High-tech brew kit returns to Indiegogo for more beer money
Remember Brewie, the touchscreen-equipped, WiFi connected home brew kit that launched on Indiegogo? Despite a six-month shipping delay, the project is still bubbling along. It’s relaunching on Indiegogo’s “InDemand,” a service that allows successful campaigns to move into a commercial phase so they can collect (more) pre-orders and fulfill them. The people behind the smartphone-controlled kit said they spent the extra time improving it by adding a feature that lets you add hops up to four extra times during brewing, along with improved pumps, a better cooling system, a transparent cover and support for the standard “Beer XML” format.
The company collected more pre-orders from its website after the original campaign finished and now has 2,000 anxious backers waiting for delivery. It’s launching the new InDemand campaign today at noon ET for anybody else willing to plunk down $1,599 on the as-yet un-shipped product (the final retail price will between $2,000 and $2,200). Brewie did show off a prototype (and gave tasting samples) at IFA 2015 in Berlin, and said it collected “valuable feedback” during that and other events. The company also claims to have also created an “efficient network for procurement, manufacturing, recipe creation, packaging and distribution.”
Brewie now promises that it’ll start shipping the initial December, 2014 pre-orders in February 2016, with InDemand orders going out a month later. We’d emphasize that you’re taking a chance by backing any Indiegogo-funded product, especially given the delays so far — if you’re risk-averse, you may want to consider a retail product like Picobrew’s Zymatic, instead. If it does work as advertised, however, you’ll likely be the most high-tech home brewer on your block.
New Misfit Shine 2 is stronger, larger and more connected than ever
Misfit’s high-end wearable has just been succeeded by the Shine 2, a new tracker that is expected to really turn things around for fans of these devices. Trust us when we tell you this is no incremental update. The device is bigger, stronger, faster and more connected than any of their other offerings.
In fact, it’s a pretty awesome wearable for the price. And though it may not have all the fancy bells and whistles Android Wear can handle, what it does do it does very well. So let’s jump into the nitty gritty. What makes the Misfit Shine 2 special?
The first Shine’s main purpose was monitoring sleep and tracking activity. It didn’t do much else, though. Those who want something more similar to an actual smart device will be much more satisfied with the second iteration.
For starters, the Shine 2 definitely looks different. It’s a little thinner, but it’s also a bit larger. This may make it a bit more comfortable and sleeker, as it won’t be sticking out as much as the previous device did. Of course, this also means that any older accessories or bands won’t be compatible.
By the way, the Shine 2 is still great at monitoring your activity and sleep. In fact, it’s better, thanks to an added 3-axis magnetometer and the 3-axis accelerometer, a duo that will monitor you much more accurately.
Going deeper into the device you can find a stronger processing unit. Why would a simple tracker need a better chipset, though? Well, because this is no longer a mere tracking wearable; it’s now a smart device of sorts. It runs 12 multi-color LED lights that display the time and send you alerts. In addition, a vibrating mechanism has been integrated, making your interaction with the Shine 2 much more tactile.
A new capacitive layer has been added to the device, making possible to easily touch the device to interact with it. Remember when we switched from resistive screens to capacitive ones? That’s pretty much the upgrade Shine users are getting here. It’s huge!
Misfit now alerts you when you haven’t moved for extended periods of time, letting you know it’s time for a stretch. Smartphone notifications for calls and messages are also on board. Another big addition is compatibility with Misfit’s Link app, which was previously only available for the Flash Link. This will allow users to manage their smart home products, control music, take smartphone camera shots and more.
The Misfit Shine 2 really does take all the awesome features from the company’s whole line-up and puts it in a single product. And with a 6-month battery life and a waterproof body, you really can’t go wrong. Especially considering it’s priced at only $99.99, which is nothing compared to the more advanced smart watches out there.
You can now buy the Misfit Shine 2 from their website in 2 colors: Carbon Black and Rose Gold. Retail locations will get it by November. Are any of you signing up for one?
Meet the J-Pop ‘idol’ robot that dances and dresses up just for you
This robot is a better dancer than half of the Japanese pop idol groups it’s trying to emulate. While we’re not going to torture ourselves (or you) by deep-diving into the curious phenomenon of Japanese idol units, but these robots were designed for (more often than not, male) fans looking to have a performer that, according to IT Media Lab: “dances especially for me” and those that wanted to create “their own performance stage in their home.” Ahem.
The robot will be customizable through 3D-printed parts, and you’ll be able to dress it up in outfits to boot. The schematics will be given out for free — although the robot won’t be. Prices start from 138,000 yen (roughly $1,150), which is more than enough to see human-populated groups like Babymetal or AKB48 several, several times over.
The company that designed the robot also plans to collaborate with a handful of idol groups. And, er, we may be paying a visit to its debut concert next week. Out of morbid fascination. For investigative journalism.
Source: DMM’s “PreMaid” (Japanese)
PlayStation 4 drops to €350 across Europe and £300 in the UK
With Uncharted 4 slipping into 2016, Sony’s PlayStation 4 doesn’t have much in the way of exclusives this fall. But in its ongoing battle with Microsoft and the Xbox One, the company does have a fallback to stay competitive: price-cuts. After dropping the system to $350 in the US, Sony is now doing the same for the rest of the world. Starting today, the 500GB model will cost $349.99 across Europe and £299.99 in the UK. Furthermore, the console is dropping to $479.95 in Australia, $569.95 in New Zealand and AED1399 in the United Arab Emirates. Sony doesn’t have Halo 5 or Rise of the Tomb Raider (at least, not yet) but the PlayStation 4 does have a broad, extensive library including Bloodborne, Until Dawn and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. If you’ve been waiting to jump to “next-gen,” or already own an Xbox One, there’s really been no better time to pick up a PS4.
Source: Sony
Merge VR is simple, comfortable, affordable and ready for pre-order
There’s no shortage of VR headsets these days. You can find some for very affordable prices, and a few others are actually free. Most of these are pretty much the same thing re-bundled with different materials and unique designs, though. Google Cardboard made it possible to proliferate virtual reality glasses, but now we are itching for products that actually do something different.
Today the company is announcing availability of the Merge VR, a headset that is definitely unique. It will be become available on November 15th through Amazon, with pre-orders starting today.
Though it is still powered by your smartphone, the Merge VR manages to differentiate itself from the competition by using different materials, including a remote and introducing added functionality. In fact, you may remember it from our coverage at E3 2015, where we got a chance to demo it and filmed our initial impressions for you.
Aside from being fully compatible with Google Cardboard, it will also have its very own ecosystem of apps and games, which you can control with the included remote. And the cool thing about this peripheral is that it’s much like the Wii remote, as it can be controlled by moving and swinging it around.
Also read:
- 7 best Google Cardboard VR apps and games
- How to make your own Google Cardboard
- Merge VR demonstration at E3 2015
And because this gadget is made of a high-quality foam, it is both durable and comfortable. It’s also surprisingly affordable at only $79, which is a lower price than we expected to see (we were told at E3 it would be about $130).
Those interested can click the button below to pre-order the Merge VR from Amazon. Are any of you signing up? Check out he video to see what the product is all about.
Pre-order the Merge VR from Amazon!
“We’re thrilled to offer our product on Amazon.com to deliver a high-quality, easy to use headset to consumers this year,” said Dan Worden, Executive Vice President. “Virtual reality is here and has a very bright future. There are already so many VR games, 360 videos and other fun experiences available, with more being developed all the time. We are providing consumers with a comfortable, durable and affordable virtual reality headset that works with the mobile phones they’ve already got in their pockets.”
Created with soft, flexible foam, the durable Merge VR Goggles are made to be tossed in a bag, taken on the go, and easily shared among friends. Innovative dual input buttons allow users to explore and interact in ways not possible before; you can run AND jump, or move forward AND backward while fully immersed in virtual reality. Additional features include adjustable custom lenses, anti-fog ventilation channels, audio ports, camera access for augmented reality, and an optional top strap for added comfort.
Merge VR will soon be launching Merge Start, where users can find the latest and greatest in high-quality, curated VR content. The Merge VR Goggles also work with the hundreds of VR apps and 360 videos already available in the iOS App Store and Google Play.
With adjustable lenses, comfortable head straps, and lightweight foam that fits the contours of any phone and any face, Merge VR Goggles makes virtual reality available to anyone, anywhere.
About Merge VR
Founded in 2013, Merge Labs, Inc. is a Texas-based startup focused on mobile virtual reality and immersive entertainment. Compatible with iOS and Android devices, the Merge VR Goggles, wireless hand-held VR Controller, and Merge Start app are built to be accessible, affordable, portable, durable and easy to use. The privately funded company and its team is led by Founder Franklin Lyons and Co-founder Andrew Trickett, who have backgrounds in gaming, technology, design, content development and hardware creation.
UCLA chemist: Life on Earth began way earlier than we thought
A team of geochemists from University of California, Los Angeles published a report today that contests the widely-held belief that life on this planet began 3.8 billion years ago. The study, published in the journal PNAS, instead argues that life began 300 million years earlier. Life may have been here for 4.1 billion years — that’s older than the relentless asteroid bombardments that scarred the moon and nearly as long as the 4.54 billion year old planet itself.
The researchers studied 10,000 zircons, minerals formed by magma and capable of preserving the state of its immediate environment from when it formed — think the amber mosquitos from Jurassic Park but with rocks instead of DNA. Of the initial 10,000 minerals, the team found 656 samples that included dark specks that could be other minerals. Of those, the team analyzed 79 using a 3D spectroscopy technique. Among those samples, the team found one zircon containing graphite. And since the team knows that the zircon is 4.1 billion years old, the graphite must be even older.
Graphite, of course, is a form of carbon which is one of the basic building blocks of life as we know it. This find would suggest that the inorganic precursors for life on Earth were present nearly immediately after the planet’s formation. This could indicate that life formed quickly, then took it’s sweet time evolving to the point of even being able to synthesize.
“The early Earth certainly wasn’t a hellish, dry, boiling planet; we see absolutely no evidence for that,” Mark Harrison, professor of geochemistry at UCLA, said in a statement. “The planet was probably much more like it is today than previously thought.”
[Image Credit: De Agostini/Getty Images]
Source: UCLA
Stanford turns a DeLorean into a drifting, driverless car
This isn’t from some weird movie franchise mashup entitled Back to the Future IV: Stanford Drift. No, Stanford’s Revs Center simply decided to experiment on an old DeLorean, giving it the ability to fly drift all on its own. The car, which the team decided to called MARTY (Multiple Actuator Research Test bed for Yaw control) as an homage to B2F, was heavily modified and modernized. DeLoreans are old cars, and they found that it had severe limitations: for instance, it was understeering, so they had to equip it with a power steering motor and rack.
As for why they wanted to design a driverless car that’s good at drifting in the first place, well, Revs Center director Chris Gerdes told Wired: “We think automated vehicles should be able to execute any maneuver within the physical limits of the vehicle to get out of harm’s way.” In other words, they believe autonomous cars should be able to drift if it means saving the passenger’s life. If the idea of a drifting DeLorean sounds weird, just watch the team do some perfectly executed donuts in the video below.
Source: Stanford (YouTube)
Need a great unlocked smartphone? Get the XIAOMI RedMi Note 2 on sale at Gearbest.com
Androidguys.com and Gearbest.com have partnered up to bring you deals on Xiaomi products all week and tonight we have the RedMi Note 2 16GB 4G LTE smartphone on sale for $162 using coupon code NOTE16BLACK at checkout. This is one deal you really need to check out if you’re in the market for an unlocked smartphone.
Chinese manufacturers have been building phones far longer than we give them credit for, but are gaining more attention in the US finally. Huawei comes to mind when it comes to premium Chinese manufacturers as they built the most recent Nexus 6P. Xiaomi is in the same class of builders and offers premium devices at bargain prices.
The Xiaomi RedMi Note 2 comes loaded with specs and unlocked for less than the price of most phones on 2-year contracts.
Main Features:
Display: 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 (FHD) screen 400 ppi
CPU: Helio X10 Octa-Core 2.0GHz
GPU: PowerVR G6200
System: Android 5.0 (MIUI 6)
RAM + ROM: 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM (Standard Edition)
Camera: 5.0MP front camera + 13MP f/2.2 super aperture back camera
Bluetooth: 4.0
GPS: GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS
Sensors: Gravity sensor, IR proximity sensor, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor, Digital compass, Proximity sensor
SIM Card: Dual SIM capability
Chinese manufacturers are definitely putting the pressure on companies like Samsung, Sony and HTC as we have seen them radically change their designs, leave the US market and drop prices to stay competitive. The days of overpriced phones are finally over. Check out the Xiaomi RedMi Note 2 for yourself and consider whether or not you are tired of paying premium prices.
If you’re interested in making a purchase, head on over to gearbest.com and type in coupon code NOTE16BLACK at checkout.
Specification:
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Brand: XiaoMi |
CPU: MTK Helio X10 |
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Wireless Connectivity: GPS, 4G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GSM, 3G |
Screen type: Capacitive |
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Camera type: Dual cameras (one front one back) |
Picture format: JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG |
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I/O Interface: Micro USB Slot, 3.5mm Audio Out Port |
Battery Capacity (mAh): 3060mAh |
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Cell Phone: 1 |
Product size: 15.2 x 7.6 x 0.825 cm / 5.97 x 2.99 x 0.32 inches
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Basic Information
Hardware
Network
Display
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Other Features
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DimensionsThe post Need a great unlocked smartphone? Get the XIAOMI RedMi Note 2 on sale at Gearbest.com appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google Design’s latest post casts a new light on Carl Kleiner’s Paperscapes
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Many of you will be familiar with the wallpapers that were launched by Google at the same time as the Material Design guidelines last year, and some of you might even know that they were designed by Carl Kleiner. What you probably didn’t know is that the wallpapers aren’t created digitally – rather, they are carefully created ‘paperscapes‘ that are then photographed with equally careful lighting to give the desired effect. Carl Kleiner’s paperscapes have featured as wallpapers in Android Lollipop and Marshmallow, and to celebrate the launch of the latter, Google Design has released two more paperscape wallpapers (if you want to get the full-size images, hit the source link at the bottom of this post):
As with all things art, not everybody is going to understand the point of bothering to go to all that trouble, but the end result is that we get to have some pretty unique wallpapers on our devices. In case you can’t tell, there are subtle differences between the wallpapers of Android Lollipop and Android Marshmallow, particularly moving away from changes in primary colours to changes in tone – in the words of Kleiner himself:
“We wanted to work with surfaces that have a subtle and sophisticated texture… organic to the touch and graphic in composition… Painted surfaces, color pigment powders, floating ink and the like.”
What do you think about Carl Kleiner’s paperscapes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Google Design via Android Police
The post Google Design’s latest post casts a new light on Carl Kleiner’s Paperscapes appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Final episode arrives for the time-bending ‘Life is Strange’
Square Enix and developer DONTNOD (Remember Me) have delivered the fifth and final episode of their time travel drama Life is Strange on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Besides its episodic nature, the game follows a teenage girl (Max) searching for her missing friend, while also realizing that she has the power to reverse time at will. According to Square Enix, even with that mechanic and the ability to keep items by storing them in Max’s bag, the “butterfly effect” can wreak havoc as unintended changes impact future events. We’ve streamed some gameplay of earlier episodes (1, 2, 3) if you’d like a better look at its hand-drawn world, but if you were just waiting for all of them to arrive for a binge session then just look in the digital gaming storefront you prefer.
Source: Square Enix, Buy Life is Strange
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