Save up to $130 on a Huawei Watch at Amazon today

If you are in the market for a Huawei Watch, you’ll want to check out this Deal of the Day from Amazon. The retailer is offering up to $130 off the watch, and has savings on five configurations available. Pricing starts at $269 for the basic stainless watch with black leather band, and goes up to $589 for the rose gold watch with brown leather band.

These savings are good for today only, so you’ll want to act quickly if you are interested. There is no coupon code for these, all you have to do is add it to your cart and you save instantly. Which configuration are you going for? Let us know in the comments!

See at Amazon

Canon EOS 1300D brings Wi-Fi to the entry-level DSLR

The entry-level DSLR camera sector doesn’t see too many new models these days, but Canon has quietly just unveiled its latest: the EOS 1300D.

An update to 2014’s EOS 1200D, the 1300D is an altogether similar and affordable beginner product, but dresses its feature set up with added Wi-Fi and NFC (near field communication) for sharing images direct from DSLR to smart devices.

Otherwise the new model is similar to its predecessor. That means the same 18-megapixel APS-C sized sensor – albeit with the latest Digic 4+ processor – paired with a 9-point autofocus system when shooting through the optical viewfinder.

The rear LCD remains 3-inches – now with a 920k-dot resolution, making it 50 per cent more dot-laden than its predecessor – remains fixed to the camera, so no tilt/vari-angle bracket or touchscreen on this occassion. Shame. If you want to shoot video (at 1080p30 max) then the screen in live preview is how it’s achieved.

With an onus on point-and-shoot with quality results, Canon is pushing its Scene Intelligent Mode, which can recognise scenes and automatically place the camera into its most appropriate settings. You can, of course, also take manual control, which is part and parcel of the DSLR experience, should you prefer.

That’s the Canon EOS 1300D in a nutshell: an affordable replacement for the 1200D, which adds Wi-Fi and NFC to try and keep up with the onslaught of smart devices and simplistic sharing.

It will be available from April, priced £290 body-only, £330 with the basic 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DCIII kit lens, or £370 with the image-stabilised 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens. Not a bad shout for entry-level.

Google+ Create program will highlight experts in their field

Google+ has launched a new program called “Create” that puts makers, artists, influencers and experts in their field in front of a bigger audience. If you’ll recall, Mountain View redesigned its social network last year to focus on Communities and Collections. Communities are a place where people can share posts revolving around their interests, while Collections is a feature that collates a user’s posts that focus on a single topic.

The Create program seeks to find and promote the platform’s most active users who make their own content. Say, chefs who post their own recipes, photographers who share their own pictures, explorers who document their journeys or astrophysicists who can explain what gravitational waves are. Google product manager Daniel Raynaud told TechCrunch that they’re “looking for people who have both a passion for their subject, and also put great effort and craft into their posts.” He added that the G+ team’s goal is to “continually evolve the program to accommodate participants around the world, that represent varying interests and passions.”

Google will screen anyone interested in being a part of the program. Those who get approved will go though profile verification. Their collections will also be featured from time to time, and they’ll get to test upcoming G+ features before anyone else. If you’re interested in leveraging the platform to drum up interest in your craft, check out the current list of Create members to know what kind of users the program’s accepting.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Google+ Create

Canon’s EOS Rebel T6 DSLR is geared toward beginners

Only a few weeks after the announcement of its EOS 80D and G7 X Mark II, Canon’s now launching the EOS Rebel T6, a successor to the T5. This new camera (known as the EOS 1300D in Europe) joins the company’s current (and popular) line of entry-level and mid-tier DSLRs, like the T6s and T6i. The Rebel T6’s spec sheet is a moderate one: 18-megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor, Digic 4+ image processor, a high ISO of 12,800 and 3-fps continuous shooting. Video-wise, you can record 1080p videos at 24, 25 and 30 fps, or 720p at 50 and 60 fps.

Like many of Canon’s latest shooters, you’ll also find NFC and WiFi on the T6, which lets you share media wirelessly to the EOS Remote app for iOS and Android, as well as compatible Pixma printers. The fixed 3-inch LCD on the back sports a decent 920k-dot resolution, but nowadays every screen should have at least 1 million dots. As you might expect, the T5 successor feels similar to other EOS Rebel DSLRs, with a bulky, yet lightweight, body. These models are typically durable, so you don’t have to worry about being too careful with it.

While there aren’t any mind-blowing specifications here, the T6 will still likely appeal to many beginner photographers and videographers. If you’re interested in it, it’ll hit stores next month for $550/£370, in a bundle that includes an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens.

Apple’s Eddy Cue on FBI iPhone feud: ‘Where does it stop?’

Apple continues to make its case in the court of public opinion about its ongoing dispute with the FBI. In a Spanish interview with Univision, Senior VP Eddy Cue says that if the agency forces Apple to create software to unlock San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone, it would only benefit the bad guys. “If we make a key that opens all phones … terrorists, criminals and pirates would find it,” he says. Furthermore, Cue thinks that if its petition is successful, the FBI might make more sinister requests of Apple. “For example, one day they may want us to open your phone’s camera and microphone.”

As an example, Cue said that in New York City alone, there are more than 200 cases where law enforcement wants Apple to unlock iPhones, many unrelated to terrorism. “Where will this stop? In a divorce case? In an immigration case? In a tax case with the IRS?” During congressional hearings last month, FBI director James Comey admitted that a victory in the San Bernardino case could give the agency privileged access to encrypted devices — despite his earlier claims that it wasn’t trying to set a precedent.

Following the interview, Apple provided an English translation to Business Insider, showing how eager it is to counter the agency’s side of the story. And last week, Craig Federighi penned an op-ed in the Washington Post saying the FBI’s stance makes everyone less secure. That also parallels CEO Tim Cook’s early statement that “if the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone’s device to capture their data.”

Cue notes that the government itself has already lost employee and credit card data to hackers. “The only way we can protect ourselves is to make the phones more secure,” he says. He added that Apple is willing to go all the way to the Supreme Court to fight the FBI’s request, though he would prefer that Congress resolve it. “This is a very big case that’s about more than just terrorism,” he says. “To let the government have that much power is not a good thing.”

Via: Apple Insider

Source: Univision (Spanish)

YouTube Gaming app hits Canada and 3 more countries today

The YouTube Gaming mobile app is live in Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, for iOS and Android devices. The app launched in the US and UK last year, and YouTube promises it’ll hit “many more countries” soon. Plus, the Android app receives a few tweaks this fine morning: It’s now possible to pop-out the player so it’s visible over other apps, and it’s been upgraded to support 60fps playback, DVR mode and quality switching (much like the iOS and desktop players already do).

YouTube Gaming also gets an update on desktops today. First, the homepage is simplified and no longer has sidebars. There’s a new “Live” tab on the homepage that takes you to a lineup of top streams and games that are on the air, and new pages allow you to manage the games and channels you’re subscribed to.

YouTube Gaming went live in August 2015 and it’s since rolled out a sponsorship service that lets fans send money to their favorite streamers each month, and it supports mobile-game capture on Android for those who want to share their Neko Atsume skills with the world.

As live game streaming becomes more popular (and lucrative), sites like Twitch and YouTube Gaming are learning from each other’s experiments. YouTube had to focus on Gaming as a unique category among its hordes of other video offerings, while Twitch has been expanding its offerings since Amazon’s takeover in 2014.

Xerox adds instant translator feature to some of its printers

Look, we all know Xerox doesn’t make the most exciting products, but its new Easy Translator Service is pretty cool. So long as you have one of its ConnectKey-enabled multifunction printers, you don’t even have to type out the text you want to translate. Just scan the original document, and the machine will instantly print it out in the language you choose among the 40 available.

In case you don’t have a Xerox multifunction printer, you can use the translator’s iOS or Android (still pending approval) app instead. You simply have to take a photo of the document to receive a translated version in one minute. Or, you can access the service via its web portal, where you can upload a JPEG or a PDF (among other formats) file. You’ll most likely get typical machine-translated results — it uses a machine language AI from a company called “ABBYY Language Solutions” — but it sure sounds like a sweet time-saver, especially in the office.

Source: Xerox Easy Translator Service

Apple Watch ‘Lookout’ App Helps Users Find a Misplaced iPhone

Mobile security company Lookout released an app yesterday that alerts Apple Watch users if they are about to leave their iPhone behind.

The iOS and Apple Watch app uses the Bluetooth connection of an Apple Watch to keep tabs on a user’s iPhone location, so that if the wearer steps out of range of their phone, the app automatically buzzes their watch.

Lookout can also make an iPhone in silent mode emit a loud alarm or “scream” to help the owner find the device, even if it is out of Bluetooth range, by way of a local Wi-Fi connection.

If an iPhone has been misplaced but is within Bluetooth range, the user can consult Lookout’s distance meter display that shows how far away they are from the device. As they move around, the bar changes color to indicate if they’re getting “warmer” or “colder” in relation to the phone’s location.

If an iPhone has been left a greater distance away, the app displays a map showing the device’s last known location using its GPS signal (note that continuous use of this feature is likely to significantly impact iPhone battery life). The facility is similar to that found in Apple’s Find My iPhone app, although Apple has yet to release an app for Apple Watch from which to use the location service.

Lookout for iPhone is available for free on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Apple Watch apps
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Watch Patent Turns Device into Urgent Care Alert System

An Apple patent application that could turn the Apple Watch into a fully fledged medical device was published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday.

The application, titled “Care event detection and alerts”, envisions a hardware system with the ability to monitor the surrounding environment for events that would require assistance from medical professionals, police, fire rescue or other emergency services.

In one example, the device could be programmed to monitor a user’s heart for arrhythmia and send out an alert to a spouse or emergency responder in the event of detection.

As noted by AppleInsider, the Apple Watch is not specifically mentioned in the document, but the device would likely fit the requirements of the system’s goals, thanks to its advanced sensors and monitoring hardware.

In practice, a wearable and a host device could work in combination to detect a care event. For instance, an iPhone’s accelerometer might detect a sudden change in acceleration in tandem with a loss of heart rate detection on an Apple Watch, signaling a cardiac arrest.

When a care event is detected, an alert is sent out by the system to a “care list”, or predefined set of recipients established by the user or included in a device preset.

The patent application notes that fine tuning of the system would be necessary to prevent false alarms, and that building a hierarchy into the care list could allow for a staggered escalation of response. For example, a user’s spouse or family might be included in the first level for contacts for mid-severity crises, while the highest level could be saved for emergency responders in high-severity cases.

Prior to Apple unveiling the Apple Watch, reports indicated the device would come with 10 sensors to track health and fitness data. Many of these features were ultimately dropped by Apple because of inconsistency issues, leading some healthcare professionals to find the wearable disappointing in this regard. However, should it ever come to fruition, the system described in this latest patent could go some way to answering similar criticisms in the future.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, iWatch Rumors, watchOS 2
Tag: appleinsider.com
Discuss this article in our forums

Cree TW Series 40W Equivalent Candelabra LED review – CNET

The Good Cree’s TW Series Candelabra LED offersplenty of brightness and an uptick in color quality. At less than $7 per bulb, it’s one of the least expensive dimmable candelabra LEDs you can currently buy.

The Bad Though it can dim cleanly down to zero, which is good, the Cree bulb flickered very slightly on certain dimmer switches, which is less good. The build also feels a bit cheap.

The Bottom Line This is one of your better options in the candelabra LED category, but consider holding out with halogens or fluorescents until prices come down.

Cree’s 40W Equivalent Candelabra LED.

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

If you’re in the market for candelabra LEDs, the chances are good that you need more than one. Cree is banking on this fact and selling its own 40W equivalent candelabra LEDs in three-packs. By forcing you to buy more than one at a time, the cost per bulb goes down a little bit. At about $20 for the three-pack, you’ll be getting each bulb for less than $7.

That makes Cree’s bulb more affordable than almost all of the other candelabra LEDs that we tested, but it’s still a lot to pay. Consider that standard 60W replacement LEDs are now selling for less than $5, with payback periods (the amount of time it takes to recoup the upfront cost with energy savings) of less than a year. At $7, each of Cree’s 5W candelabra LEDs would take almost two years to pay for themselves — still good, but not as good as the payback period for a standard LED.

What’s more, Cree’s candelabra LED wasn’t as strong a performer as some of the other bulbs we tested — including the top-performing EcoSmart candelabra LED, which also costs about $7 per bulb. Though it offers plenty of brightness for a decorative chandelier light (356 lumens, per our spectrometer and integrating sphere setup), Cree’s bulb performed poorly in our heat tests, and flickered a little bit when we tried to dim it.