video
Here’s how to watch Microsoft’s IFA keynote
Unlike Sony, Samsung, Huawei and others, Microsoft isn’t putting on a flashy press conference at this year’s IFA. That said, Nick Parker, Corporate VP of the company’s OEM division, will be taking to the stage to deliver a keynote speech entitled “Windows 10 lights up new devices” roughly 30 minutes from now. Given Parker’s position and the brief keynote summary, we imagine he’ll be touching on the broad range of devices powered by Microsoft’s latest OS — including some of those announced over the last few days from the likes of Acer, ASUS, Lenovo and others. While we don’t expect any surprise announcements from Microsoft itself, never say never. We’ll be there, of course, and if you’d like to join us, jump on the livestream and settle in.
Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub!
Filed under:
Software, Microsoft
Source:
Microsoft
Tags: ifa, ifa2015, microsoft, microsoftwindows10, windows10
‘Batman: Arkham Knight’ for PC should be less broken now
Batman: Arkham Knight was supposed to be the perfect swansong for Rocksteady’s Dark Knight trilogy. While the game was received positively on PS4 and Xbox One, the PC version was a mess — so bad, in fact, that Warner Bros. eventually pulled it completely. That was in June and only now, six weeks later, are PC players getting a patch that should fix the most glaring issues. The new update claims to solve the game’s fluctuating frame rate, while also improving its overall performance on all GPUs. Warner Bros. says it’ll also remedy any low resolution textures and add a deeper set of in-game settings for you to play with. If you were hoping to buy the game now that’s in a better state, bad news — Arkham Knight is still unavailable to purchase on Steam. Perhaps that’s an indication of where the game now stands — better than before, but still a little way from what PC players deserve.
Filed under:
Gaming
Via:
VG247
Source:
Steam
Tags: arkhamknight, batman, batmanarkhamknight, BrokenGame, patch, pc, PcGaming, rocksteady, steam, WarnerBros
LG G4 Note rumored for October 10th launch
A new LG smartphone passed through TENAA yesterday, which could be the anticipated second flagship that LG has planned for the second half of the year. Last week, LG’s Cho Juno confirmed that a new flagship would be unveiled sometime in Q4 2015 and reports from Korea suggest that October 10th could be the launch date.
According to the source, an LG official recently let the release date slip during a briefing about the company’s plans for the second half of the year. However, nothing else about the handset seems to have been mentioned.
We don’t know much about the next LG flagship, although the TENNA pictures suggest that the company’s laser auto focus technology may be heading to the phone’s front camera too. LG is expected to launch a large Note-like handset, with names like the G4 Pro, G4 Note and G4 Script all floating around. However, we didn’t spot a slot for a stylus or pen in those TENAA images.
Is this LG’s next flagship smartphone?
The smartphone may also not be quite the premium model that we had expected earlier in the year. LG has since backtracked on suggestions that the new smartphone would notably “stand above the G series” and some rumors are pointing to a familiar plastic build material, rather than the metal or glass being adopted by many of LG’s competitors.
Ultimately, we will just have to wait a little longer to find out what LG has planned for October. I’m sure that additional details will trickle our way over the next month.
LG G4 Note rumored for October 10th launch
A new LG smartphone passed through TENAA yesterday, which could be the anticipated second flagship that LG has planned for the second half of the year. Last week, LG’s Cho Juno confirmed that a new flagship would be unveiled sometime in Q4 2015 and reports from Korea suggest that October 10th could be the launch date.
According to the source, an LG official recently let the release date slip during a briefing about the company’s plans for the second half of the year. However, nothing else about the handset seems to have been mentioned.
We don’t know much about the next LG flagship, although the TENNA pictures suggest that the company’s laser auto focus technology may be heading to the phone’s front camera too. LG is expected to launch a large Note-like handset, with names like the G4 Pro, G4 Note and G4 Script all floating around. However, we didn’t spot a slot for a stylus or pen in those TENAA images.
Is this LG’s next flagship smartphone?
The smartphone may also not be quite the premium model that we had expected earlier in the year. LG has since backtracked on suggestions that the new smartphone would notably “stand above the G series” and some rumors are pointing to a familiar plastic build material, rather than the metal or glass being adopted by many of LG’s competitors.
Ultimately, we will just have to wait a little longer to find out what LG has planned for October. I’m sure that additional details will trickle our way over the next month.
First Belgium Apple Store Opens in Brussels on September 19
Apple has constructed a creative barricade with colorful artwork that confirms its first Apple Store in Belgium will open on Saturday, September 19. The retail store will be located on Avenue de la Toison d’Or in the capital city of Brussels.
Apple confirmed the store opening to Belgian website Apple Nieuws Vlaanderen, which has shared several photos of the storefront. The store has not yet been listed on Apple’s website, but store hours and grand opening details should be available soon.
Spotify updates its controversial privacy policy
Spotify has released a new privacy policy after the internet whipped itself into a furor over the last one. The streaming company got itself into trouble last month with an update that some onlookers labeled “eerie” and “atrocious.” Of course, it wasn’t really anything worth worrying about, as those that took the time to look through it properly quickly deduced. Nonetheless, Spotify pledged to update the policy to better clarify what it is and isn’t collecting from users, and now it’s done just that. The new version is virtually identical to the last, but includes a section at the beginning in plain language explaining things.
According to the new policy, there are two categories of information Spotify collects. The first is “information that we must have in order for you to use Spotify,” which includes things like your name, IP address, the music you listen to, and some sensor information to allow it to rotate videos. The second is “information that enables us to offer you additional features.” This second part is what got the company in trouble. Now, it’s noting that it “never receive any of the following information unless you expressly choose to share it.” This second category has quite a few examples, each of which are clearly explained in the policy:
- Your specific location: We will never gather or use your specific device location without first getting your explicit permission. This information enables us to create collaborative listening experiences (only with others who have also given permission), and to provide even better recommendations about locally popular music, live venues, and concerts.
- Your photos: We will only access images that you specifically choose, and we will never scan or import your photo library or camera roll. This allows you to choose individual pictures to change your profile picture or create cover art for a playlist. You can stop sharing photos and revoke access at any time.
- Your contacts: We will never scan or import your contacts unless you ask us to. If you choose to do so, we will only use your contact information to help you find friends or contacts who use Spotify.
- Your microphone: We will never access or use your microphone unless you give us explicit permission. This could enable you to control Spotify with your voice, and you will alway have the ability to disable access to the microphone.
“The distinction between these two categories is important,” Spotify continues, again reiterating that the first is required to use the service, while the second is to support additional, optional features.
With the update, those that left the service after the last policy dropped can take a look through and decide if they want back in. As the actual terms haven’t changed — they’re merely better explained — those that agreed to the previous terms won’t need to okay the new set.
Thanks, Joel!
Filed under:
Software
Source:
Spotify
Tags: privacy, PrivacyPolicy, spotify
MIT scientists make it easy to tweak designs for 3D printing
Two different groups of MIT researchers found a way to print out objects with glass instead of plastic and to make a printer spew out 10 different materials at once earlier this year. This particular team along with researchers from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in Israel, however, have chosen to focus on creating a system that makes it possible for even novices to customize the objects they want to print. Designers typically have to adjust a CAD file to tweak the object’s looks by typing in numerical values, and then wait for minutes to hours for a simulation software to make sure the final product is viable. The system this group developed dramatically speeds up the process.
It displays the design along with sliders representing different parameters — say, the height of a shoe’s heel or the base size and width of a mug — on a web browser. The user can then easily play with the sliders to achieve the look they want. Now, here’s the best thing about it: it won’t let you design unstable structures or anything that can’t be printed or used. Nobody has to spend hours waiting for software to make sure the modified digital object is feasible, and all the user needs to do is to send it straight to the 3D printer.
Filed under:
Science
Source:
MIT
Tags: 3dprinter, 3dprinting, MIT
AIVAnet 