Fisher-Price Smart Cycle preview: An indoor exercise bike for kids
Fisher-Price made a high-tech exercise bike for kids who like to game.
During this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Fisher-Price unveiled the Think and Learn Smart Cycle. It’s a miniature exercise bike with a tablet stand – and it’s meant for children ages three to six. (This an upgrade to the previous Smart Cycle, which requires a cable to hook up to the TV.) With “Smart Cycle”, kids can play apps while also getting in exercise – and they can do it all from the comfort of home.
- CES 2017: All the announcements that matter
We got a hands-on look at the new Smart Cycle, which is entirely wireless, at CES 2017, though it was far too small for us to actually try out. A bigger version was also on display at the show with an adult riding in order to properly demo how a child would use it. The idea is that kids basically pedal to play. The $150 bike comes with one free game, called Mission to Tech City, which you can download on a tablet.
The app features age-appropriate gameplay based on a curriculum of math, science, and social studies. Additional apps cost $5 each and include interactive experiences from Nickelodeon, such as a SpongeBob SquarePants app that aims to educate children about science and social studies. Parents can download the apps on Android or iOS and pair the bike to a tablet or a streaming TV device via Bluetooth.
First Impressions
During the demo, we saw how kids could pedal forward or backward and use the handle bar to steer. Also, the bike is adjustable, so it can grow alongside a child. If you’re looking to give your kid some guilt-free screen time, Fisher-Price thinks Smart Cycle is an ideal solution, though there will likely be plenty of parents out there who think kids should just put their tablets down and ride real bikes outside.
Still, Smart Cycle costs $149.99 and will be available from June 2017.
Amazon and online grocery services will soon accept food stamps
Thanks to a pilot program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, families who rely on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) to buy groceries will soon be able to use online services like Amazon and FreshDirect. When the two-year program goes live this summer, it has the potential to improve access to healthy food choices in communities that are often lacking in options.
“Online purchasing is a potential lifeline for SNAP participants living in urban neighborhoods and rural communities where access to healthy food choices can be limited,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to being able to bring the benefits of the online market to low-income Americans participating in SNAP.”
At launch, the pilot includes national retailers like Amazon, FreshDirect and Safeway, as well as regional chains like ShopRite, Hy-Vee, Hart’s Local Grocers and Dash’s Market. The program will be available to customers in both rural and urban areas in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington, but not all items will covered by food stamps. According to the release, the USDA will also evaluating whether local or national services work better for SNAP families and testing various payment methods in the process.
For Amazon, at least, the program also offers a chance to bounce back from last year’s report that the company was underserving certain zip codes in six major US cities. While services like AmazonFresh aren’t exactly cheap at $14.99 per month (and SNAP users will still have to cover any service or delivery fees), getting back those hours at the grocery store could make all the difference to a busy low-income family.
Via: Mashable
Source: USDA
Samsung ArtPC All-in-One Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Mixed in with Samsung’s new Chromebooks and some computer displays at the electronics giant’s CES 2017 booth was what appeared to be, well, just another big display. It was actually a full Windows PC.
The Samsung ArtPC all-in-one looks like a display — a 24-inch full HD LED touchscreen it turns out — attached to the front of a soundbar. The screen height can be adjusted, though, and the bundled wireless keyboard has curved keycaps.
The components are fairly basic, so this is definitely not meant to compete with a Surface Studio, for example. It should have enough power for basic home office or school tasks, but with that screen it could easily be a nice media center, too. Plus, it has a built-in battery, which means you can easily move it around your home. Well, at least as easily as any other computer attached to a 24-inch display.
Samsung ArtPC all-in-one looks like a screen…
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Here’s what’s inside:
- 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-7400T processor
- Intel HD Graphics 630
- 8 or 16GB of memory
- 1TB 5,400 rpm hard drive
- Headphone/mic combo, HDMI in, HDMI out, one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, SD card reader
Again, not a lot of power in here, but the HDMI input is handy, should you want to use this as a screen for an external device like a gaming system.
A Samsung representative said there are no current plans to actually sell the ArtPC all-in-one and no pricing was available.
Super 8 Camera Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
These days more and more films are shot on digital cameras. And while there is a passionate argument to be made for using either format, digital cameras are here to stay. But, Kodak has a clever solution that might please both film aficionados and digital enthusiasts. It’s called the Super 8 camera.
The Super 8 shoots 8mm film. You mail that film to Kodak and it’s developed, processed and scanned into digital files that are downloadable from the Kodak Darkroom website — you even get your developed film sent back.
Though the camera uses 8mm film cartridges, it also has a few modern conveniences to make shooting more enjoyable. There’s an LCD display that flips out camcorder style to help frame your shots. On the back are inputs and outputs for audio as well as an mini-HDMI port for adding an external monitor. There’s an SD card slot, which the Super 8 uses to record audio, and a built-in battery that is said to last through 12-15 film cartridges (each cartridge can capture about 2-3 minutes of footage).
The Super 8 comes with a wide angle lens and can use any C-mount lenses.
Patrick Holland/CNET
The Super 8 comes with a wide angle lens for its C-mount, but you can use any old C-mount lenses in your parent’s attic or on eBay. You can even use manual focus and aperture lenses from other mounts (like Nikon F-mount) via a third party adapter. The Super 8 can shoot 18, 24, 25 or 36 frames-per-second.
The camera has a top handle and a detachable pistol grip. Overall, the camera has a beautiful retro design and looks especially sharp in person.
The Super 8 will be available in two editions: a Limited edition in gray or a Standard edition in black or white. The Limited Edition Super 8 will cost $2,000 (which converts to £1,630 and AU$2,735) and will ship in spring 2017. There is no word on when the Standard Edition will be available or pricing.
All the cool new gadgets at CES 2017
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From Mars to Earth and the Moon, 127 million miles away
The pale blue dot we call home is back in the limelight again. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter grabbed a shot of Earth and our moon with its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) from a pretty staggering distance late last year. Now, it might look a little pixelated at first, but you need to understand the circumstances before casting judgment.
This photo was taken at a distance of 127 million miles last November 20th, according to NASA. That’s roughly 1.4 times the distance between Earth and our star. What’s more the photo is a composite of two pictures that were taken in an effort to calibrate the instrument.
“For presentation, the exposures were processed separately to optimize detail visible on both Earth and the moon,” NASA writes. Otherwise, the moon would be too dark to see in a single exposure. It’s important to note that this is a common technique for photographers of any type — basically, it’s an HDR photo.
The aeronautics agency says that the positioning between Earth and the moon is correct, as are the sizes, despite the compositing. What’s more, the distance between Gaia and our moon is about 30 times that of Earth’s diameter.
No, this image isn’t pin-sharp, but the shots HiRISE is grabbing of the Martian surface are. Especially when it can “resolve features as small as 3.3 feet” from its spot on the Orbiter, according to Space. Try doing that with Nikon’s P900 superzoom camera.
Via: Space
Source: NASA
Watch Hulu’s first trailer for its take on ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Ever since Hulu announced that it was adapting The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s been hard not to wonder: would it adequately capture the bleakness of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian classic, or do justice to the movie? You now have an inkling of how well it’ll work. Hulu has posted its first trailer for its Handmaid’s Tale series, and… it’s definitely not the feel-good hit of the year. The teaser shows Offred (Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss) grappling with the end of the United States and the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a harsh theocracy where women lose their rights and “handmaids” like Offred only serve as childbearers.
From what Hulu is showing, the series will be promising when it arrives on April 26th. It’s evocative, has a strong cast (other actors include Joseph Fiennes and Yvonne Strahovski) and doesn’t shy away from Atwood’s approach to speculative fiction as social commentary. Let’s just hope that the full program lives up to what’s shown here.
Via: Entertainment Weekly
Source: Hulu (YouTube)
VW’s I.D. Buzz concept is a self-driving, electric microbus
As Volkswagen works towards rebuilding itself as an EV automaker, one great way to avoid losing diehard fans is to clean up and refresh a few of those old classics that won them over in the first place. While the company has teased electric reincarnations of the iconic VW bus before, the company’s latest microbus concept, the I.D. Buzz, is the first to go all out with a fully autonomous driving mode.
Announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Sunday, the I.D. Buzz would be an impressive electric van on its own. According to VW, the Buzz gets an estimated 270 miles of range using two motors to power its 369-horsepower, all-wheel drive system. Using a lengthened version of its Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB), VW also made room inside for up to eight passengers and two luggage compartments — although seating layouts are modular as well.
For drivers, the Buzz borrows features like the augmented reality HUD and touch-sensitive steering wheel found in the I.D concept. The center console is also something VW is calling the “I.D. Box,” which serves as the control panel for the driver as well as a detachable Bluetooth sound system that can be used outside the vehicle. But the real fun comes with Volkswagen’s I.D. Pilot autonomous driving mode — when engaged, the steering wheel retracts, the front seats can be turned around 180 degrees and the I.D. Box actually slides towards the rear so the folks up front can join the party in the back.
“The overall concept of the I.D. BUZZ points the way to the future,” VW board member Dr. Frank Welsch said. “This concept vehicle is the world’s first electric multi-purpose vehicle to be equipped with a fully autonomous driving mode. It carries the feeling of freedom of the Microbus over to a completely new era of mobility.”
World premiere: #VW Group of America presents the new concept car I.D. BUZZ at the #NAIAS 2017. pic.twitter.com/aFaProS1G7
— Volkswagen News (@vwpress_en) January 8, 2017
While the idea of an autonomous VW bus might bring to mind a picture of a vehicle piloting itself to some idyllic surf spot along the California coast as the passengers kick back in a smoke-filled cabin, a compact-but-spacious vehicle could also play a key role in the on-demand ridesharing network Volkswagen aims to build.
Source: VW Newsroom
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