‘Assassin’s Creed’ movie trailer has fighting and Fassbending
We won’t have a new Assassin’s Creed game this year, but what we will have is a movie. And now we know just what it’ll look like when it hits theaters this December 21st, courtesy of a trailer that just debuted on the late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live. It looks appropriately stabby and features tons of the series’ hallmark moments: a massive cityscape shot from above, an abducted protagonist by way of Michael Fassbender, eagles flying around spires, a leap of faith off of a very tall building, and, of course lots of folks in hoods looking ready to kill assassinate folks during the Spanish Inquisition.
Kanye West’s “I Am a God” sets the tone for the clip pretty nicely, too. Based on this early look, it’ll be a shame if it doesn’t turn out better than gaming juggernaut Ubisoft’s other game-to-movie adaptation, 2010’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live (YouTube)
Jawbone UP3 review
Buy now from Amazon
The Jawbone UP3 is one of the most attractive fitness trackers on the market right now, even though it’s over a year old. It’s thin, lightweight, and looks more like a piece of jewelry than anything — something most other fitness trackers can’t say for themselves. But we all know looks aren’t everything, which is why we still want to review the UP3. It’s price is getting lower and lower every day, but can it survive in a world filled with entry-level, affordable activity trackers? Find out this, and more, in our Jawbone UP3 review.
Review notes: I’ve been using the Jawbone UP3 as my main fitness tracker for the past two weeks, though I’ve been using it intermittently for roughly three months. The Nexus 6P has been my smartphone companion of choice for the duration of this review.
Design
It’s not a stretch to say that the UP3 is a good-looking device. In my opinion it doesn’t come with any eyesores or anything that really makes it look like a fitness tracker. It’s comprised mostly of a premium rubber material that’s plenty durable and comfortable on the skin. The top of the device — the part that carries all the internals — is made of plastic. Our particular unit has a ridged pattern on the top, though other models with different textures are available, as well.
This is the most uncomfortable fitness tracker I’ve ever worn
Unfortunately that’s where the positives end for the UP3 in the design department. On the inside of the device you’ll notice five little gold spikes. These are the bioimpedance sensors that will keep track of your heart rate. The placement of these sensors is what makes the UP3 so uncomfortable to wear, though. They dig right into the skin and often leave marks, as you can see below. During the review period, I was constantly adjusting the placement of the tracker on my wrist in hopes to make it a little more comfortable. No matter if I was wearing it closer to my hand or further away from it, I just couldn’t find a comfortable position.
It would have been nice if Jawbone included an optical heart rate sensor, like you’d find on the Fitbit Charge HR or Blaze. We’ll talk more on this later, but I can’t help but think an optical HR monitor would make the device much more comfortable to wear everyday.
See also: Fitbit Charge HR review3
The awkward clasp mechanism Jawbone implemented here isn’t very good, either. No matter where I wore it on my wrist or how tight I was wearing it, I found the UP3 falling off multiple times per day. This is obviously not something you want to see on a fitness tracker, but unfortunately that’s the case here, at least with my unit. And most of the time I wouldn’t even be exercising and it would fall off. Whether I was wearing it at the grocery store, cleaning the apartment, going for a run or sleeping, I just couldn’t get this thing to stay on my wrist.
As you’ve probably already noticed, there’s also no display on the UP3. There are only three little LED-lit icons that tell you which mode you’re in. This means that if you want to see how many steps you’ve taken for the day, when your next alarm will go off, or anything else, you’ll need to fire up the UP app and wait for your tracker to sync.
Features and performance
The usual bevy of fitness tracking metrics are offered by the UP3. It will track your steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned and even your sleep. I compared the UP3’s fitness tracking results with my Fitbit Alta and Withings Activité Steel, and all three trackers seemed to give me similar results in terms of step, distance and calorie tracking.
See also: Fitbit Alta review2
Since there’s no display on the UP3, you won’t need to manually select a start workout now button when you plan to start your exercise. All of your workouts are recorded automatically in the UP app, which works most of the time. Oftentimes I’d find the UP3 would record my workouts to be a little shorter than they actually were. So if I went on a 40-minute run, for instance, the device would sometimes record it as a 34-minute workout or even less than that. You can always edit your workouts in the UP app after the fact, but that’s not really ideal.
On a positive note, the UP3 will remind you to move if you’re inactive for any time between 15 minutes and 2 hours. You can also set times where this feature is turned off, so it won’t annoy you when you’re trying to relax at the end of the day. This is a small feature, but one I found to be quite handy.
Sleep tracking is also present here, and it’s one of the tracker’s main features I didn’t have a ton of problems with. The UP3 can record your light sleep, deep sleep and awake times throughout the night, and I’ve found the results to be accurate. It also comes with a cool feature called Smart Alarm that will wake you up at just the right moment in your sleep cycle. Smart Alarm is also one of those little features I really loved about the UP3.
The sleep tracking feature isn’t helpful when the band falls off at night
This is unfortunately another area where that horrible clasp mechanism comes into play. Remember when I told you the UP3 would fall off at the grocery store and basically everywhere else? Yeah, that doesn’t get much better during sleep. A lot of the time I’d wake up and the UP3 would be lying next to me or unclasped but still on my wrist. Plus, since it’s so uncomfortable to wear because of those bioimpedance sensors, it was tough to forget I was wearing it when I went to bed.
Heart rate tracking on the UP3 is sort of a disappointment. Since it doesn’t come with an optical heart rate sensor, the bioimpedance contacts will only measure your resting heart rate and passive heart rate. This means it will collect your HR data throughout the day and store it within the app, but you won’t be able to manually choose when it records this data. So if you’re working out, just went for a long walk or are simply sitting around, you won’t get real-time HR stats, which is arguably what most people want out of a fitness tracker with a built-in heart rate sensor. That’s not to say resting heart rate data isn’t necessary or useful — it is, and very much so. Resting heart rate data will help you determine how factors such as caffeine, stress and more affect your heart each day. But when Jawbone originally claimed the UP3 was the “world’s most advanced fitness tracker”, I thought it would bring a little more to the table than what it currently offers.
All in all, the heart rate readings I was given were mostly accurate. It wasn’t too far off from what the Charge HR or Blaze would give me, and that seems to be the case with most other wrist-mounted fitness trackers out there.
The lack of proper waterproofing is a disappointment
We should also talk about what’s perhaps the most controversial part of the UP3: waterproofing. Well, lack thereof, actually. Jawbone delayed the launch of the UP3 for 6 full months because it couldn’t figure out how to waterproof the device properly. The UP3 eventually shipped out to consumers, but it was water-resistant, not waterproof. This means you can wear it in the rain and you don’t need to worry about sweat or getting it wet in the shower. You do, however, need to take it off before jumping in the pool or relaxing in the sauna.
One other no-so-bad part of the UP3 is its battery life. Jawbone says it will last 7 days on a single charge, and I’ve been able to achieve just that, if not more. It’s sort of a pain to charge the device, though. You don’t really have to plug the device into anything, per se, but you do have to sit it awkwardly on the induction USB charger just right otherwise it won’t charge.
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes – passive and resting heart rate, but not active heart rate |
| Splash-proof | Yes, but not water-proof |
| Sleep tracking | Yes |
| GPS | No |
| Power and battery | Battery life: up to 7 days 38 mAh lithium-ion battery |
| Sensors | Bluetooth 4.0 BLE Tri-axis accelerometer Bio-impedance: -Heart rate -Respiration -Galvanic Skin -Response (GSR) |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS, Windows Phone |
| Dimensions and weight | 220 mm x 12.2 mm x 3.0 mm-9.3 mm 29 g |
Software
Jawbone’s UP app isn’t necessarily the most intuitive thing out there, but it does a good job at displaying your most important information at the forefront. It not only gives you standard step, calorie and distance information, but also tips and tricks on how to achieve your next round of goals.
It also hooks up to a large number of other apps like MyFitnessPal, IFTTT, Runtastic, and even other devices like the Nest Thermostat and Withings Scale.
Gallery
Should you buy it?
Buy now from Amazon
No, you should not buy the Jawbone UP3. It’s not the best or cheapest fitness tracker on the market… not even close. It’s clasp is poorly designed, it isn’t comfortable, it’s not waterproof, and doesn’t have a display. So what does it do well? It can handle step and sleep tracking well enough (when it manages to stay on your wrist), and it looks good. You also don’t really need to worry about charging it too often. That isn’t a recipe for a successful product, though.
If you absolutely need a Jawbone device with similar functionality, you can always check out the UP2. It has a better clasp, it’s cheaper, and comes with all the same features aside from heart rate monitoring.
I was really looking forward to the Jawbone UP3. But even with it’s sub-$100 price point, I can’t recommend this product to anybody
Note: You may have noticed the Jawbone UP3’s overall score is much lower than what was determined by our standard rating system. Since the battery scored so well and brought up the end score, we decided to override the total score and bring it down to a number we saw fit.
Theranos loses its COO as it seeks to improve quality
What can Theranos do to restore confidence in its company and the suddenly-in-doubt finger prick blood tests it hoped would revolutionize the industry? It’s hard to say, but tonight it’s trying to turn things around by announcing some executive reshuffling. COO and president Sunny Balwani (who, along with CEO and founder Elizabeth Holmes is reportedly facing a ban from the blood testing industry) will retire.
At the same time, the company announced three new board members, including Dr. Fabrizio Bonanni, a former executive VP at Amgen, which it describes as the largest independent biotech company in the world. The other two board appointees include a former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a former Well Fargo CEO, and they both previously served on its board.
While the New York Times says much of the scrutiny centered around a lack of experienced lab professionals in management, Dr. Bonanni is going to “work in a special capacity with management as it builds on its operations and quality systems infrastructure.” Holmes told the NYT these moves are just about growing the company, but considering the regulatory pressure and criminal investigation it’s under this seems to be an unlikely coincidence. Most importantly, Holmes says Theranos plans to become more open about how its technology works through articles in peer-reviewed journals and presentations — that should be interesting to see.
Source: Theranos
FBI Director Expects Legal Battle Over Encryption to Continue
In a briefing with reporters, FBI director James Comey said that he expects litigation over the encryption of mobile devices to continue, as encryption is “essential tradecraft” of terrorist organizations like ISIS, reports Reuters.
Comey indicated that the debate involving both legal and privacy issues over whether the federal government can compel tech companies to unlock personal devices in the interest of national security is far from over in a briefing with reporters at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Since October, FBI experts have examined nearly 4,000 devices and have been unable to unlock around 500, according to Comey. He thinks none of these devices are the same model as San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s iPhone 5c, which means the method the FBI used to unlock that phone would not work on these other models.
The U.S. Justice Department dropped two lawsuits against Apple in the past couple of months. The first case was an attempt to order Apple to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, but the Justice Department dropped the case when it found a contractor that could unlock the device for under $1 million. The second case was a New York drug case, which was dropped when investigators unlocked the phone in question by hand.
Comey also confirmed reports that the identity of the contractors who unlocked the iPhone 5c is a closely-guarded secret within the FBI, saying that he had a “good sense” of the identity of the third-party contractor but was not aware of its identity. Finally, the FBI director mentioned that WhatsApp’s new end-to-end encryption was already “affecting the criminal work [of the FBI] in huge ways.”
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Tag: Apple-FBI
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The Dragie v2 Website Builder makes site creation as simple as dragging and dropping (80 per cent off)
There’s no end to the website-building programs available on the market, but most often, you get what you pay for on low-end services.
Dragie v2 Website Builder is a noteworthy alternative, however, offering a range of customizable tools for your websites with built-in, ready-made HTML sections. For a limited time on Pocket-lint Deals, you can pick up a lifetime subscription to Dragie v2 Website Builder for just £27.41 ($39).
Kick off your site-building adventure with confidence, choosing from over 16 production-ready and fully compatible Bootstrap themes, with 30+ elements and modules such as login forms, navigation bars and more. The in-built code editor allows you to customize your site with detail, breaking down each step along the way with live page editing so you can preview changes in real time. You’ll have full customization options in Text, CSS & JavaScript editors, and you can easily export your site in HTML to host wherever you like.
Check out the video below for live-action examples of the quick, intuitive steps involved in creating your own webpage.
Take 80 per cent off a lifetime subscription to Dragie v2 Website Builder, and get started on your dream site today.
French authorities investigate suicide broadcast via Periscope
In another intersection of internet livestreaming and tragedy, French police are investigating the suicide of a teenager that was apparently broadcast on Periscope. The New York Times reports that a 19 year-old woman threw herself in front of a train at the Égly station (25 miles south of Paris) Tuesday afternoon, at the end of five streaming sessions totaling nearly two hours. French paper Metro says she told viewers they would “see something” around 4PM. During the broadcasts, a viewer asked if she was going to kill herself, and she responded “No,” but also said nothing could make her get up in the morning. Prosecutor Éric Lallement said in a statement that she sent a text to a close friend, saying that her actions came as a result of evil, in the form of violence and rape, inflicted upon her by an ex-boyfriend.
Periscope, which is owned by Twitter, told Buzzfeed that the content had been reported and removed, although the prosecutor said his office is trying to obtain video of the incident from the company. Clips have been republished elsewhere, reportedly including segments where emergency workers are reaching the victim under the train. Its content policy does not explicitly mention self-harm or how to report suspected incidences, but says the service is “intended to be open and safe.”
Source: New York Times, USA Today, Metro News, Buzzfeed
Researchers are using silk cocoons to store blood samples
When doctors draw blood for analysis, it’s vital that the sample either be immediately examined or refrigerated. That’s because the proteins which indicate various diseases will either be destroyed by enzymes in the blood or deformed by ambient heat. Either way, the sample quickly becomes useless if you leave it sitting out. However a team of researchers from Tufts University have developed a new way to store samples without having to put them on ice by using silkworm cocoons.
The system works in a manner similar to conventional dried blood spot collection — wherein a drop of blood is deposited onto a piece of cardboard and allowed to dry. The Tufts method, however, relies on powdered silk and a separate silk-based solution. Mixing these two items with a sample of blood and allowing the result to dry preserved more viable blood proteins than both the normal drying or refrigeration methods.
The team published its findings in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday. The technology itself is still very much in its preliminary development stages and won’t be showing up in your doctor’s office in the foreseeable future.
Source: STAT News
How to restart your Fitbit fitness tracker
When it comes to solving problems, sometimes the best thing you can do is restart.
Ideally, you shouldn’t have to ever restart your Fitbit. Alas, we don’t live in a perfect world. Each model has different method to initiate a restart, and usually the process only takes a few minutes. The following problems could potentially be fixed by restarting your Fitbit:
- Your tracker won’t sync
- Your tracker doesn’t respond to button presses, taps, or swipes
- Your tracker won’t turn on even when it’s charged
- Your tracker isn’t tracking your activity
The great thing about restarting your Fitbit is it won’t delete any of your tracked activity. So you don’t need to be too worried about all the hard work you have put in to reach your goals.
However, it is important to note that if your tracker stores calls, texts, or calendar notifications those will be deleted during the restarting process.
- How to restart your Fitbit Zip
- How to restart your Fitbit One
- How to restart your Fitbit Flex
- How to restart your Fitbit Charge
- How to restart your Charge HR
- How to restart your Fitbit Alta
- How to restart your Fitbit Blaze
- How to restart your Fitbit Surge
How to restart your Fitbit Zip
Since the Zip has a removable battery the restart process is essentially a battery pull.
Open the door to the battery in the back using the battery door tool
Remove the battery
Wait 10 seconds
Put the battery back in with the “+” facing up and close the battery door.
Your Fitbit Zip will now restart and you should see the version number on the screen followed by a series of smiley faces.
How to restart your Fitbit One
Plug your charging cable into your computer
Plug your One into the charging cable
Press and hold down the tracker’s button for 10-12 seconds
Unplug your One from the charging cable
Press the tracker’s button.
Your Fitbit One should boot up in just a few seconds and be ready to track once again.
How to restart your Fitbit Flex
Plug your charging cable into your computer
Plug your Flex into the charging cable
Insert a paperclip into the small pinhole on the back of the charger.
Hold down the paperclip for 3-5 seconds
Unplug the Flex form the charging cable.
Your Flex should show some flashing LED lights for a couple seconds and then the restart will be complete.
How to restart your Fitbit Charge
Plug your charging cable into your computer
Plug your Charge into the charging cable
Press and hold the button for 10 to 12 seconds until you see the Fitbit icon and a version number on the screen
Let go of the button
Your Charge should be up and running again. You should probably go do the same slacker!
How to restart your Charge HR
Plug your charging cable into your computer
Plug your Charge into the charging cable
Press and hold the button for 10 to 12 seconds until you see the Fitbit icon and a version number on the screen
Let go of the button
Now, strap on that Charge HR and get that heart rate up!
How to restart your Fitbit Alta
Plug your charging cable into your computer
Plug your Alta into the charging cable
Press the button on the charging cable three times with a slight pause between each press but within 8 seconds. The button is on the end of the charging cable.
After you see the logo on the Alta’s screen you can unplug it from your charging cable.
Get that stylish band back on your wrist and start strutting your stuff!
How to restart your Fitbit Blaze
Press and hold the Back and Select buttons – the button on the left and bottom right – until you see the Fitbit logo on the Blaze’s screen.
Let go of the buttons
That should turn that dumbwatch back into a smartwatch!
How to restart your Fitbit Surge
Press and hold the Back and Select buttons – the button on the left and bottom right – until you see the Fitbit logo on the Blaze’s screen.
Let go of the buttons
When your screen turns off, wait 10 seconds and press the Home button to turn your Surge back on.
Take that GPS tracker for a run you track star!
LG 360 CAM has a BIG firmware update
If you’re one of the growing number of folks getting into 360-degree photography and you’re rocking an LG 360 CAM, know this: There’s a hefty firmware update awaiting you.
And this deserves separate mention here not because of what you get in the update — frankly, we don’t know; it just says something about “Android OS update,” which kinda doesn’t make much sense — but because you have to update the LGR105 (that’s its designator) differently than you will the other “Friends” in the LG G5 ecosystem.
So. Here’s what’s up.
You’ll need the LG Bridge app. It’s available for Mac and Windows (I happened to use Windows 10 this time around). Plug in your camera, head over to the “Software update” section, and let it do its thing. This actually isn’t a new update — dated April 25. But since there’s no on-phone update mechanism or anything, I hadn’t bothered to check.
The update took me about 25 minutes (most of that was in download time) and weight in at more than 400MB. That seems like a lot for a camera of this sort. Or not. Like I said — we don’t really know what’s new. But we do know that we’re now at software version R10510e.
Google reportedly working on Amazon Echo competitor dubbed ‘Chirp’
In an effort that would rival Amazon’s Echo, Google is reportedly working on a standalone device that would integrate the company’s “Okay, Google” voice search tech.
From Recode:
A product team at Google is working on a hardware device that would integrate Google’s search and voice assistant technology, akin to the Amazon Echo, Recode has learned.
Google’s device will resemble its OnHub wireless router, according to several sources. We don’t know if it has a name yet, but internally the project goes by “Chirp.”
The report goes on to mention that Chirp is unlikely to make an appearance at Google I/O 2016, but it will likely debut later this year. If true, the move wouldn’t be entirely unexpected. It would give Google a chance to expand the work it’s doing with voice search outside of the realm of Android, potentially allowing the search giant another avenue to collect data on consumer search trends.
AIVAnet 