ICYMI: Wearable breast pump and everything IoT

Today on In Case You Missed It: The wearable breast pump that doesn’t need any external power or cords will be launching in the Spring to the tune of $429 and is likely to thrill every woman who’s ever had to express milk with one of the bulky contraptions of yore. Willow is selling it and providing a matching app that measures how much milk is produced from each breast as well. Metrics ftw!

Meanwhile a company called Prevent Biometrics showed its concussion tracking wearable for your teeth that lights up if too hard of a hit is given. And Craftsman’s Smart Lawn, a bluetooth connected mower and app, helps owners know when and how to perform maintenance, even ordering parts within the app. Parents might also want to know about the Fisher-Price Think and Learn SmartCycle, that connects toddler learning apps to a little person-sized stationary bike so folks can feel a little better about all the screen time.

As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Alexa offers voice-controlled takeout from Amazon Restaurants

At CES 2017, it’s pretty much “Alexa this” and “Alexa that” as Amazon’s voice assistant insinuates itself into cars, smartphones and refrigerators. Now the device works as a waiter of sorts, letting you place a takeout order from any of Amazon’s affiliated Restaurants. There are some limitations: You need to be an Amazon Prime member and you can’t order anything new — it’ll only let you reorder something you’ve already had.

In effect, you tell the bot what you want by saying “Alexa, order sushi from Amazon Restaurants.” It’ll pull up your history and suggest restaurants or cuisine types, then list off meals that you’ve ordered before. After you pick one, it’ll place the order and have it sent to your default address. Amazon was likely forced to do it that way to avoid making the process overly complicated, given that takeout orders are hard even for a human.

The service is available in a limited number of US cities, including Manhattan, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle (there’s no word on it coming to London, UK yet). If you’re in one of those cities, it should be easy to place an order — Alexa is in so many devices now that you might even have the service without knowing it.

Source: Amazon

These VR-enhanced exercise bikes are coming to an arcade near you

VirZOOM’s stationary, VR-friendly exercise bike is a little out there, but we (and our thighs) can confirm it’s a fun, seemingly effective way to squeeze in a workout. The best part of the experience is firing up the multiplayer mode and going head-to-head against other fitness buffs careening through a virtual forest on the back of a virtual pegasus, and it won’t be long until you can do just that in the comfort of your local arcade. That might sound like a strangely tech-savvy Spin class, but it’s actually a push to make so-called “vSports” a thing.

According to the startup, the initial batch of vSports centers include: eBash gaming center (IN), Game Haven (CT), Game Republik (TX), Game Tyrant (UT), LAN Mob Gaming Center (NY), Newton Gaming Center (MA), Novastar Gaming Center (KS), Section 9 Cyber Café (ND), Sphere Arcade (OH), UCI eSports Arena (CA), Virtual World Arcade (CA), VR Junkies (Orem/West Valley UT, NM, NY, MN), and Wyandotte Athletic Club (OH). Walk into any one of these places and you’ll be able to strap on an HTC Vive and take part in live, competitive multiplayer matches. Full-blown tournaments are in the works too, complete with prizes and at least a few on-lookers: VirZOOM users will apparently be able to spectate from their homes.

We got a taste of how these in-person competitions will work inside a swanky Las Vegas spa — imagine rows of stationary bikes hooked up to high-end gaming rigs, with optional displays showing others what you’re looking at. There’s no way I couldn’t investigate further, so I strapped a Vive onto my face to see how I stacked up against some of Engadget’s fiercest media competitors in series of three events: a straight bike race, the aforementioned pegasus flying and a good old-fashioned tank battle. Long story short: I walked away with shredded thighs instead of medals, but there’s a certain kind of thrill in knowing I got one decent workout in the middle of CES. Who knows — maybe that sort of ‘I had fun but did something good for me’ high could help vSports become more than just a buzzword.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Apple pulled New York Times’ news app from China’s App Store

China has imposed its will on Apple to remove anther app from The App Store. Except this time, it isn’t one of Cupertino’s own. The New York Times reports that its news apps were pulled from the Chinese App Store without warning in late December.

“We have been informed that the app is in violation of local regulations,” an Apple spokesperson told NYT. “As a result, the app must be taken down off the China App Store. When this situation changes, the App Store will once again offer the New York Times app for download in China.”

That statement doesn’t tell the whole story, though. Apple didn’t say which laws were being violated, who made the requests or if there were any legal orders for doing so — which makes appealing the decision a lot tougher. When I posed those questions, I got a response from Apple’s PR department that was extremely similar to the one NYT received.

Without any concrete reasoning, NYT is left guessing why Apple took the measures it did. One possible reason is that simply by doing its job as a news organization, that the publication violated aspects of the China’s Provisions on the Administration of Mobile Internet Application Information Services. That framework (translated) prohibits, among other things, the dissemination of “illegal information” and app providers from endangering national security and disrupting social order.

Also known as “things an independent news source does on a daily basis” when viewed by leaders of a Communist state without a free press. The publication says that folks who already have the app installed should still be able to use it, but new users will have to use another country’s App Store to download it.

Source: New York Times

Google sued by US government for not sharing employee salaries

The U.S Department of Labor is suing Google after the company declined to share employment data with the government. In its complaint, the department claims that Google refused to reveal employee salaries and benefits to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) during a routine anti-discrimination audit. The OFCCP is now seeking a court order to force the tech giant to comply.

With Google systems helping government departments, the company is technically a federal contractor. This means the tech firm legally has to share compliance data in order to prove it operates in accordance with equal employment laws. Google, however, claims that sharing such information is a breach of privacy and could “reveal confidential data”.

With the tech company claiming to have shared “hundreds of thousands” of other reports with the government, its reluctance to let the OFCCP see its employee’s salaries is surprising. However, Google’s record regarding employee diversity and equal opportunities isn’t exactly stellar.

A recent employment audit also revealed troubling information about tech company Palantir, which was accused of using an algorithm that discriminated against Asian applicants.

If Google continues to refuse to cooperate, the OFCCB has threatened to ask the court to cancel the company’s current government contracts and prevent it from signing any new ones.

Source: Reuters

Sennheiser Ambeo headphones record your surroundings for better audio

Binaural audio replicates the natural listening experience for a user. It captures the soundscape as it’s heard by the human ears. When played back, it creates an immersive audio experience that has been acknowledged as a significant component of virtual and mixed reality experiences. But, the technique hasn’t made a mark on everyday listening experiences yet. Movies, games and music are still widely experienced in stereo sound.

A year ago, at CES, Sennheiser unveiled a suite of 3D audio technologies, including an Ambeo VR mic and a proprietary algorithm that makes games and movies sound more realistic. This year, the company is expanding that offering to include a pair of binaural audio recording headphones to make 3D audio more accessible.

Traditionally, binaural audio has been captured with a dummy head, which has a microphone in each ear. Sennheiser is reportedly bringing the same recording capabilities to the Ambeo Smart Surround headphones through two in-ear microphones that capture the subtle differences in the sounds as they reach both ears. The 3D audio files can then be played back through an app on a smartphone.

The headphones have been designed to make binaural audio recording as easy as capturing videos on a phone. “Today’s consumers are accustomed to capturing incredibly realistic video, producing 4K and 360° videos,” Dr. Andreas Sennheiser, co-CEO of Sennheiser, says in a statement. “Yet as mainstream technology makes immersive visual experiences ever more accessible, the power and emotion of this footage is too often let down by the quality of sound that these devices can capture.” The company hopes that the AMBEO Smart Surround will change that. Sennheiser is positioning the headphones as recording devices that will pair natural soundscapes with videos recorded on a smartphone device.

Sennheiser’s new wireless headphones build on its popular HD 4 series

Sennheiser typically rolls out its latest headphone models on the show floor at CES every year and 2017 is no different. In addition to its first consumer Ambeo headphones that record your surroundings for better audio quality, the company has three more models it’s showing off for the first time. First, the HD 4.50BTNC and HD 4.40BT are wireless headphones that build on the company’s popular HD 4 series.

As the names suggest, the key difference between the two is the addition of NoiseGuard active noise cancellation on the 4.50BTNC. While Sennheiser isn’t talking pricing yet, we expect that extra feature means they will be slightly more expensive.

Both the HD 4.50BTNC and HD 4.40BT use Bluetooth 4.0 and AptX to ensure high-quality sound with the addition of NFC to make pairing a breeze. The two models will also keep the music going for up to 25 hours before needing to recharge. As you might expect, employing active noise cancellation cuts battery life to 18 hours on the HD 4.50BTNC. We will have some more detailed impressions when we get our hands on the headphones later this week.

Sennheiser’s popular Momentum line gains a new member with the wireless HD 1. The halo-style earbuds use Bluetooth 4.1, AAC and AptX and carry a similar look to previously released Momentum in-ear headphones. There’s a handy three-button remote on the neckband for controlling music and taking calls on the go. You can also expect 10 hours of battery life here and the HD 1 is expected to ship this month. Like the new HD headphones, Sennheiser isn’t talking price with the new Momentum device just yet.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Everlast and PIQ team up to bring data and AI to boxing

On the outside I’m a questionably healthy tech journalist. On the inside I’m a prizefighter … At least that’s what I like to tell myself. So obviously my curiosity was aroused when I heard that PIQ and Everlast had teamed up to combine two of my favorite things: data and boxing. The companies are preparing to unleash what they say is the first AI-powered wearable for combat sports.

The heart of the system is the PIQ Robot Blue, which is simply a cheaper version of the same sensor it uses in its other devices designed for tennis, golf and skiing. And that little “nano computer,” as PIQ insists on referring to it, is loaded to the gills with multiple accelerometers, a gyroscope and other bits for tracking your motions. To process all the raw data, PIQ has GAIA, an artificial intelligence that can learn to identify and quantify sports performance. By strapping the Robot to top fighters (which PIQ has access to through its partnership with Everlast), GAIA not only can learn how to identify a jab and an uppercut, but can tell the difference between a knockout blow and the sloppy swing of an amateur.

To demo the new wearable, PIQ and Everlast lured a few journalists from the chaos of the Las Vegas Convention Center and out to the Top Rank Gym, home to countless legends and current stars of the sweet science, including Manny Pacquiao and Muhammad Ali. For their CES press event they enlisted the help of up-and-comer Francisco “El Alacrán” Esparza Jr.

He strapped on the sensors and did a few minutes of intense mitt work to demonstrate how the Robot can measure punch speed, number of punches, impact (in g’s), intensity and total time. As he threw his punches, a display set up alongside the ring ticked off the type of punch and the speed of each one. The feedback wasn’t instantaneous, but it was close enough. PIQ then showed off how GAIA was able to identify traits like Esparza’s 19-g left uppercut and suggest he throw the punch more often to increase his chances of success.

The strap the sensor lives in is short, so it’s can’t serve as a primary hand wrap. Instead it’s meant to go over your hand wraps or even your gloves. The straps are also ambidextrous, so you can strap it on either hand without worrying about identifying left or right. Unfortunately, this is also a perfect excuse for PIQ and Everlast to try and milk every penny out of the product. Because, while the $99 price sounds surprisingly accessible, it only gets you one strap and one Robot. If you really want the full experience — you know, the pretty crucial ability to track punches with both hands — you’ll have to pony up roughly $200 for a pair.

Of course, the units also have some limitations. While they’re useful for serious athletes, both Everlast and PIQ were pretty clear that their partnership was geared toward those pursuing combat sports, not as a career but as exercise. The sensor and strap are only really supposed to be used for shadow boxing, heavy bag work, mitt work and light sparring — they were never meant to be worn in the ring during an actual bout.

The companion app offers plenty of data but, this being a consumer product, also has its fair share of social features. You can post workouts and other information to your social networks, but more interesting is the leader boards. Friends can compete against each other for hardest punch or longest workout, but they can also measure themselves against a global network of PIQ users, including pro boxers who have sponsorship deals with Everlast.

Sadly, there wasn’t much of an opportunity to test out the sensors for ourselves. We’ll have to wait until the Everlast- and PIQ-branded boxing sensors hit shelves, which should happen by early March.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

CES 2017: Clarion, JVC, and Kenwood Debut New Aftermarket CarPlay Systems

Clarion, JVC, and Kenwood have introduced new CarPlay systems at CES 2017 this week in Las Vegas, providing iPhone users with additional aftermarket options for adding Apple’s in-car software to their dashboards.

Clarion’s new flagship NX807 unit is a 7-inch HD touchscreen with tilt control. In addition to CarPlay, it is SiriusXM ready and features an HDMI input, dual USB ports, support for Pandora and Bluetooth music streaming and calling, embedded GPS navigation, RCA audio and video inputs, rear-view camera support, and more.

For audio aficionados, the NX807 has optical digital output that enables plug-and-play integration with Clarion’s Full Digital Sound processor. The unit also supports high-resolution 96kHz/24-bit FLAC audio and has a 15-band graphic equalizer with low-pass and high-pass filters and Dynamic Bass Enhancement.

Clarion said the NX807 will be available in early 2017 through retailers such as Amazon, Crutchfield, and Sonic Electronics. Pricing was not disclosed.

Kenwood’s new DMX7704S unit has a new clear resistive display panel with improved touch response and electronic viewing angle adjustment. In addition to CarPlay and Android Auto, it features dual USB ports, HD Radio, SiriusXM access, Pandora and Bluetooth music streaming and calling, rear-view camera support, and more.

The DMX7704S supports the High-Resolution Audio format and is able to play media encoded as 192kHz/24-bit WAV (Waveform Audio) or DSD (Direct Stream Digital) files. The receiver is also compatible with FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) and AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) files. It has a built-in 13-band equalizer.

Kenwood said the DMX7704S is scheduled to ship in February for a suggested price of $550. Sound of Tri-State appears to be accepting pre-orders now.

JVC will be introducing seven new multimedia receivers for 2017, including two with CarPlay and Android Auto support. A new KW-M730BT model, for example, will feature a 6.8-inch screen with a USB port and support for 192kHz/24-bit FLAC-encoded media. Pricing will start at $280, with first quarter availability.

None of the Clarion, JVC, or Kenwood models appear to support wireless CarPlay. iPhones must be connected to the systems with a Lightning to USB cable.

Related Roundup: CarPlay
Tags: Kenwood, JVC, CES 2017, Clarion
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CES 2017: Promise Technology Unveils New 2TB Apollo Cloud With Lower $199 Price Tag

Promise Technology today unveiled the latest version of its Apollo Cloud personal cloud storage device, which offers 2TB of storage for $199. The 2TB Apollo Cloud joins the original 4TB model which is priced at $249.

The Apollo Cloud is designed to combine the ease of use of the cloud with the security of local storage, making network-attached storage simple and accessible for anyone. The Apollo Cloud lets individuals, families, and small businesses share and access files from anywhere.

Content stored on Apollo Cloud can be accessed through dedicated iOS and Mac apps. Up to 10 users can use the Apollo Cloud, with each receiving personal storage and the ability to share files with others.

Apollo Cloud features AES-256 encryption to safeguard data, and it has been optimized for macOS Sierra and Time Machine backups. Apollo is hoping the new 2TB storage tier and entry-level pricing will make the Apollo Cloud available to an even broader range of users.

The 2TB Apollo Cloud will be available from Apple retail stores and the online Apple Store in February.

Tags: Promise Technology, Apollo, CES 2017
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