Party Bot decides who’s on the guest list, what music to play

While most people in the tech business only roll into Austin once a year for SXSW, a handful of companies choose to call the city home. Fjord (formerly known as Chaotic Moon) is one of them. So, when the festival sets up around them, it uses the week as an opportunity to show of some of its proof of concept (and usually fun) ideas.

Enter Party Bot: an app that uses AI in real time to make sure any gathering doesn’t get gatecrashed, and has the DJ well-informed on what to play (which is an improvement on a boring Spotify playlist for sure). Party Bot first needs to know what you look like. Peer into an app and move your face around a bit, and it’ll then be able to match your name to your face. You can complete your profile by telling it which types of music you prefer, or those that have you leaving the dance floor.

Once you’re behind the velvet rope and the Cristal is flowing, you can set up cameras/iPads around the party/club/whatever that will spot revelers in the crowd. Knowing who’s on the dance floor, and what music they prefer gives even the worst DJ a chance to ease up on the Taylor Swift, and go heavy on the Motörhead (if that’s what the audience wants). Other applications could be a simple way to grant access to VIP areas, or offer drinks promotions at the bar (or suggest maybe you’ve been at the bar a little too much).

That’s the theory of course. The reality is that Party Bot is just Fjord showing off what it can do. The app did get involved in the company’s own SXSW party, but we missed out on that (we were presumably at a better party, or one without a bot). Instead, we got to try it in a much more sober setting: a pop-trivia quiz in a hotel conference room. Party Bot recognized me, called me by my name, and then hit me with some simple questions. My challenge was to get enough right to win a T-shirt. We kinda cheated, as I didn’t know who first sang “Blue Suede Shoes.” (Hint: not Elvis.) But we got given a T-shirt anyway — and uninvited to all future parties, no doubt.

AirPods and Apple Watch Called ‘Underpriced’ to Bring New Users Into Apple Ecosystem

Apple is underpricing AirPods and the Apple Watch in an effort to bring new users into its ecosystem, according to Neil Cybart of Above Avalon. The analyst said this pricing strategy was “unimaginable” ten years ago, when Apple was often accused of pricing products artificially high, aka “Apple Tax.”

AirPods cost $159 in the United States, which Cybart said is “surprisingly low” compared to competing truly wireless headphones:

It is very difficult to find a pair of wireless headphones priced lower than AirPods. In the run-up to Apple unveiling AirPods this past September, the wireless headphone market consisted of the following players:

– Kanoa: $300
– Bragi Dash: $299
– Erato Apollo 7: $289
– Skybuds: $279
– Earin: $249
– Motorola VerveOnes+: $249
– Samsung Gear IconX: $199
– Bragi Headphone: $149

Cybart believes a strong case could have been made for Apple to price its AirPods at $249, or even $299, but by selling them for $159, he thinks Apple has “removed all available oxygen from the wireless headphone space” and forced competitors to cut pricing in an attempt to better compete.

Earin’s wireless headphones now start at $199, for example, while Motorola’s VerveOnes+ are on sale for $189.99. Even at those discounted prices, however, AirPods are still cheaper at $159.

AirPods are estimated to ship in six weeks on Apple’s online store, and it has been that way since the day after they launched in December.

Cybart said a similar pricing dynamic is found with the Apple Watch, which now starts at $269 for Series 1 models:

At $269, Apple Watch Series 1 is one of lowest-priced smartwatches worth buying in the marketplace. Attractive pricing was one key factor driving record Apple Watch sales this past holiday quarter. In fact, even the Apple Watch Series 2, at $349, is one of the lowest-priced smartwatches in its class:

– Fossil Fenix 5: $599
– Garmin Forerunner 630: $399
– Michael Kors Access: $350
– Samsung Gear S3: $349
– Fossil Q Founder: $275

Cybart believes the pricing of the Apple Watch demonstrates how Apple is looking to capture not only the premium segment of the wearables market, but rather the entire market. While an entry-level Apple Watch costs $269, for example, a ceramic Apple Watch Edition costs upwards of $1,249.

His research note theorizes that Apple could be more effective now at mass producing products at a lower cost, while offering price points that appeal to a wider variety of users. He even thinks that an Apple Watch for $199 is “inevitable,” although there might be less wiggle room for products such as iPads.

Overall, Cybart thinks Apple is in essence “redefining luxury” by offering lower prices while, at the same time, becoming more of a luxury brand. He expects it to be difficult for other consumer tech companies to compete with that strategy.

Of course, many Apple products are still unquestionably expensive. The latest 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $2,399, while an iPhone can cost upwards of $969. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is priced from $799, and a handful of Apple Watch models run over $1,000. All prices are based on U.S. dollars.

Full Article: The Curious State of Apple Product Pricing on Above Avalon

Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Tag: AirPods
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums

Sony patent could let you wirelessly charge your phone from another device

Why it matters to you

Sony’s latest patent application would let you charge your phone wirelessly from just about anywhere — albeit at your friends’ expense.

Keeping our devices charged up can be a real pain in the butt. If Sony gets its way, however, keeping all charged up could be a little bit easier. The company has applied for a patent that will allow you to wirelessly charge your phone straight from someone else’s phone.

The feature could be very useful. Sure, an ideal situation would be if you had access to a power outlet whenever you needed it, but the fact is we’ve all experienced being out and about and running out of battery. With Sony’s new tech, you could essentially just “steal” power from a friend who might have a slightly more charged up device than you.

More: Action cameras for $70? This unit uses old Sony tech to achieve a budget price

The patent filling itself was discovered by What Future, and the report notes that the tech may not be limited to phones. Instead, Sony could apply it to things like fridges, microwaves, TVs, computers, and really any kind of electronic device. The idea here is that all of you home devices could eventually become sources of wireless energy — so your phone will almost always be charging if you’re at home, without the need for wires.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen patents and patent fillings related to new wireless charging techniques. Even Apple joined the fray by filing a patent for an inductive wireless charging technology. The company is now rumored to be working with Energous, a wireless charging company that has built tech that can charge wirelessly from a distance — so if you’re at home, your device can be charging no matter where you are in the house.

There’s no question that the ultimate goal is for charging to be completely hassle free, and these companies all seem to be working toward that. Sony’s tech could be a piece in that puzzle — or it could just help you keep charged in an emergency, if it ever sees the light of day.

You can now use Amazon Alexa straight from the Amazon iPhone app

Why it matters to you

Are you a fan of Amazon’s Alexa but not interested in purchasing an Echo? This latest move by Amazon may interest you.

Are you a fan of Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant? Well, now you can use it through the Amazon app straight on your iPhone or iPad. Just press the microphone button, and Alexa will be summoned and ready to answer your questions.

You could use your voice to search the Amazon app before — but you didn’t have access to Alexa itself. Now, you can make use of Alexa’s full range of skills and responses to ask the app to play music, read books, and even control your smart-home devices. So far, Alexa is only available in the iOS version of the app — not the Android version just yet.

More: Microsoft, Amazon, Apple join Google in its fight with FBI over foreign emails

What this means is that you don’t necessarily have to buy an Amazon Echo to make use of Alexa if you don’t want to. Instead you can just open up the app. Alexa in the app will also continue getting better. Amazon continues to update the list of skills that Alexa can do, making it one of the most capable digital assistants out there.

As mentioned in a report from VentureBeat, changes to how Alexa works will still require the actual Alexa app rather than just the Amazon app.

The move makes sense for Amazon. The smartphone is becoming somewhat of a battleground for digital assistant makers. Apple obviously has its own Siri, and Google has the now-rolling-out Google Assistant — and more manufacturers are set to join the bunch. For example HTC has built its own assistant called HTC Sense Companion, and Samsung has long been rumored to be working on its own assistant called Bixby for the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. Amazon doesn’t want to be left out, and since its own smartphone attempt largely failed, it now has to convince users to download Alexa onto other phones.

Corsair targets PC gamers on a budget with its new compact mechanical keyboard

Why it matters to you

Corsair released an affordable solution for PC gamers on the go, packing high-quality Cherry MX switches and precise keystrokes.

Not to be outdone by Logitech’s new G Pro tenkeyless mechanical keyboard, Corsair introduced a competing model called the K63. But unlike the Logitech model that relies on in-house mechanical switches, Corsair’s new K63 uses Cherry MX Red switches for fast, accurate keystrokes. Corsair also tacked on media keys at the top so that PC gamers can deal with volume levels on the fly.

For the uninitiated, the use of Cherry MX switches is important because they are recognized as high-quality, long-lasting switches built for PC gamers. They are sold in different “colors” based on their overall design. For example, the Red switches require very little force to trigger the keystroke, and they’re lightweight as well so that the trip from rest to “actuation” is really quick.

More: Corsair announces plans to launch its first complete PC, the One

That’s important in a PC gaming keyboard. Another important aspect is backlighting, so that PC gamers have an easier time hunting down the correct key in an instant. In the case of Corsair’s new K63 mechanical keyboard, the company only offers red LED backlighting that is fully customizable for each key through the free Corsair Utility Engine (CUE) tool.

“CUE software also allows for near endless programmability, with every key individually reprogrammable with alternative commands, custom macros or dynamic lighting effects,” Corsair said on Thursday.

Here are the keyboard’s specs:

Dimensions:
14.37 x 6.73 x 1.61 inches
Weight:
2.46 pounds
Report rate:
Up to 1 millisecond
Cable type:
Tangle-free rubber
Included media keys:
Mute
Volume Up/Down
Stop
Previous
Play/Pause
Next
LED backlighting color:
Red only
Per-key lighting control:
Yes
Keycap font size:
Large
Compatible Software:
Corsair Utility Engine

The keyboard promises 100 percent anti-ghosting and full key rollover. The simplest way to explain anti-ghosting is that the metal contacts in a switch create “chatter” before they make the electrical connection that signals a keystroke. While this chatter only lasts milliseconds, this noise can be picked up by the keyboard’s processing chip as multiple presses, aka ghosting. Thus, Corsair’s new keyboard seemingly weeds through the chatter to grab the correct switch connection and send it over to the PC.

Because this is a tenkeyless keyboard, customers won’t see the number pad typically found to the right of the arrow keys. However, as previously stated, Corsair managed to cram media keys at the top of the unit, with the playback control buttons mounted on the left and the audio control buttons on the right. In the center, Corsair placed a Windows Key lock button and a lighting on/off button.

Although the specs state that the USB cord is made of tangle-free rubber, Corsair doesn’t describe the cord’s length. Images also show that the USB cable is permanently attached, which is unfortunate considering Corsair designed this keyboard for portability. By comparison, Logitech’s G Pro keyboard relies on a detachable USB cord so a short isn’t caused in the connection.

Corsair’s new K63 compact mechanical gaming keyboard can be purchased now for $80 by heading here or at participating online/offline retailers.

Montblanc Summit: Our first take

If luxury were measured by size, the $890 Montblanc Summit would be the most luxurious Android Wear smartwatch in the world.

Just when the world seemed to be losing interest in smartwatches, along comes a new luxury option from Montblanc, a German brand best known for its beautiful pens, leather goods, and a range of mechanical watches. It’s called the Montblanc Summit, and it’s going to cost you at least $890 if you want one on your wrist. That’s a lot of money for a smartwatch, especially when interest among regular people isn’t exactly high, so is it worth a look?

Made for (big-wristed) travelers

A hundred years ago, Montblanc identified a problem faced by many travelers at the time: fountain pens leaked in the pockets of well-to-do folk, so it made a fountain pen that didn’t leak. Since then, it has concentrated on seducing travelers with its products, and the Summit is no exception.

When we say the Montblanc Summit is for people with large wrists, we really mean it.

Strapped on the wrist of a jet-setter navigating airports, hotels, and cities, the Summit will be there to deliver notifications, fitness data, and handy travel tips and advice from a selection of partner apps. Google Assistant is onboard for voice control when your hands are full with boarding passes and Mont Blanc weekend bags.

It’s an evocative vision, and rest assured when you’re running through the airport lounge, everyone will notice the Summit on your wrist. Because it’s massive. The body measures 46mm, and on my wrist, the lugs extended over each side, so it refused to fit under the cuff of my shirt. Subtle it’s not, nor is it a watch for those of slender wrist.

Domed sapphire glass

For the Summit, Montblanc has taken inspiration from the design of its 1858 mechanical watch collection. The stainless steel watch comes in either a polished finish, black, a combination of both, or grade 5 titanium. Each has an IP68 water resistant rating. Look closely, and you’ll pick up on the design details taken from the 1858 watches, such as the satinated sides and horns, the polished section of bezel, and the flashy crown.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Pay particular attention to the sapphire glass over the top of the 1.4-inch, 400 x 400 pixel, AMOLED screen, which has a slight dome to it. It looks superb, way better than the flat screens seen on most other smartwatches, and is an eye-catching feature that gives the Summit a unique style. It was a challenge to develop, as maintaining touch sensitivity was tough but essential.

More: Our first take on the Huawei Watch 2

After trying the different models on, it was the combined black and polished stainless steel that appealed most when matched with the black leather strap. For sport use, Montblanc has made a special natural rubber strap, which actually looks and feels like soft fabric, but will stay comfortable when sweating it out in the gym. It comes in blue, green, and red, in an extraordinarily long length. We checked to see if it was simply a long version, but it’s not. The leather strap was also quite large, and even the tightest hole still saw the watch hang a little loosely. When we say the Montblanc Summit is for people with large wrists, we really mean it.

Technology inside

Unlike Tag Heuer’s Carrera Connected watch, which uses an Intel platform, the Summit has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 processor that’s specially engineered for wearable technology. It comes with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage space, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the usual array of sensors. It doesn’t have GPS or the ability to make calls, but there is a microphone for conversing with Google Assistant, which is part of the Android Wear 2.0 operating system. It was smooth and fast in our brief time using it.

Underneath the body is a heart rate monitor, which rather than lay flat, sits slightly proud. This is to ensure a better connection with the skin, and therefore a more accurate reading. The 350mAh battery will last a day and is charged on a plastic plinth that’s the least luxurious aspect of the Summit.

Montblanc has teamed up with Uber, Foursquare, and Runtastic for the Summit, and each has its app pre-installed on the watch. There are various Montblanc watch faces, all modeled after the 1858 collection, with working chronographs, lap timers, clever complications, and some stylistic touches like digital reflective surfaces that glint when you move the watch, to add some glamor.

Price and availability

The basic Montblanc Summit in stainless steel or black with a black leather strap costs $890, or $930 with the natural rubber or brown Italian leather strap. A limited edition alligator leather strap will also be made, and with it, the Summit will cost $980. Opt for the grade 5 titanium body, and the prices start at $980 and rise to $1,070 with the alligator leather strap. All the straps can be purchased separately, starting at $100 for the black leather version, up to $250 for the alligator leather strap.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

For the fabulously wealthy, Montblanc offers a personalization service, where you can design your own dial for the Summit, working directly with the designers. The price for this exclusive service? A mere 15,000 euros, or about $16,100.

More: Samsung Gear S3 review

For the first two weeks of release, which is set for May, the Montblanc Summit will be exclusively available through online retailer Mr. Porter, after which it will reach Montblanc stores and partners in the U.S. and Europe.

Go big, or go home

There’s no doubt Montblanc is going all-in with the Summit, completely embracing the smartwatch, and giving its fans a version of which they will be proud. Outside of partnerships with Qualcomm and Google, the company went out and sourced the best components it could find for the Summit, then used Swiss expertise for the design, construction, and unique elements such as the natural rubber strap and domed screen. It considers the result the best smartwatch it could make, and one that shouldn’t be seen as a trendy fad, but as a genuine alternative to its mechanical watches, which fits in with the firm’s ethos.

The 350mAh battery will last a day and is charged on a plastic plinth.

That’s all fine if you’re a Montblanc devotee with enough disposable cash that spending nearly $900 on a smartwatch doesn’t warrant a second thought. For the rest of us, it’s a considerably more difficult decision. The Summit is technically the same as a $300 Fossil Q Marshal, and technically inferior to the new Huawei Watch 2 that may cost around $400; so if the specs matter to you, it’s unlikely to tick all the boxes.

Perhaps this could be forgiven if the Summit was utterly gorgeous, and we couldn’t take our eyes off it for more than a second. Sadly, although we like individual parts of it, the Summit didn’t grab us exactly that way. Sure, we couldn’t stop looking, but the only reason is because, at this size, it’s impossible to miss.

Highs

• Gorgeous domed sapphire glass
• Unique individual elements add style
• Water resistant
• Attractive watch faces and straps

Lows

• Expensive
• Massive
• Charging plinth looks cheap

Report: iOS and Android continue to push out Windows Phone and others

Why it matters to you

Apple and Google are pushing out all other smartphone operating systems — so you may soon have to switch to them if you haven’t already.

The Apple iPhone has a long way to go before it’s the most popular phone around the world, but if these latest reports are anything to go by, the phone is gaining in popularity in some pretty key markets — like, for example, urban parts of China.

According to a report from Kantar Worldpanel, the iPhone 7 was the top-selling phone in the first quarter of the year in most of the regions that the agency tracks, including the United States, Europe, and more. In the top five European markets, Apple climbed up a nice 2.4 percent in market share, now sitting at 22.7 percent of the market — a market that also has many much less expensive phones on offer. Android also posted a pretty hefty market share increase in almost all markets except the U.S., showing that more and more people are adopting the smartphone.

More: 25 major problems with the iPhone 6, and what to do about them

The report focuses on in interesting point: Android and iOS are growing in market share, and as such are pushing out other operating systems, like Windows Phone. In many markets Windows Phone has less than a 1 percent market share, and in the U.S. the operating system sits at 1.3 percent market share — down from the 2.6 percent market share it had at the start of 2016.

One of the most popular markets for Apple is actually Australia — and in the country Apple sits at a hefty 42.4 percent market share, which is slightly higher than its market share in the U.S. Neither of those two countries are Apple’s best market, though. That prize is reserved for Japan, where Apple holds a whopping 49.5 percent of the market.

When it comes to China, Apple’s market share fell by 8.4 percent, according to the report. That figure, however, includes a large number of phones being sold in more rural areas, where many users are buying phones for the first time. That said, in “urban China,” which refers to China’s major cities, the iPhone 7 continued to be the top-selling smartphone.

The report continues on to talk about two “reborn” smartphone brands in Nokia and BlackBerry — but it notes that while those two companies made a splash in the market due to their retro styling, “no other ecosystem is challenging the two giants — iOS and Android.”

Then there’s the money aspect, and Apple is no slouch in that area either — in fact, the company collects the majority of profits in the market, and the report notes that it collected as much as 5.4 times the profits of Samsung.

Google Assistant won’t be compatible with your Android tablet any time soon

The company has no plans to push its Assistant capabilities to tablets.

Sad news, Android tablet users. Not only are Android tablets sort of scarce these days, but Google doesn’t appear to be committed to equipping them with Assistant, either.

Android Police noticed that in last month’s blog post, Google avoided mentioning that any Android tablets would be seeing the update that enables Assistant on Android 6.0 and above. When the site’s editors reached out to Google, they received the following response:

The Assistant will be available on Android Marshmallow and Nougat phones with Google Play Services, this does not include tablets.

It’s certainly a bummer that we won’t officially see Assistant on Android tablets, especially considering that some tablets tend to be considered the household computer. Wouldn’t it be great to set up Assistant so that anyone who plops down on the couch can summon a Netflix binge on the living room Chromecast? (If you’re especially desperate for this to happen, you can root your device and try this XDA Developers trick.)

For now, there is no word whether Google will ever bring Assistant to Android-powered tablets.

Google Hardware

• Google Wifi review
• Google Home review
• Everything you need to know about the Chromecast Ultra
• Chromecast vs Chromecast Ultra: Which should you buy?

Google Wifi:

Google
Amazon

Google Home:

Google
Best Buy

Chromecast Ultra:

Google
Best Buy

LG G6 coming to Sprint on April 7 for $708

Sprint is also throwing in a free 49-inch television and Google Home.

Last, but not least, Sprint has finally released details on its part in the LG G6 launch. The shiny metal-and-glass smartphone will debut on April 7 at Sprint stores and online for $708.

Sprint is using the G6 launch as a way to herald its network’s High Performance User Equipment (HPUE) abilities. What does that mean? To you, dear user, it doesn’t mean too much. For the most part, LG is part of a broad range of manufacturers have signed on to this particular 2.5GHz standard, which makes it easier for devices like the G6 to latch on to cell towers.

The G6 also comes equipped with other you-facing features, including Google Assistant, wide-angle cameras, and few gimmicks. If you’re looking to jump into a monthly payment plan, Sprint will offer the G6 for $29.50 a month for 24 months. Sprint is also throwing in a free 49-inch LG television, as well as honoring the promotion for Google Home. Interestingly, Sprint’s free Google Home offering extends through May 11, compared to LG’s original end date of April 30.

See at Sprint

LG G6

• LG G6 review!
• LG G6 specs
• LG G6 vs. Google Pixel: The two best cameras right now
• Everything you need to know about the G6’s cameras
• LG forums

B&H

Samsung Galaxy S8 will use facial recognition for mobile payments

It’s straight out of a science fiction novel.

The rumor of the Samsung Galaxy S8’s facial recognition abilities is becoming stronger with each passing day. Bloomberg is reporting that the South Korean smartphone maker’s next smartphone will use that particular ability for securing mobile payments.

Here’s a snippet of the report:

Samsung Electronics Co.’s new Galaxy S8 will employ facial-recognition technology for mobile payments within months of release, adding cutting-edge security to help the marquee device stand out from rivals such as Apple Inc.’s iPhone, people familiar with the matter said.

The Galaxy S8 to be unveiled later this month will blend fingerprint, iris and facial detection to verify users accessing mobile services including Samsung Pay, the people said. It’s already working with banks to help them embrace facial recognition systems in coming months, they said, asking not to be identified talking about a private matter. Samsung declined to comment.

Fingerprint, iris, and facial recognition — that is quite a bit of security that relies on organic matter to unlock! And it’s certainly the future that we’re headed towards.

Wondering what else might be in the Galaxy S8? We’ve got a roundup of rumors for you.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

• Latest Galaxy S8 rumors!
• Galaxy S8 announcement coming March 29 in NYC
• Galaxy S8 release date set for April 28
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums