ICYMI: The CGI car stand-in and smart pill dispenser

Today on In Case You Missed It: The Mill Blackbird is a vehicle chassis that car commercials can use as a stand-in, rather than getting to film with an actual new car. The Pillo is a smart medication dispenser that can recognize family members and automatically give their pill dosage. It’s up on Indiegogo now.

And we wanted you to see both the Converse sneakers made to play guitar with, and the autonomous light show that drums. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.

Wileyfox Spark, Spark X, Spark+ specs

Affordable new handsets powered by CyanogenOS.

British startup Wileyfox has taken the wraps off its latest handsets at an event in London this morning — the Wileyfox Spark series, which consists of three different variants.

The base model, selling for £89.99, features a 5-inch 720p screen, a quad-core MediaTek processor, an 8-megapixel camera, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. The Spark+ ups the storage to 16GB, RAM to 2GB and the camera to a 13-megapixel sensor, for £114.99. And at the upper end, the Spark X takes the internals of the Spark+ and adds a 5.5-inch 720p display, for £129.99.

You’ll find full details down below.

Wileyfox unleashes the Spark — new Cyanogen OS phones starting at £89

British startup Wileyfox grabbed a lot of attention last year with its competitively priced Storm and Swift, and the company is now announcing its third smartphone, the Spark. Set to be available SIM-free for £89.99, the Spark offers a 5-inch 720p display, 1GB of RAM, 8GB internal storage, a microSD slot, and Cyanogen OS 13.0 atop Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Other specs of the Spark include a MediaTek MT6735 SoC with a 1.3GHz quad-core CPU, 8MP cameras at the front and back, 4G and dual-SIM, and a 2200mAh battery. The phone comes in a Sandstone Black or White finish, and offers 2.5D curved glass at the front.

Wileyfox is also offering the Spark+, which bumps the internal storage to 16GB and RAM to 2GB, and the camera at the back to 13MP. Then there’s the Spark X, which offers a larger 5.5-inch 720p display and a 3000mAh battery, as well as 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage and a 13MP camera.

Pre-orders for the Spark series will kick off from later today on Wileyfox’s website and online retailers. Those pre-ordering from Amazon will receive a free protective case as well as free screen replacement insurance valid for one year.

The Spark retails for £89.99/€119.99, the Spark+ will set you back £114.99/€149.99, and the Spark X is debuting at £129.99/€169.99. The Spark will launch July 12, and will be joined by the Spark+ later next month. The Spark X will be hitting shelves early August.

Samsung is rolling out Android Marshmallow to Galaxy S5 Neo in Europe

Samsung has reportedly kicked off its Marshmallow rollout for the Galaxy S5 Neo in Europe. This latest release brings Android 6.0.1 to the handset, adding a bunch of new features and improvements to the overall experience. According to reports, the update build number is G903FXXU1BPD4.

You should receive the software release in due course, but if you’re rather impatient be sure to check for updates manually. Head to Settings, then About Device and hit the software update button to see if it’s available for your particular handset. Already rocking Marshmallow on your Galaxy S5 Neo? Let us know in the comments!

New TouchWiz UI shows off Galaxy Note 7’s likely software

The latest version of TouchWiz, currently in its beta form, suggests Samsung will introduce yet another visual refresh in its software when the Galaxy Note 7 launches. HDBlog published a video showing off the new beta software in an in-depth walkthrough.

While the software is undoubtedly still TouchWiz-esque in appearance there are plenty of positive changes in the latest beta version of Samsung’s custom UX. Overall, the entire experience seems a lot cleaner and more minimal, and there appears to be an emphasis from Sammy on making things much easier to find, which should mean getting to what you want more quickly. 

Perhaps the biggest change is the revamped settings menu which groups settings options together. That means the initial settings screen has far fewer things in it since multiple options have been better categorised and condensed in to sections. For instance, connectivity settings are all under the connections category. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, there’s a search option right at the top of the screen.

That search tool is something of a running theme in the beta. It’s also in the widget selection screen, to help you find specific app widgets, and it’s in the drop-down quick-settings screen.

On that note, it also appears as though Samsung is building more functionality in to the drop-down quick settings. Each of the quick-access toggles in that drop-down box seems to have more granular control within that interface too. Pressing and holding an individual toggle, or tapping the drop-down arrow shows you various customisation or settings options right on the screen, rather than take you to the settings menu. 

The change of most intrigue is shown when the video host swipes up on a home screen app icon. Although clearly not ready for prime time, there seems to be a function whereby users will get quick access to a specific function of that app right from the home screen just by swiping up from an icon. With it being beta, it gives developers time to build in these feature shortcuts in to their apps before the software is publicly launched. Whether that’s quickly navigating home from Google Maps or taking a selfie with Instagram. 

Although Samsung phones don’t have pressure-sensitive screens yet, this feature is very similar to the 3D Touch feature in iOS on the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. It could perhaps hint that future Galaxy phones will have a “Force Touch” display, like the Huawei P9 Plus and Mate S. While we’re not sure if the Note 7 will have a pressure-sensitive screen, rumours have circled suggesting the Galaxy S8 might do. 

With all of these changes and features in beta form now, and the software looking mostly finished, it would suggest a revamp is coming very soon to Samsung’s software. The very fact that we’re expecting a Galaxy Note 7 launch in August means this software is likely going to launch with the new handset. 

Wileyfox Spark, Spark+ and Spark X are three new British-designed budget smartphones

Wileyfox has just taken the wraps off its latest phones and – just like last year – its smartphone lineup is seeking to shake-up the budget end of the market. Unlike last year however, it opted to release three different versions of a single device family.

At its launch event in London this morning, Wileyfox showed off the Spark, Spark+ and Spark X.

The Spark is an all-plastic soft-touch device bearing the company’s fox logo on the back and the trademark orange trim on both the black and white models. Its shape is rounded to make it feel comfortable in hand, and the front 2.5D Dragontrail glass is curved at the edges to blend in to the rounded finish, making it look somewhat seamless.

As you would expect, the three models vary in specification and in price. All three run Cyanogen 13.0 OS, which is based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and thankfully support Android 6.0’s adoptable storage feature.

The base model, named the Spark, costs just £89.99 and features a five-inch 720p HD display. Other specs fit in line with its price point. It has just 8GB of built-in storage, 1GB of RAM and a quad-core MediaTek processor. The good news is that you can expand the storage with a microSD card, but only up to 32GB extra. What’s more, there’s a 2,200mAh battery that you can remove, and you’ll be able to buy spares if you need them.

As for cameras, we’re looking at an eight-megapixel sensor on both the front and rear of the phone.

If those specs seem a little on the low side, there is the Spark+ and Spark X too. The former of those is exactly the same as the Spark in size and screen resolution but has double the storage and RAM. It also has an upgraded 13-megapixel camera on the back and comes in a choice of colours, but costs £114.99 (£25 more).

As for the Spark X, the highest end model shares many of the Spark+’s specs, but is a bigger phone with a 5.5-inch 720p resolution display. It also has a bigger 3,000mAh battery and costs £129.99.

All three phones are available to pre-order direct from Wileyfox from today, with live orders kicking off on 12 July.

The Even headphones make you feel better about your poor hearing

The best headphones in the world don’t mean much if the listener’s hearing isn’t up to the task. A great pair of cans could offer clear, balanced sound that highlights every little nuance in a song, but that means very little when pitted against decades of hearing loss. This frustrating situation for headphone manufacturers and music makers alike has led to the creation of headsets that customize themselves to suit your unique audio needs. The Even earbuds, available today, are the latest entry in this market, with an advantage of costing just under $100 — comparable to many high-quality, non-personalized headsets.

While the Nura headphones I looked at last month used small microphones hidden inside their earbuds to “listen” to the shape of your ear, the team behind Even opted for a slightly old-fashioned approach: a hearing test, built right into the controls of the headset. Of course, the company doesn’t call it a hearing test; the EarPrint technology is merely building you a sound profile that will make audio from the headphones sound better to you. You’ll still need to go to a doctor to find out if your hearing is actually bad and whether you’ll need a hearing aid.

Even co-founder and CEO Danny Aronson admits there’s a stigma around the inability to hear well, though hearing loss is as common as bad eyesight. But we don’t feel embarrassed to wear glasses, at least not in the way many do when forced to wear a hearing aid. The Even isn’t going to solve that larger societal problem, but it does at least try to make things a little better for music listeners who might struggle to hear the details of their favorite tunes. And it does it in an extremely positive way, via an audio guide named ‘Sarah.’

Standard hearing exams are cold and clinical, leaving you isolated in a cone of silence until you can hear and react to the perfunctory tones. There’s no immediate feedback and I’ve always found waiting for each sound kind of stressful: When is the next tone coming? Is that it? Am I imagining I heard something? Maybe it’s already there and I can’t hear it at all? In contrast, once you start the EarPrint process by double-clicking the “get Even” button, Sarah is there every step of the way. “Hi,” she says. “This is really easy.” And it is: Five different pieces of music are played for each ear, and you click the button the moment you can hear anything. “Great,” Sarah will say, “you’ve really got the hang of this.” Even though I know it’s a pre-programmed response, I still feel really, really good.

All of this is built right into the Even, no app needed. The team at Even hasn’t dismissed the possibility of an application in the future, but with their first product they’re keeping things simple. Unfortunately, that means the headphones can only work for one user at a time, so if your friends borrow your set and go through the EarPrint process, you’ll have to go through it again once the headphones are returned to you. This isn’t that big of a deal, as it only takes two minutes and Even recommends you redo the EarPrint anyway every two months to ensure the best sound.

So what are the Even earbuds actually like? I’ve been wearing them at work the past two days and they’ve been rather crisp and well-balanced, about what you would expect from any pair of $99 headphones — and that’s without turning on the EarPrint technology. Even without the added bells and whistles the Even is a solid pair of earbuds with some nice practical touches built into their design. The left bud is white and the right one is black, so you always know which is which at a glance. And it uses a thick, braided cord that not only looks great but also makes it harder for them to tangle inside your pocket. The one downside to the braided cord is that it’s a bit scratchier than standard vinyl or rubber cords, with the noise traveling up to the earbuds when you move around a lot.

The controls on the cord are pretty standard: two volume buttons and a play/pause button, as well as a built-in mic so you can take calls. A little LED on the controls lets you know the Even’s status: A steady green light means EarPrint is active, blue indicates the setup process is underway and red means the battery is low. I’m discovering that right now as I try to listen to the Game of Thrones season six score. The Even just interrupted the music with a cheerful “bum bum” sound, but didn’t make it immediately clear that this meant the battery was dying. This is probably the biggest downside of the Even not having an app: It needs to be charged regularly. It also seems that you need to turn them on even if you’re not using EarPrint, so don’t bother trying to save battery by using them like a normal headset.

As standard headphones they’re great, but with the EarPrint technology… well, they’re not really much better. At least, it’s not as striking a difference as I experienced with the Nura. The music definitely seems louder, with certain parts more prominent as the Even lifts the frequencies I normally could not hear. How well that approach works varies by song: “Teardrop” by Massive Attack was almost completely changed, and the excellent instrumentation on “My Shot” from the Hamilton cast recording really shone. However, “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Swede just seemed louder without any additional depth, while Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up” was almost identical to me. I also can’t say that I necessarily liked the EarPrint-enhanced version of “Teardrop” that much; I like how soft and subtle some of the tones normally sound, even if that’s a byproduct of my crappy hearing and not how the song is supposed to be.

This isn’t to say that EarPrint is a wash; Aronson told me that most people often find themselves adjusting the volume in response to the enhanced audio because it no longer needs to be loud to be heard. Which in turn, is good for your ears in that it can prevent even further hearing loss. So it’s not just that the Even tries to make the most of what you have hearing-wise, it helps you hold onto it for a lot longer.

If you’d like to try out the EarPrint technology for yourself there’s a demo available on the Even site that approximates the testing process and results. If you like what you hear, or you just like the idea of a solid, good-looking pair of earbuds, you can snag a pair for yourself today for $99.