LG G Flex 3 slated to make modular appearance at IFA 2016
The LG G Flex 3 has been the source of very few rumours of late, with very little solid information. Now it appears that the G Flex 3 will make an appearance at IFA 2016 this September.
The curved LG G Flex 3 will, obviously, be the successor to the self-healing G Flex 2, which was unveiled in January 2015. Not only is the G Flex 3 likely to have the latest generation of self-healing but it should also be modular, like the LG G5.
According to reports from Phonespot the handset will come with a 5.5-inch QHD curved display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU back by 4BG or RAM and 32 or 64GB of storage plus microSD expansion.
The camera on the rear should be a 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel “Twin Camera” while the selfie snapper is expected to be an 8-megapixel unit.
At this early stage the details are few and far between and the sources can’t be verified so we’re taking this all with a pinch of salt. LG will be looking to find more hardware platforms that it can use its modular add-ons with, so making the G Flex 3 modular makes sense.
Expect more details to emerge as IFA approaches where we will be to bring you all the details from the event.
READ: LG G5 review: Modular misfire?
Best smart clothes: Wearables to improve your life
Smart clothes are the next step beyond wearables. Despite smart watches and activity trackers just beginning to become popular, smart clothing is already starting to appear.
So far there are already items of smart clothing available including t-shirts that measure biometrics and bras that adapt to support in certain situations. But there’s even more coming in the months ahead. Under Armour bought MapMyFitness, as an example of a clothing specialist moving into the biometric area.
We’ve gathered the best of smart clothes so you know what’s available, what’s coming and how clothes can enhance your health.
MyZone Sports Bra
A heart rate monitor built into a sports bra could be the ultimate simplicity in the path from sports clothes to smart clothes. The result should be a comfortable top that offers support as well as an ability to share heart rate data with a connected device. Coupled with the app this will train the wearer in their own heart rate zones, that adapt to fitness, creating a perfect push while still offering encouragement through success.
The MyZone Sports Bra can share data with a Bluetooth connected smartphone, smartwatches and even gym screens. That means it can be used pretty much anywhere. It’s made from quick drying fabric, comes in three sizes, red or black colours and costs £50. The heart rate monitor can be unclipped for charging after about seven months of use, as well as for washing of the bra.
MORE MyZone tracks fitness effort to make health inspiring again
Lumo Run
The Lumo name was first associated with wearables that help posture. Now that smart body tracking has been put into shorts and been supercharged.
The Lumo Run shorts are filled with sensors capable of tracking running metrics including cadence, bounce, ground contact time, braking, pelvic rotation and stride length. They’ll even offer realtime audio feedback via the app and your headphones.
The Lumo Run shorts are available for pre-order now from $99 for a 21 October release.
LikeAGlove
The LikeAGlove leggings intelligently measure a wearer’s shape so they can shop for the ideal sized clothes. Not only do the leggings find all the perfect measurements but they work, via Bluetooth, with the app to filter clothing options down to those that are available in the wearer’s size.
The idea is to make shopping for clothes easier by getting the correct size every time, something which isn’t always easy online when you can’t try items on in the shop first.
LikeAGlove leggings are available for pre-order now for £25 before 16 October. After that the normal retail price will be £35. They will begin shipping early in 2016.
Google Images
Athos
Athos is at the forefront of smart wearable clothing. The Athos shirt and shorts are tight fitting sensor filled garments capable of detecting heart rate, breathing rate and even muscle activity thanks to EMG sensors.
The Athos line features a small core which works with the sensors to deliver data via Bluetooth to your smartphone. This 20g gadget slips into a pocket on the top of shorts and lasts 10 hours on a charge. But it’s not just for sending information it also features a 6-axis accelerometer for measuring movement as you workout.
These types of clothing are going to be brilliant for muscle focused gym workouts where recording anything more than heart rate, which isn’t that helpful for weights, has previously been reserved for professional athletes.
The Athos Core is $199, shorts and shirts start at $99 each meaning a total of $298 which is about £190 from Athos.
Victoria’s Secret
Victoria’s Secret heart rate bra
Victoria’s Secret, the women’s lingerie specialist, has released a sports bra that is capable of measuring the wearer’s heart rate.
The Incredible bra features a chest placed heart rate monitor built-in. These chest placed monitors have been around for years, usually packaged with sports watches, and are now highly accurate. As a result the bra can be used to monitor during running, boxing and other high-impact workouts.
At its most basic level the sports bra is still high tech as it’s made from a Body-Wick fabric which keeps the wearer cool and dry during workouts. Clothing+ is the Finnish fabric maker behind both the materials and the sensor technology built-into the bra.
The Incredible by Victoria’s Secret Heart-Rate Monitor Compatible Sport Bra, as it’s called, will cost $75 which is about £48.
Google Images
Radiate
Radiate is brilliantly simple yet effective. Remember those shirts back in the day that would change colour with heat? This is effectively a more advanced version of those, meaning you can track muscle use.
The Radiate shirts are tight fitting and change colour as your muscles get hot. So if you were training in the gym you’d be able to see in your reflection where you’re working on your body. Yes we don’t like to encourage for parakeet gym buffs checking themselves out but this is a genuinely good idea.
The Radiate 2.0 shirt for men and the ones for women are both $60 for long sleeve and $50 for short.
Google Images
Ralph Lauren PoloTech Shirt
Luxury clothes brand Ralph Lauren has been developing smart clothing with sensor specialist OM Signal. The result is a shirt that can monitor the wearer’s heart rate thanks to bio-sensing silver wiring.
The shirt not only measures heart rate and breathing rate but actively offers feedback on your training via your phone or tablet. If you’re not pushing hard enough to stay in your desired heart rate zone it will tell you, audibly, to push more.
The sensors track calories burned, intensity of workout, heart rate, stress rate and more, says Ralph Lauren. The brain of the shirt sits on the side by the rib cage out of the way.
The PoloTech Shirt is available on the Ralph Lauren site now for $295.
Google Images
GO Utility Vest solar jacket
Charging on the go is a reality now thanks to the GO Utility Vest. Ok it looks a little ridiculous with big solar panels on each pocket. And yes at $580 it’s not cheap. But it represents the future of smart clothing. Plus if you’re out and about all day this will keep you warm and dry while charging your gadgets.
Imagine what the future will hold once solar panels become weavable, invisible solar panels can be stitched into any clothing. Then you can have the solar clothing without looking like you’re preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Pick one up on the site.
Hexoskin
Hexoskin
The Hexoskin smart shirt, made with Italian textiles, is able to track the wearer’s heart rate, breathing rate and volume, steps with cadence and calories and even sleep. It uses a small device that slips into a pouch on the shirt. It connects via Bluetooth to iOS and Android devices.
Hexoskin’s second generation now works with third party apps like Strava, RunKeeper and Endomondo. It’s also got an extended battery life that can last up to 30 hours.
The Hexoskin is available in short and long sleeved versions for men and women. The shirt with device and cable is available to buy now for $399 which is about £255.
University of Wollongong
Bionic Bra
The Bionic Bra is still in development at the University of Wollongong in Australia. But the end result will be a smart bra that can offer support when needed and loosen for comfort at other times.
The Bionic Bra is able to tighten and loosen automatically allowing it to offer more support or breath room to suit the wearer. The result should be consistent comfort with support during sport, like running. It sounds like the bra is either tight, offering support during sport, or loose when the wearer is out relaxing, meaning it can be worn constantly. We wonder how many girls actually leave their sweaty sports bras on after training though.
The technology is still in development so don’t expect to see this too soon.
Hot pants
Adidas, sponsoring the Team GB cyclists in 2012, came up with its heated trousers. These tailor made, battery powered trousers heat up in order to warm the legs of the athletes ahead of exercise.
Heated trouser, or “Hotpants” as they were dubbed, allowed muscles to reach an efficient 38 degress Celsius. This meant less time warming up so they could save their energy for the competition.
We doubt these particular trousers will make it onto the market for non-professional athletes anytime soon but something similar may arrive in smart clothes in the near future.
Apple MacBook 2016 may have built-in 4G LTE network connection
Apple’s WWDC is just around the corner and 2016 is due for a refreshed line of MacBook laptops, but this time it might be more than just a refresh. Apple could introduce independently network connected MacBooks with their own 4G.
A patent has been discovered, which was filed by Apple, showing a laptop with its own network connecting capabilities. While iPads and iPhones have the ability to use a SIM for network connection anywhere, MacBooks currently can’t. These need a Wi-Fi or wired connection to get online, something that seems old when you think about how often laptops need to be online.
Laptops with SIM capabilities already exist but this would be the first time Apple has gone down that route. Other rumours suggest the company is gong to unveil a new MacBook Pro line with big changes including an OLED touch bar instead of function keys.
If Apple does add SIM capabilities to its MacBooks it’s possible the data connection deals will allow for purchase through phone networks. That could mean paying monthly for a MacBook or even including deals with phone and laptop. But, of course, this is early days stuff as it’s just a patent so we’re not holding our breath.
Patently Apple
READ: Apple MacBook Pro 2016: Goodbye physical keys and hello OLED touch bar?
TripAdvisor is offering two free months of Google Play Music
Google Play Music is a solid service, but it’s a bit of an afterthought in the marketplace compared to bigger players like Spotify and Apple Music. And in a crowded market, Google’s likely looking for ways to muster up more interest and exposure for the service — but the partnership the company announcing is a bit of an odd one, no matter how you slice it. Google has partnered with Tripadvisor to put specific travel-focused stations inside the Tripadvisor Android app. Tapping one to start it up will drop you into the Google Play Music app and offer you two months of the premium service for free, provided you’ve never used it before.
The suggested stations show up when you’re viewing various pages for different cities around the globe. It doesn’t look like they were created custom for the TripAdvisor partnership but rather are existing stations that have been curated and linked to various cities. They’re built on the same Songza technology that Google has been using for its stations since late 2014. The connection to travel may be slightly dubious here, but Play Music’s activity- and mood-based stations remain one of the service’s best features, so exposing it to more potential users is a reasonably good idea.
Ultimately, the goal is to push users into giving the free trial a shot and eventually converting a subset of those into full paying members, but how successful it’ll be remains to be seen. Despite it being a somewhat odd and obscure partnership, two free months of a strong streaming music service is hard to pass up. If you haven’t tried Google Play Music, you can get this promo starting today through the TripAdvisor Android app.
Apple rehires security expert to keep its encryption strong
Reuters says Apple has rehired security expert Jon Callas, part of a continued overhaul of its security team. Callas originally worked for Apple both in the 90s as well as more recently, between 2009 and 2011, where he worked on Mac security. Apple’s device encryption has become a bigger issue since it refused to unlock an iPhone used by the San Bernardino gunmen earlier this year. (The FBI eventually unlocked the device with some third-party assistance.)
Callas had also co-founded several secure comms companies, including including PGP Corp, Silent Circle and Blackphone. A Senate committee is still debating legislation that could compel companies to help law enforcement agencies bypass their own encryption — something that Apple says would make its products more vulnerable to hacking.
Apple’s work on security doesn’t stop with this hire. As the WSJ reported a few months back, the company is also working on improving encryption in iCloud. It also recently grabbed Frederic Jacobs, the developer behind Signal, a secure chat app used by Edward Snowden, as an intern.
Source: Reuters
Scientists believe supermassive black holes had speedy births
Supermassive black holes found in the center of galaxies like the Milky Way might be super-huge, because they were born big in the first place. A team of astronomers from the Scuola Normale Superiore in Italy found evidence that these gigantic celestial objects thousands to millions of times larger than our sun came from a special type of black hole seeds. These seeds formed “directly from the collapse of giant gas clouds” and didn’t have to go through any intermediate steps, such as the explosion of a star.
While we still barely know anything about supermassive black holes at this point in time, scientists do have theories on how they formed. One suggests that they’re the result of several smaller black holes merging into one. Another theory says these supermassives gobble up more food (that is, gas and dirt) from their surroundings. However, scientists believe that some of the biggest black holes took form merely a billion years after the Big Bang, and both those processes would’ve been too slow to reach the mass they have. According to Andrea Ferrara, one of the study’s authors, their work suggests that supermassives “start big and grow at the normal rate, rather than starting small and growing at a very fast rate.”
The astronomers in this study pulled out and combined data from Hubble, Chandra X-ray Observatory and Spitzer Space Telescope to find potential supermassive black hole seeds. They found two strong contenders, but we’ll have to wait for quite some time for a follow up. They still need to gather more data, most likely from upcoming observatories such as the James Webb Space Telescope, for confirmation.
Source: NASA
Home Secretary submits to review of bulk surveillance powers
In an attempt to get the Labour Party on board with the Investigatory Powers Bill, Home Secretary Theresa May has committed to an independent review of the bulk powers it affords law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The controversial surveillance legislation is currently being debated in parliament, but it needs broad support if it’s ever going to make it into law. That’s not something Labour MP and Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham is willing to do without “significant improvement” to the bill.
In a letter to May last month, Burnham recommended some of the vaguer definitions in the bill be clarified, and criticised the relative ease at which many public authorities could justify using certain powers. He also called for an independent assessment of “bulk powers,” which allow security and intelligence agencies to collect data, intercept communications and hack equipment on a grand scale (rather than taking a more targeted approach). If you think of a specific dataset like a day’s browsing history as a water droplet, bulk powers are like turning on a tap.
These bulk powers have been a contentious point since the Investigatory Powers Bill was first drafted. Some members of the joint committee appointed to scrutinise the legislation early on questioned whether they were ever appropriate, or even legal. Subsequently, the Home Office published an operational case for bulk powers — a document that provides specific use cases for the powers to justify their inclusion.
As the BBC reports, it’s this operational case that will be examined by none other than David Anderson QC, a trusted independent reviewer of terrorism legislation. He will deliver his views sometime in the summer, when the bill is expected to have progressed from the House of Commons to be debated further in the House of Lords. No doubt Theresa May is hoping that only minor amendments are suggested, as the UK government would like the bill passed into law by the end of the year, when the emergency Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act expires.
Burnham has called the concession “extremely encouraging,” stating it was “the right thing to do and something which will build trust in this process.” It’s clear Theresa May has much more to do to win Labour over, however, with Burnham also saying:
“We do continue to have serious concerns about the bill as currently drafted. It does not yet contain sufficiently strong safeguards and human rights protections.”
Via: The Register
Source: BBC
‘Hohokum’ developers make a roguelike full of loot and cute
It’s been less than a year since Honeyslug, the trio behind games like Hohokum and Super Exploding Zoo disbanded to pursue solo projects. Today, we’re seeing one of the first such efforts, Loot Rascals, a roguelike strategy game.
Loot Rascals is the first title from Hollow Ponds, a new studio founded by Nikki and Ricky Haggett, both of who were on the Hohokum team, the latter as lead designer. Also working on the game are artists Swatpaz, an animator for Adventure Time, and Meowza, who worked on Alphabear and Road Not Taken.
Development pedigree established, what exactly is Loot Rascals? , The team describes it as a “roguelike strategy experience with collectible card game elements and a retro sci-fi aesthetic,” which is a mouthful but fairly easy to comprehend. In the game, you’ll be tasked with escaping a planet full of aliens, robots and monsters, all drawn in a cutesy yet mildly unsettling style.
You’ll mount your escape attempt by exploring your environment, collecting cards and fighting enemies. Each card does one of three things: offer a special ability, applies a buff or alter your life, attack or defence stat. You have limited space for cards in your inventory, so you’ll need to constantly be making decisions on what cards to keep or discard (tossing a card converts it into currency which you can use to replenish health or activate special abilities).
The entire game is turn-based — moving your character one square takes a turn, and foes move one square with each turn you take. If you’re adjacent to an enemy, a turn-based battle begins.
Because this is a roguelike, when you’re dead, all progress is lost, and you start again. As with many games in the genre, there’s a slight twist on the permadeath idea. When an enemy kills you, it keeps one of your cards. If another player then kills that enemy, they’ll get the option to keep the card or return it to you, its rightful owner. Depending on which option they choose, a hologram AI of your character will appear in the other player’s game and either aid them or attempt to kill them.
It’s early days for Loot Rascals, and we’re bound to hear a lot more about the game over the coming months. It’s currently scheduled for a release in early 2017 on PC and PlayStation 4.
Source: Hollow Ponds
Xiaomi’s Mi Drone is pretty affordable for what it does
We knew it was coming, so it’s not a total surprise. But, the very fact that Xiaomi — best known for its phones — is getting into the drone business is a bit of an eyebrow raiser. Today, the company revealed the Mi Drone, a 4K camera-wielding quadcopter that looks more than a little like DJI’s Phantom series. The two Chinese firms are now technically rivals, of course, as more and more companies decide they want a slice of the (apparently booming) quadcopter business. No one was expecting Xiaomi to reinvent the wheel, but there was a good chance it’d be competitive on price: 2,999 yuan (about $460), which is considerably cheaper than even DJI’s Phantom 3 4K. “We want everyone to be able to afford good products. That was why I set up Xiaomi in the first place,” CEO Lei Jun added.
The Mi Drone carries a ball-shaped 4K camera beneath it, that quadcopter-buffs might think looks similar to the built-in shooters found on Yuneec’s Typhoon series. To be specific, the camera uses a Sony 12.4-megapixel sensor that can capture video at up to 3,840 x 2,160 at 30 fps; and as you’d expect, it can take RAW photos. Its detachable gimbal does 3-axis stabilization which corrects itself 2,000 times per second, and this is assisted by an optical flow sensor positioned between the camera and the battery bay on the back. Indeed, the sample clip we saw during the livestream looked satisfactory (at one point, Lei said over 1.5 million viewers tuned in), so hopefully it’s just as good once the drone lands in consumers’ homes.
While the drone itself looks a bit too familiar, its controller comes with a cute appearance that somewhat assembles a bunny — the company’s mascot — from afar. Lei claims it’s nice to hold, and he also showed off the built-in smartphone clamp (it held his 6.44-inch Mi Max just fine), though using this will require flipping down the two antennas — these can keep the Mi Drone under control over a distance of 2km, while still maintaining a 720p video stream. The controller also has a dial on the left for tilting the camera, and there’s a shutter button on the other side. At the bottom side, there’s a flap that hides a micro-USB port for recharging the controller.
To make things easier for beginners, the controller has a dedicated button for take off and landing — just do a short press and then a long press to do either. There’s a switch for returning the drone home as well, though it’ll also automatically do so when its removable battery — which is good for up to 27 minutes — is running low or when it loses contact with the controller. Like many other modern drones, the Mi Drone is able to fly itself to a point of interest, follow a planned route, and circle around a point of interest while filming it. There was also a rumor that the Mi Drone might have a “follow me” feature that worked with the company’s super cheap Mi Band, but this turned out to be false.
All of this sounds pretty awesome for a $460 drone (propeller guards included, no less), but Xiaomi appears to be in no hurry, as its first-ever drone will only be entering an open beta towards the end of July. That said, there will also be a slightly cheaper 1080p 60 fps version that’s launching on Xiaomi’s very own crowdfunding platform tomorrow for 2,499 yuan (which is about $380), with another trade-off being its range is limited to just 1km, but that shouldn’t be a problem for casual users. Oh, and there’s going to be a 99 yuan (about $15) backpack designed to fit this drone, too. If the Mi Drone ever manages to leave China, we’ll let y’all know right away.
Additional reporting by James Trew.
Microsoft Lays Off Nokia Employees, Exits Consumer Phone Business
Microsoft has laid off hundreds of employees tied to its smartphone business, as the company finally exits the consumer phone market and attempts to streamline its worldwide mobile division (via The Verge).
The move will impact up to 1,850 jobs worldwide, said Microsoft’s head of Windows and devices Terry Myerson, while up to 1,350 of the positions will be in Finland. The cuts are expected to be completed by the year’s end.
The move signals the final nail in the coffin for Microsoft’s Nokia business, which the company acquired under former CEO Steve Ballmer’s management for $7.2 billion in 2014. Today’s announcement will see $950 million written off, adding to the $7.6 billion the company wrote off last year when it cut 7,800 jobs to refocus its Windows Phone plans.
Microsoft is now shorn of almost all of its 25,000 former Nokia employees, and will only retain a small number in R&D roles. Last week, the company announced it was selling off its feature phone business to FIH Mobile, a subsidiary of Foxconn, for $350 million.
All indications point to an end of Microsoft’s Lumia phones and a focus on a single Surface phone, with Myerson promising “great new devices” in an internal memo to employees, although he withheld any specific timeframe. The immediate focus for Microsoft and its new CEO, Satya Nadella, is more likely to remain on bringing the company’s software and services to iOS and Android devices, rather than risk another consumer phone failure anytime soon.
Microsoft has been scaling back its consumer phone ambitions ever since its ill-fated Nokia mobile acquisition two years ago. Nokia meanwhile has shown far loftier ambitions, last month announcing its acquisition of French health tracking company Withings for an estimated $192 million, as it seeks to expand into the consumer electronics market while maintaining its networking and commercial VR business.
Tags: Microsoft, Windows Phone, Nokia
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