Philips Sonicare Flexcare Platinum Connected Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Smart toothbrush plus phone app with tooth-map: keeping track of where you brush.
Scott Stein/CNET
There are connected toothbrushes that track how long you brush. Philips Sonicare’s newest model also wants to build a 3D map of your mouth.
The Philips Sonicare Flexcare Platinum Connected toothbrush, announced today, is the company’s first adult brush with an app. And it has nearly as many features as its product name has letters. In addition to Bluetooth (of course), the brush adds accelerometer and gyros plus pressure sensors to know what direction and angle the brush is facing, and how hard you’re brushing. It shows this data and maps it against a 3D tooth map on an iPhone or Android app for real-time feedback as the brushing happens. I went to check out the brush, briefly, because I was curious. But I didn’t get to brush with it.
The brush and app can handle personalized dental hygiene regimens, according to Philips. Users can customize areas to target in the connected tooth-map phone app, which will also track habits over time. The brush senses which tooth you’re near, and advises accordingly in-app. A dental hygienist could go over the personal tooth-map with the patient and address the trouble areas, and the brush would incorporate that extra coaching in the daily guidance. Extra attention to one tooth, or maybe taking it easy on the rear ones that just got crowns.
Scott Stein/CNET
Besides location sensors, Philips’ connected brush has features of the existing top-end Sonicate brush, the Philips Sonicare Flexcare Platinum Sonic: pressure sensors with vibrating feedback, three brushing modes with different intensity levels, and a two-minute timer.
Away from a phone the toothbrush won’t handle the location-based brush guidance, but will do everything else and sync back to the phone app (it can last two weeks on a charge).
The brush costs $199.99 (equivalent to £138 UK, or AU$267), and is coming out later this summer. I didn’t get a chance to brush with one, but I watched a brief demo of how the brush recognizes location and position. I’m a pretty lax brusher, and I have no idea how my dentist would feel about this brush. Philips claims that people who have tested learned to brush better. Will it train me? I have no idea, but I’m curious. I’m just not sure I could put up with the hassle.
Move over Tesco, Amazon starts to deliver groceries daily in UK
Amazon has launched Amazon Fresh, its online groceries shopping service, in London.
Fresh food and supplies can be ordered in 69 central and east London postcodes, with Amazon Prime members able to get their weekly shop from the retailer.
There are over 130,000 products on offer, so the service is thought to rival the big, high street supermarkets directly.
Amazon has partnered with supermarket chain Morrisons, plus food and drink producers including Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Danone and Warburtons for the vast majority of the items on offer. It has also announced that it will offering local produces from independent shops and markets, including some small businesses in Borough Market.
Prices, says Amazon, will be set to match the big supermarkets in the UK.
Amazon
There is an additional fee of £6.99 a month for Amazon Fresh, on top of the existing Amazon Prime subscription at £79 a year. However, this includes unlimited Amazon Fresh deliveries seven days a week for orders over £40.
READ: Can I get Amazon Prime Now one-hour deliveries in my area?
One-hour delivery slots are available from 7am to 11pm every day of the week, including Sundays. Same-day delivery is also possible if an order is placed by 1pm. Same-day orders will be delivered after 5pm.
Amazon Fresh runs parallel to Amazon Pantry, which is a nationwide service. At present, only London is covered by the new service,
You can find out more and order your first shop at amazon.co.uk/fresh.
Flagship Moto Z devices to launch today at Lenovo Tech World
Lenovo will throw open the doors of Lenovo Tech World – its annual technology showcase – today, and top of the billing will be new devices from Motorola that promise to bring a big change.
Teasing its new smartphones, Lenovo invited us to “watch Moto transform mobile in a snap”.
With the Moto G announced in late May, it’s the turn of the Moto X replacement, believed to be called the Moto Z. As with the last generation of Moto X handsets, we’re expecting two new devices, the Moto Z Style and the Moto Z Play, with slightly different price points and configurations.
READ: Motorola Moto Z: Release date rumours and everything you need to know
However, returning to the “snap”, Lenovo’s Moto innovation looks to be coming in the form of modular accessories, called MotoMods. The idea is you’ll be able to attach a more advanced camera or speakers, for a seamlessly integrated experience.
With names like JBL and Hasselblad said to be involved, that could be an exciting proposition, presenting a challenge to the LG G5, which launched with modular accessories in March 2016.
Aside from launching the Moto Z, Lenovo will also be announcing the first Project Tango smartphone. This work with Google’s Project Tango a system designed to accurately scan 3D spaces, allowing you to augment reality in a simple way.
Full details of Lenovo’s new tech will be revealed later today.
READ: Lenovo Tech World 2016: Watch the Moto Z and Project Tango phone launch live
Twitter and TfL combine to alert you about Tube and train delays
A pilot scheme has been launched by both Twitter and Transport for London to notify travellers about severe delays to train and Tube services.
Customers can opt in to receive instant notifications when there are delays to services. That way they can find alternative routes before heading into the London Underground system or to train stations.
Followers of the London Overground, TfL Rail, Central Line or District Line Twitter accounts can have the notifications set-up so they are informed directly on their mobile phones whenever an incident has occurred. They can also be sent to a computer, free as charge.
To opt in, just head to tfl.goc.uk/twitter-alerts and select the lines that are relevant to you. Some of the lines and accounts are still to be activated, which will possibly happen once the pilot scheme has ended and is judged successful.
TfL is gathering feedback from customers throughout the summer to see if the scheme should be extended.
“Like every Londoner, I rely on public transport to get me around and this world-first service looks set to become an essential tool for millions of Tube passengers,” said Sadiq Khan, the recently-elected mayor of London.
“It is an innovative way of providing people with live updates from the Underground and contributes to my goal of making it as easy as possible to get around the capital.”
US intelligence wants real-time behavior monitoring software
A new initiative from the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence aims to create an intelligent surveillance system that can analyze live video and spot suspicious behavior in real time. According to Defense One, the research project is called Deep Intermodal Video Analytics (a.k.a. DIVA) and it will be a joint effort between academics, the private sector and ODNI’s Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency.
In an announcement, IARPA officials laid out the project’s goals: “The DIVA program will produce a common framework and software prototype for activity detection, person/object detection and recognition across a multicamera network,” IARPA officials wrote. “The impact will be the development of tools for forensic analysis, as well as real-time alerting for user-defined threat scenarios.” In other words: the system should be able to identify suspicious behavior in real-time.
One of the problems with existing systems is that they can identify individual people or objects, but not many of them at the same time, or the complex interactions between them. The DIVA system as it is proposed would be able to identify certain types of movements like a person carrying a firearm, two people exchanging an object, or someone walking up and abandoning a potentially dangerous object on the street.
The first phase of the project will implement those goals on normal, indoor and outdoor security camera footage. In phases two and three, however, the system would also have real-time access to video streams from handheld or body cameras and the ability to detect and track objects “across multiple overlapping and non-overlapping camera viewpoints.” Because a facial recognition system meant to scan packed crowds will require some heavy processing power, the proposed system would also create a cloud-based, scalable framework to add bandwidth on the fly.
While the system is meant to prevent a terrorist event like the Paris attacks or the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, Defense One points out that privacy laws in the U.S. and Europe differ and it is unclear if a system like this could have legally been deployed. Either way it is likely to alarm privacy advocates. According to John Waugaman, president of surveillance tech company Tygart Technology, however, the type of system IARPA is seeking for Phase One of the DIVA project is not very far off. “Easily within the next two years,” Waugaman told Defense One, “you’ll see pairing of facial and object recognition in operational use.”
Pebble pubs its activity-tracking algorithms and Happiness app
Pebble has a few health-related updates to share following the launch of its crowdfunding campaign for three new fitness-focused smartwatches. In particular, it has revealed how its first native fitness-tracking app works by publishing the algorithms behind it, launched a mood-tracking app and published the results of a sleep study. Nathaniel Stockham, a Stanford U Ph.D. student in Neuroscience and the person who developed the app’s algorithms, wrote about their details in a blog post. He explained that one of them detects and measures motion while the other counts steps and can distinguish if you’re walking or running.
According to Pebble, algorithms “are the missing piece in making wearables useful to developers and relevant to healthcare researchers,” but other manufacturers aren’t as forthcoming with their secrets. The company believes that making its own available to the public will allow third parties to expand upon its offerings.
The smartwatch-maker has also released a mood tracker called the Happiness app, which asks you how you’re feeling every hour you’re awake. It also asks you what you’re doing, what you’ve just done and who you’re with, so you can get a bigger picture of what affects your moods. Pebble Head of Data Susan Holcomb talked about her personal experience with the app in a post. She said it helped her see that her mood gets better when she interacts with other people. One tester found out he’s happiest after mealtimes, while another realized he’s not drinking enough water, thanks to the app’s questions. While it may sound like a hassle to answer random Q’s throughout the day, the app was designed to bug you only for a week. It will send you an email with your results after that week is over.
Finally, Pebble has published the results of a sleep study, where it confirmed that night owls tend to be more social than early birds. The company says its results can help you make informed decisions on how to spend your day, such as when to tackle work and challenging issues and when to spend time with loved ones.
Source: Kickstarter, Pebble (1), (2), (3)
Amazon Fresh grocery deliveries arrive in UK
After months of testing and logistical planning, Amazon has finally launched its Fresh grocery delivery service in the UK. The company confirmed today that it will offer deliveries to Prime customers in 69 postcodes across central and east London in its first expansion outside of the US.
Thanks to a partnership with Morrisons, Amazon provides around 130,000 products from brands and local suppliers for an extra £7 a month (following a free 30-day trial). That covers fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood and dairy products, as well as a range of household items. Amazon UK offers free same-day delivery for orders over £40, but anything under that will incur a £4 fee.
“We are launching with a comprehensive offer in a limited area and will take our time to hone and improve our service based on our learnings and feedback from our customers,” says Ajay Kavan, VP of Amazon Fresh. “We will be very methodical and considered in how we roll this service out further in the UK.”
Although Amazon Fresh has been available in the US for almost a decade, the UK offering differs slightly in that it utilises a monthly subscription model. American customers are asked to pay $299 before they can start getting fresh produce delivered to their door. Of course, Brits still need to have fork out £79 for a Prime subscription in the first place but Amazon believes it has the edge over the major UK supermarkets on price and availability.
Source: Amazon Fresh
RoBattle is a modular, autonomous combat robot
Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) new combat robot has a wide variety of applications. The machine called RoBattle can be used as an advance guard, as a decoy or for surveillance missions. Why? Because it uses a system that the manufacturer calls modular “robotic kit” made up of several components: vehicle control, navigation, RT mapping and autonomy, sensors and mission payloads. Since it has a modular design, the company can swap in parts depending on what a particular mission needs. For instance, it could either use wheels or tracks, and its payload could be anything from robotic arms and sensors/radars to remote-controlled weapons.
IAI is showing it off at the Eurosatory airland defense and security exhibition in France, which starts on June 13th. If you can’t make it there, don’t worry. The video below demonstrates some of the machine’s skills, particularly its ability to cross rough terrain and even climb over walls.
Via: Defense Update
Source: Israel Aerospace Industries
Twitter and TfL team up for instant Tube disruption alerts
From today, London’s Tube and train passengers can get travel alerts sent to their phone, thanks to a partnership between Transport for London (TfL) and Twitter. In what’s being described as a “world first” by the travel authority, the new service will notify travellers via a direct message if there are severe delays on their chosen line.
To get started, Londoners will need to opt-in to Travel Alerts via the TfL website, which is still undergoing testing. Currently, four Twitter accounts are live — Central Line, District Line, London Overground and TfL Rail — with more routes becoming “available soon.” Users can also set the times when they get alerts, like turning off commuter pings over the weekend (if they so choose).
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had this to say on the new integration: “Like every Londoner I rely on public transport to get me around and this world-first service looks set to become an essential tool for millions of Tube passengers. It is an innovative way of providing people with live updates from the Underground and contributes to my goal of making it as easy as possible to get around the capital.”
It’s not the first time Twitter has partnered with organisations to deliver real-time updates. The company lists various UK police and fire services on its Twitter Alerts page, as well as child-protection and weather agencies. It’s a great way to avoid Twitter’s out-of-order timelines and ensure commuters can navigate around potential issues.
Via: Evening Standard
Source: TfL Travel Alerts
Tesco Mobile will cut your bill if you agree to view ads
Smartphone contracts can be expensive, especially if you want a deal with a sizeable data allowance. To help you save money, Tesco is offering an unusual deal — put up with ads on your lock screen and in exchange, you’ll get £3 off your monthly bill. The offer is being handled by Unlockd, a startup that’s already partnered with Boost Mobile, a subsidiary of Sprint in the US, and Lebara, a network in Australia. You simply download the Android app, log in with your Tesco account and set some preferences. An ad will then be shown “every few times” you unlock your phone.
A price worth paying? We’ll let you be the judge. The ads, offers and other paid-for content will come from brands such as British Airways, McDonalds, Doritos and Branston. Unlockd has also partnered with Facebook to deliver “relevant and personal” Facebook ads, and the Sun for what it hopes are interesting news stories. Everything can be dismissed by tapping a small cross mark, or, if you’re taken by something, you can swipe through to see more information or hit a heart icon to save it for later.
Many will bristle at the notion of choosing to see more ads on their phone. The concept runs counter to other mobile networks, such as Three, which are looking to block mobile ads altogether. Here, of course, the proposition is a little different. Tesco and Unlockd are offering advertisers a prime position on people’s phones — one that would normally be impossible to reach. Whereas customers choose ad-blockers to improve their experience — usually for free — here they can degrade it (the occasional ad can be useful, of course) in order to receive some financial gain.
Source: Tesco Mobile Xtras
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