The Octopus watch might make a responsible person out of your kid
I’m no parent, but I was sort of a lazy jerk as a child. While I eventually got my act together, I have to wonder if having something like the Octopus watch as a wee lad might have helped. Unlike other smartwatches for youngsters, which usually focus on keeping them connected or entertained, the Octopus was instead designed to build and reinforce good habits on a regular schedule.
Let’s say your tyke doesn’t brush his or her teeth every night before bed. You could use the Octopus companion app to add a toothbrushing task, prompting an icon to appear on the kid’s wearable at the same time every day. That iconography is crucial, by the way: JOY, the startup behind the watch, designed it so kids who can’t read yet can still glance at and understand the reminders their parents have set for them. When the task is complete, the child taps the watch’s single button to mark it complete, and they get a little celebratory animation. You know that strange sort of joy that comes with ticking a to-do off a list? That’s sort of what the team is trying to invoke here.
Even better, the watch is meant to grow with these kids too. 4 year-olds would probably just appreciate the watch’s colorful screen and bright bodies — not to mention the octopus-shaped nightlight/charger combo — but an 8 year-old might enjoy the level of self-sufficiency it offers. They’ve got their daily schedules, just like we adults, and accessing them by way of some cool hardware like their parents could foster a greater sense of self-sufficiency. After first struggling to manage a bunch of tiny cousins running around, my go-to strategy became treating them like tiny adults — so far it’s gone well because I’m recognizing their agency, and the watch operates on a similar concept.
The Octopus is also just a fun looking piece of kit. I couldn’t actually fit the diminutive band around by wrist, but it’s more than fine for kids under 9 or so. As you’d expect from a wearable that stands a better than average chance of being lost or destroyed, the JOY team didn’t go crazy with the components. The screen is colorful but low-res and the single button was a little tough to press on some of the team’s show floor demo models. On the flipside, though, it looks sort of like an Apple Watch… if Apple farmed the production process out to Fisher Price. The startup completed a Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, but with any luck, they’ll be hitting doorsteps soon — we’re told shipping is set to begin this March.
Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.
Uber starts offering ridesharing data to cities
Cities and taxi companies frequently portray Uber as a threat, but the ridesharing outfit is now promising to give something back. It’s launching a website, Uber Movement, that will offer some transportation data that cities can use to improve their transit systems. It’ll reveal the historical time it takes to travel between neighborhoods, helping local governments that want to understand how major events and road closures affect traffic.
The info stems from Boston, Manila, Sydney and Washington DC, but data from dozens of additional cities should be available soon.
It’s a sharp contrast with Uber’s usual hesitance to share information. When it does, it’s for publicity moves like its ill-fated ‘God View’ app. As the Washington Post points out, though, this isn’t necessarily a selfless gesture. To some extent, it’s about winning over cities that frequently try to ban or regulate Uber beyond what it’s willing to accept: don’t hold us back, we’re performing a valuable public service. The company is still embroiled in a fight with New York City over the urban hub’s demand for drop-off times and other details that could reveal excessive work hours, and this might draw attention away from the problem.
Still, Movement could be important. It’s rare that cities can get such a large, ready-made data set — let’s just hope that it’s the start of greater openness rather than a one-off move.
Source: Washington Post
BMW shows off what else you could be doing in a self-driving car
The world is overflowing with autonomous cars. That’s great because it breeds competition that will benefit everyone. The typical self-driving demo (while generally impressive), usually requires reporters to sit in the passenger seat while a safety engineer is behind the wheel. BMW on the other hand put me behind the wheel and let its prototype 5 Series tell me all about Las Vegas while barreling down the freeway.
The BMW Personal Co-Pilot prototype 5 Series is a small taste of the automaker’s long-term plans for the interior of its autonomous vehicles. Earlier in the week the company showed off its i Inside Future sculpture/concept that demonstrated how BMW drivers would spend time in their cars in the autonomous age. All I can say is it’s a glorious future full of leisure time and giant screens playing our favorite movies.
But before we get to start chilling in our cars reading Breakfast of Champions or watching Bob’s Burgers, I was able to get behind the wheel of the prototype 5 Series at CES and take it for a spin through Las Vegas. Once I navigated the city streets in manual mode and merged onto the freeway, I pressed the blue button that set the car to “autonomous mode” and took my hands off the wheel.
While the car mostly drove itself (it tracked a Series 7 during the drive and the company called it an “approximation of autonomous driving”), I filled my new found “free time” trying out BMW’s Connected Experience infotainment options. The company had Las Vegas landmarks geotagged along the route and I used the car’s gesture features to find out more when one popped up on the screen. I could either read the entry about Caesar’s Palace, or learn about the metal animal sculptures along the freeway or even have the car read the info to me.
The car was also outfitted with Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana. By just asking it about nearby restaurants, the voice from the Halo videogame found a gap in my busy CES schedule and recommend places to eat with availability for two, at 8pm. I picked a restaurant and it went ahead and made a reservation for me. If I did this on my own, I’d have to load my calendar to see when I was available, then launch Yelp or OpenTable to find a restaurant — something you could never do when driving of course (please don’t try).
Like autonomous driving, these types of features are still years away. But it’s good to see that when we are finally able to safely ignore the road, we’ll not only be able to take care of things like email and restaurant reservations, but we’ll also learn just a little bit more about the monuments and points of interest along the road.
Feminist Frequency shares the promising gaming trends of 2016
Since 2009, Feminist Frequency has been tracking harmful representations of women in gaming. During this year’s CES, Feminist Frequency’s Executive Director Anita Sarkeesian and Managing Editor Carolyn Petit joined us on the Engadget stage to discuss something a little different: some 2016 gaming trends that showed the industry is moving beyond typical stereotypes and tropes and starting to think more differently.
For starters, Petit and Sarkeesian shared thoughts about more empathetic and complex approaches to relationships with non-player characters like The Last Guardian’s Trico, confrontations of real-world structural racism in Watch Dogs 2 and the tricky interactions in a risqué indie game called One Night Stand. Although there are some promising trends here, and 2016 was “a huge improvement” when it came to representations of men of color in gaming, Sarkeesian and Petit say there’s still a ways to go before female protagonists start seeing equal playing time.
Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.
Waymo built a full sensor suite for its self-driving minivans
Last month, Google’s newly-renamed self-driving division Waymo unveiled its newest test model, the Chrysler Pacifica. Today, during the North American Auto Show’s Automobili-D conference, the CEO John Krafcik revealed that it built a full sensor suite expressly for its autonomous minivans. Not only did the company’s extensive R&D lead them to create entirely new LiDAR sensors, but also cut down the expense of individual sensors, which will likely drive down the cost of sensor setups across the autonomous driving industry.
This year’s CES had plenty of self-driving concepts from traditional automakers, but it also saw non-automotive tech companies start inserting themselves into the autonomous vehicle game, like Nvidia lending its self-driving computing setups to both Audi and Mercedes. But by focusing on in-house development instead of using lent tech, Waymo can more tightly integrate its sensor hardware, software and image recognition. The company also claims its network achieves better resolution and performance than the hardware they were previously using.
There are other benefits to dedicated internal tinkering, not least of which is their team’s experience looking beyond current sensor setups. While most autonomous vehicles rely on lone roof-mounted medium-range LiDAR, Waymo innovated new long- and short-range sensing units for their Pacifica minivans to make a more complete awareness window around the vehicles. And while initial R&D is always pricey, the company’s research efforts have slashed the cost of a single high-performance LiDAR by 90 percent from its initial $75,000 price tag when Waymo first started its self-driving development.
The first Pacificas equipped with the new in-house sensor suite will hit California and Arizona roads later this month, extending Waymo’s lead in self-driving distance driven. The company already has 2.5 million miles under its belt, and will hit 3 million in eight months, Krafcik said.
Source: TechCrunch
Dell S2718D Ultrathin Monitor Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The Dell 27 Ultrathin Monitor (S2718D).
Dan Ackerman/CNET
Why do desktop computer monitors have to be thick and ugly, while razor-thin TVs garner awards at CES every year?
The Dell S2718D is the answer. This is a monitor that’s probably thinner than your phone: Engadget reports that it’s just 6.9mm thick, as thin as an iPhone 6. (The iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 are a bit thicker.)
Not bad for a 27-inch, 2,560×1,440-pixel resolution screen with HDR support, no?
Dan Ackerman/CNET
More from CES 2017
- CES is finally open: Here’s what you missed
- Check out the smart home products at CES 2017 (so far)
- Razer’s new gaming laptop has three (!) screens
- Neon Museum is saving Las Vegas’ most beautiful tech
Did I mention it’s not just a monitor? The S2718D might also be a single-cable dock and charge station for your USB-C equipped laptop. If you’ve got one of the do-it-all ports, you can plug a single USB-C cable into your laptop and the monitor to get a screen, 45 watts of power, two full-size USB ports for your peripherals, and 3.5mm audio for speakers or headphones.
Mind you, it’s not necessarily a monitor for creative professionals who need picture perfection — Dell says it only covers 99 percent of the sRGB color spectrum, with no mention of Adobe RGB or more strenuous standards. The panel only refreshes at 60Hz, so it may not be the best pick for gamers. And while that 45W of power should be enough to charge a MacBook, it’s not enough for the new MacBook Pro line (which require 61W and up).
Dan Ackerman/CNET
Dell says it’ll go on sale in the US on March 23 for $700 (roughly £570 or AU$960).
Also see: Dell’s monster 8K-resolution monitor, also spotted at CES this year.
Chipolo Item Tracker Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The Chipolo Clip item tracker.
Josh Miller/CNET
I can’t go more than a few minutes without losing something. Whether it’s my wallet, phone, house keys or even sunglasses, I always seem to forget where I place them. I’m the perfect customer for an item tracker.
These small devices connect to your smartphone over Bluetooth and help you locate misplaced items. There are a variety of trackers to choose from that all have similar features, but most are designed to attach to your key ring or bag.
The Chipolo Plus.
Josh Miller/CNET
A company by the name of Chipolo, which claims to have the thinnest and loudest trackers on the market, has a different approach. The company offers three devices: the Plus, Clip and Sticker. All of them allow you to use a companion app to ping the tracker, which will emit a loud sound to help you find your items. You can also click on the tracker to ring your phone. Each tracker has a range of 60 feet (standard for Bluetooth), but also include a crowd GPS feature that uses other people’s trackers to locate your missing items when outside of Bluetooth range.
Each of Chipolo’s three trackers are slightly different in terms of design. The Plus model is primarily used for key rings and bags. It resembles similar devices from competitors TrackR and Tile, but Chipolo claims the Plus is the loudest tracker on the market. Meanwhile, the Clip, which Chipolo claims is the world’s thinnest Bluetooth tracker, is a little thicker than a credit card and is designed primarily for wallets. Then there’s the Sticker, which can be attached to the side of a camera or a pair of sunglasses.
The Chipolo Sticker.
Josh Miller/CNET
The downside with Chipolo’s trackers is the battery. The Plus and Wallet will last up to 12 months, but the battery isn’t user replaceable. You have to instead send the tracker back to Chipolo and then have the option to purchase a new one for half off. The Sticker will support a new wireless charging technology, called Wattup, from Energous.
The Chipolo Plus is available now for $25. The Clip is slated to arrive this spring for an undisclosed price, while the Sticker is expected to arrive towards the end of the year.
BACTrack’s new wearable told me how drunk I was at CES
At 7pm the exhibition center’s doors opened and hordes of journalists broke through the velvet rope line holding them at bay. They rushed down broad, carpeted hallways, deftly ignoring the staff’s pleas for calm and demands for proper identification. There was no time for pleasantries that night — it was a land rush, with limited table space and access to the precious few ethernet connections. Welcome to the Pepcom Digital Experience, where exhibitors and reporters alike jockey for the other’s attention in hopes of scooping their competition. It’s madness, enough to drive a man to drink. So that’s exactly what I did.
But where’s the fun in getting soused — on the clock and in front of my bosses, natch — unless I can keep score? That’s where BACTrack’s newest alcohol monitor, dubbed the Skyn, comes in. It continuously monitors the amount of ethanol molecules escaping through the skin and provides near real-time readings to its associated iOS app. So, rather than blow into a breathalyzer, as one would at their local DUI checkpoint, all you have to do is glance at your phone. The Skyn can also be integrated with the Apple Watch, replacing the normal band.
Now, this device doesn’t provide a BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) as conventional breathalyzers do. Instead, it measures a person’s Transdermal Alcohol Content (TAC) from the inside of their wrist. The company is still working on an algorithm that will convert the continuously-generated TAC into BAC, which estimates your level of inebriation for a given moment in time. Currently, the system only spits out a .csv file with the accumulated raw data so, for that night, I was left counting drinks and making my own inferences to compare against a breathalyzer test scheduled for the end of the evening.
The Skyn’s underside hides its fabric-covered sensor – Image Credit: Engadget AOL / Will Lipman
Since this was technically a work night, I decided to start off slow and slugged down a vodka and coke on the way over to the BACTrack table to pick up the Skyn. The company’s reps gave me a quick runthrough of its functions before pairing it to a iPad, strapping it to my wrist and sending me on my way. What’s nice about the Skyn is that you don’t necessarily need to keep it within Bluetooth range of your phone or tablet. It can store an evening’s worth of data onboard and download it to the mobile device later. In this case, the iPad stayed at the BACtrack table.
Over the next two hours, as I bobbed and weaved my way through crowds of technology gawkers, overzealous PR reps, booth babes and cocktail waiters, I developed something of a system. On my way from the press table to a given exhibitor’s booth I’d drink a cocktail, either a Kettle and Coke or one of the event’s themed martinis — both of which contained around 1.5 to 4 ounces of liquor. After visiting my target booth, I’d return to the press table and eat a single serving of hors’ d’oeuvres — either a toothpick’s worth of andouille sausage or a couple waffle fries.
By my count, I visited eight separate booths over the course of the night. That translates to eight cocktails, at least two full andouille sausages and 16 waffle fries. I did also sneak two glasses of unadulterated coke when I felt myself getting overly tipsy (hey, I gotta keep it professional, people) just to keep myself in check. When the event ended, I sauntered to the BACTrack booth to return the device and take my breathalyzer test. I had stopped drinking 20 minutes beforehand (as is required for breathalyzers) and wound up blowing a .06 — that’s lower than the .08 limit which would have earned me a DUI had I gotten behind the wheel of a car (seriously, don’t drink and drive), and half of the .12 that I had initially guessed I was.
Again, while the data output from the Skyn was simply raw measurements, rather than a more easily interpreted BAC, the data’s graph shows a steady progression of intoxication as well as spikes whenever I downed a drink. So this device clearly works, but whether it’s as accurate as conventional breathalyzer tests remains to be seen. The company plans to release the Skyn for sale at some point in 2017, so they’ve got a bit of time to get the system in proper working order. Hopefully my liver will have recovered by then.
Casio WSD-F20 hands-on: Android Wear 2.0 that can go anywhere
Casio is one of a few watchmakers sticking with Android Wear for the time being.
Casio’s second Android Wear watch is just as huge, feature-packed and ostentatious as the last, and it’s running Android Wear 2.0. It’s the not-so-smoothly named WSD-F20, a follow-up to the F10, and just as the brand name and a single glance at the watch would lead you to believe it’s a perfect match for those with an active lifestyle.
Just as before we’re looking at a huge, hulking watch that will dwarf most wrists and even put my lowly Gear S3 Frontier to shame. The new watch has a bigger bezel than its predecessor with some extra wording to accompany its bevy of screws, knobs and buttons. The 1.32-inch display honestly doesn’t look as great as others out there (plus, yes, there’s a “flat tire”), but then again this watch is built for strength.
The WSD-F20 can go more places than your wrist should.
The WSD-F20 didn’t feel particularly heavy considering its size — perhaps that’s just a weight distribution thing — but Casio has put a ton of stuff inside, including standalone GPS, a considerable battery and storage to download offline maps. With a MIL-STD 810G rating and water resistance up to 50 meters, along with this brawny case, the WSD-F20 is likely to survive most situations in which your wrist would ever be in.
Playing around with the build of Android Wear 2.0 loaded on the demos here at the show the software seemed quick and had some very aptly designed watch faces that complemented the thick size and bold black and orange color schemes. The side buttons can also be mapped to instantly launch favorite apps. There are built-in tools for tracking your speed while skiing or snowboarding, finding your depth while diving or elevation while hiking.
Though Casio didn’t officially unveil pricing at the show, representatives from Casio informed us the launch price was expected to be $449 when the watch goes on sale in late April.
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