The next generation of VR enhancements coming to HTC Vive

The first year of consumer virtual reality has been exciting, to be sure, but ask anybody in the industry, and they’ll tell you that it’s only the beginning. Engineers and developers are always chasing the next big thing in VR technology: wireless headsets, better walking simulation systems, eye-tracking and more. It’s a long road to getting that better VR experience, but there’s tons of room to grow — and Vive’s Virtual Reality Venture Capital Alliance is one group trying to help that happen. We stopped by the VRCA’s fourth member meeting to see how the next generation of VR is coming along, and some of it is closer than you might think.

Wireless VR, for instance, is already here — TPCast’s wireless HTC Vive adapter shipped earlier this year, untethering VR users from their PCs with without introducing any perceptible lag. Now the company is taking it to the next level by introducing an upgraded adapter designed specifically for multi-user applications. The TPCast “Business Edition” is designed to enable wireless, multiplayer virtual reality play. It’s a small tweak to an already existing technology, but it opens up new possibilities, and gives more freedom to users collaborating in a VR environment to also interact with the physical world around them without worrying about tripping over each other’s headset cords.

Having less physical barriers in the way of the virtual environment makes in-person social interaction a little easier, but other members of the VRCA are focused on merging the social spaces of disparate digital worlds — specifically, social network integration. Partnering with WeChat, one of China’s most popular social platforms, ObEN is building an AI-driven virtual environment that allows VR users to seamlessly interact with WeChat users on mobile.

Right now, that consists of creating a system that can make a realistic avatar from a selfie and using smart speech to text programs to make sure a user in a VR headset can respond to text conversations without picking up a keyboard. The company says it’s also working on an app that will allow WeChat mobile users to control an avatar in the VR world without wearing an actual headset, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for VR social experiences.

7Invensun’s aGlass eye-tracking upgrade kit was the most impressive VR add-on we saw at the meeting — both as a potential means for improving social VR and as a basic, quality of life feature. The aGlass kit consists of a pair of sensor rings that fit over the HTC Vive’s lenses that, after some calibration, keep track of where the user is looking at all times. Compatible software can use the data to create more life-like avatars that can actually look other players in the eye, enabling more intimate social experiences. More importantly, the technology has the potential to lower the bar for VR-ready PC hardware by enabling foveated rendering — a graphics technique that improves performance by only rendering the areas the user is actively looking at in high quality.

In practice, this means that parts of a VR experience in the user’s peripheral vision are given less processing power. In a short demo shown to Engadget, the technology was able to improve framerates on a low-end machine from 45fps in VR to 90fps. Better still, because the trick exploits the flaws of human vision, the visual difference to the user is almost imperceptible.

The technology on display at the VRVCA meeting is all still under development, but staff on hand told us most of it is due out sometime later this year as upgrades for existing HTC Vive users. Today, their applications and demos may be limited, but each piece of technology shined with potential. Unfortunately, Vive staff couldn’t say if any of the showcased technology would find its way to an upgraded consumer headset in the near future.

Caltech scientists develop a technique for turning bones transparent

Why it matters to you

A new technique allows researchers to examine a bone’s composition in greater detail and could help fight disease.

When scientists want to look at the inside of a bone for a purpose like observing the stem cells inside, they take a very thin slice of the sample and look at it under a microscope.

Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. The slices that researchers take are very thin, around 40 micrometers, in order to get the best out of the light microscopy technology used to examine them. But this can cause damage to the bone by shattering its edges.

A new technique developed at California Institute of Technology could help solve those problems and others like it. In the laboratory of Viviana Gradinaru, an assistant professor of Biology and Biological Engineering, investigators have come up with a method for making bones transparent.

Called Clarity, the technique can be carried out on postmortem bones with no living tissue. It was originally developed as a way to make soft tissues transparent but has now been extended to hard tissues as well. It works by first removing opaque molecules — called lipids — from cells, with the lost structural support augmented by adding a clear hydrogel mesh. A detergent is then flowed through the bone to leave it transparent to the eye.

In the Caltech study, the team tested the technology with bones taken from postmortem transgenic mice. “These mice had been specially engineered to express a red fluorescent molecule that allowed us to label their stem cells within the bone marrow,” Gradinaru told Digital Trends. “It was important that the clearing method we used allowed us to preserve that fluorescence, so that we could preserve the identity of the cells without needing any additional labelling.”

While this is a good proof of concept, however, the real hope is to be able to use this clearing technique to analyze human bones.

“This would be very informative,” Gradinaru said. “Using the clearing method, it would be possible for us to look at the composition of bones, as well as the effect of different drugs or exercise on them. The challenge with human bones is scaling up our work. They’re larger bones, so it will take longer to clear them. It is possible, though.”

The goal is to use the technique to test new drugs that could help fight diseases like osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more prone to breakages.

Intel will bolster high-end processor lineup with Xeon Gold and Platinum series

Why it matters to you

If you’re building a high-end server, then you might want to wait until you can pick up Intel’s next generation of Xeon processors.

Intel’s Xeon processor line is dominant at the very high-end of the CPU market, and is aimed at powering the most system-critical server-class machines. Now, the company has sent out a Product Change Notification (PCN) to its partners that introduces its latest and greatest offerings in the Xeon line.

Specifically, Intel is launching the Xeon Gold and Platinum lineup, which will represent the company’s high-end flagship processors. There are quite a few new processors being announced, but what they have in common is high clock speeds and high core counts, as Wccftech.com reports.

According to Computerbase.de, the new processors range from the Xeon Gold 5122, which starts out at 3.6GHz with between 14 and 22 cores, up to the Xeon Platinum 8180, which clocks in at 2.5GHz and offers between 22 and 28 cores and a maximum of 56 threads. The 8180 boasts 38.5MB of L3 cache and a thermal design power (TDP) rating of 205 watts.

The new chips will sport new six-channel memory interface with up to three memory modules per channel, for a total of 18 memory modules. In addition to the new Xeons themselves, Intel is also introducing a new LGA 3647 socket that will support hexa-channel RAM and Intel Optane modules.

The new Xeon line will have four CPU families, with Bronze and Silver levels joining the just-announced Gold and Platinum series. Numerical designations will be 3000 for Bronze, 4000 for Silver, 6000 and 5000 for Gold, and 8000 for Platinum. The platform designation is Skylake-SP, which will support up to eight CPU sockets, and the Xeon naming conventions will be changing accordingly.

Intel hasn’t yet provided pricing or availability for the entire Xeon processor lines. However, given that pricing for the current high-end option, the Xeon E7-8890 v3, is set at $8,898, it’s likely that the newest Xeon options will be incrementally more expensive. For anyone who needs it, however, this level of power will likely be well worth the investment.

We crack open the Samsung Galaxy S8 with the help of iCracked CEO A.J. Forsythe

Why it matters to you

Got a Samsung Galaxy S8? If you’ve already shattered the gorgeous Infinity Display, iCracked’s team can repair your device for $200.

So you’ve got your hands on a shiny, Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus from Samsung. You’ll probably need a case, because one drop can do all sorts of damage to these all-glass phones.  But in case the S8 does take a tumble, how easy is it to repair? iCracked CEO A.J. Forsythe did a teardown with us to find out.

iCracked, if you’re not familiar with it, is a repair service company that has thousands of certified technicians in more than 600 cities in the United States. If you’ve shattered the glass on your device, you can set up an appointment for a technician to come to your home or work to repair your phone.

The company also has do-it-yourself guides, though Forsythe suggested the S8 might be best taken care of by someone who knows what they are doing. That’s mostly because the rear glass cover is prone to break during the teardown process.

One difference we found in the teardown is the battery — it’s housed in a “battery bay” to protect it from the rest of the electronics. This new change is likely an extra precaution after the massive recall of the Galaxy Note 7 last year, which spontaneously exploded due to battery defects. The battery on the S8 also has extra adhesive, so it’s incredibly difficult to remove.

From the vibration motor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, and the internal storage, Forsythe points out all the cool components that make up the Galaxy S8 in our video, in case you’ve never seen what the inside of a smartphone looks like.

iCracked technicians will be able to repair the S8 and S8 Plus within the next two months, and the estimated cost will be $200. The price is expected to go down as S8 parts become more prevalent.

Google Assistant SDK lets anyone make an intelligent voice-controlled device

Why it matters to you

You can now build your own intelligent, voice-controlled device with the Google Assistant software development kit.

Google’s Assistant is the latest digital personal assistant software to hit devices, joining Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, and Amazon Alexa in the list of major options. Assistant originally arrived in Google’s Allo messaging app, the Google Pixel smartphone, and Google Home.

Since its original release, Google Assistant has made its way to other Android smartphones running Android Marshmallow and Nougat and to Android Wear devices, with Android Auto and Android TV coming next. And now, Google is making the digital assistant available to even more devices with the Google Assistant software development kit (SDK).

Using the SDK, developers can plug Google Assistant into any device that meets the general specifications. For now, a developer preview supports any device built with the Raspberry Pi 3 single-board computer and later in 2017, Google will make the SDK accessible on a wider range of hardware.

The Google Assistant SDK will support all of the voice control, natural language understanding, and Google intelligence that Google Assistant provides on all of its currently supported devices. The SDK includes a gRPC application programming interface (API) and a Python open source client for authentication and API access. The SDK can interface with a number of other languages including Java, Python, C#, Node.js, and Ruby.

Google has made available a selection of samples and documentation. One of the samples was created by Deeplocal, a Pittsburgh-based innovation studio that used the Google Assistant SDK to create a “mocktails mixer.” Check out the video to see how the developers built their demo from the ground up.

If you are interested in giving the Google Assistant SDK a try, then you can head over to the new Google+ developer community that Google established. Anyone who wants to build a commercial product that integrates Google Assistant can contact Google for more information. Finally, sign up here to get on a mailing list that will keep you up to date on all of the happenings.

Ringly has a new spring collection of bracelets and rings to keep you connected

Why it matters to you

Your jewelry should not only make a statement — they should keep you in the loop, too.

You’re here to make a statement and your jewelry should do the same. And if your jewelry comes from Ringly, it will likely do just that. On Thursday, the smart jewelry maker launched a new suite of rings and bracelets that promises to help you lead a healthy and more balanced lifestyle, all while maintaining peace of mind and your personal style.

The rings and bracelets from Ringly are not just aesthetically pleasing — they are activity trackers, too. Keep tabs on the number of steps you have taken, distance traveled, calories burned, and more. You can even set and manage your personal health goals so that you feel as good as your jewelry looks.

But Ringly is not just a pretty fitness wearable. Rather, it is a way to help you stay a bit more connected to the world by disconnecting you from your mobile device. Instead of constantly checking your phone (only to be disappointed by a blank screen), you can instead rest assured that you are not missing any key notifications thanks to your ring or bracelet. Ringly integrates with more than 100 applications, including Gmail, Bumble, JetBlue, and LinkedIn, so you can select which alerts you want to feel (thanks to four subtle vibration patterns and five light colors) and which ones can wait.

“We believe your jewelry should not only be beautiful but also smart,” Ringly founder and CEO Christina Mercando d’Avignon said. “Whether at the dinner table, out with friends, or in an important meeting, Ringly allows you to stay on top of your daily activity and mobile alerts so you never miss a beat, but aren’t glued to your phone.”

Included in Ringly’s newest collection are shiny gold, rose gold, and silver styles, all of which are crafted with semi-precious stones, including howlite, white moonstone, Amazonite, and purple jade. All pieces work within a 20- to 30- foot range from your phone and have a one-year limited warranty. All pieces in the collection are priced at $165.

The rumored GeForce GT 1030 was caught on film with its GP108 chip exposed

Why it matters to you

This card should help Nvidia address the sub-$100 graphics card market that is currently dominated by AMD’s RX 560 and RX 550 cards.

Nvidia apparently isn’t done with new Pascal-based products, as the company has a GeForce GT 1030 card in the works to address AMD’s new Radeon RX 500 Series presence in the sub-$100 graphics card market. The GT 1030 will be based on Nvidia’s unannounced GP108 graphics chip, which in turn is based on Nvidia’s latest Pascal architecture used in its GeForce GTX 10 Series family of graphics cards.

The most recent update regarding reports of the unannounced GT 1030 card is that the actual GP108 chip surfaced in a photo revealing its GP108-300-A1 model number. Prior to that, the GT 1030 appeared in benchmarks of Ashes of the Singularity scoring 1,100 points using the Standard preset. The card is supposedly on par or better in performance than the GeForce GTX 750 Ti.

Here are the numbers that we know of so far:

Die size:
132mm2
Process node:
14nm FinFET (possibly)
CUDA cores:
512
Texture mapping units:
32
Render output units:
16
Memory bus:
64-bit
Memory amount:
2GB and 4GB GDDR5
Memory Speed:
7Gbps (possibly)
Memory bandwidth:
56GB per second (possibly)
Interface:
PCI Express 3.0 x4 (possibly)
Maximum power draw:
30 watts

As the chart shows, there is a lot of “possibly” going on here given that a chunk of these numbers is based on speculation. However, we cannot ignore the close comparison to AMD’s Radeon RX 550 card, which has the same number of cores, texture mapping units, render output units, and VRAM amounts. The big difference appears to be in the memory bus, with AMD’s solution using a 128-bit memory bus and Nvidia’s using a 64-bit version.

Of course, with a reduced memory bus, Nvidia is going after AMD on the power and price fronts. The GT 1030 will supposedly consume up to 30 watts of power and range between $60 and $70. Meanwhile, AMD’s Radeon RX 550 consumes up to 50 watts of power and has a base price of $80.

That said, the unannounced GT 1030 will likely target the esports arena, and not the high-end QHD PC gaming crowd. Typically, Nvidia reserves the “GT” prefix for its entry-level graphics cards (under $100) whereas the GTX prefix covers its mid-range and high-end lineup (more than $100).

We really have not seen a new GT model since the release of the GT 740 in May 2014. Costing $90 at the time, the card had 384 CUDA cores and a base clock speed of 933MHz. It also came packed with 1GB of GDDR5 memory controlled by a 128-bit interface capable of a bandwidth of 80GB per second. Nvidia did not even bother offering a GT model with its GeForce 800 and 900 families of cards.

Just for kicks, here is what PC gamers will have for sub-$150 options on the market when the GT 1030 hits the scene:

Nvidia
AMD
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
$140
Radeon RX 560
$100
GeForce GTX 1050
$100
Radeon RX 550
$80
GeForce GT 1030
~$65

Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR review

Research Center:
Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR

In 2017,  it takes a serious set of features to set a GPS watch apart from the crowded pack. In the past, GPS was all a watch required but now, they need to do everything well: Track activities, log heart rate, count steps, measure sleep, sync with a smartphone, receive smart notifications, and interact with an online ecosystem capable of processing and presenting the data.

The latest entry in this crowded field comes from Finnish watchmaker Suunto, who recently released a new multisport GPS watch which seems up to the tall task of competing in the industry. Dubbed the Spartan Sport Wrist HR (for heart-rate), Suunto’s entry into the GPS wearable fold goes heavy on style while pulling back a bit on notifications. We spent some time with the device to see if its aesthetic upgrades warrant the slight lack of functionality.

What’s in the box

The Spartan Sport Wrist HR watch we tested arrived with the watch, a mag-safe style USB charging cable, and a start-up guide.

Features and design

The Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR is a member in good standing of our BBW (big, burly, watch) club. It’s a large, attractive multi-sport GPS watch that does nearly everything training athletes need. The watch features a vivid 320 x 300-pixel color touch display, beautifully designed graphical menus, and a customizable watch face surrounded by a blacked out stainless steel bezel and weighs in at 2.6 ounces.

Lee Crane/Digital Trends

Lee Crane/Digital Trends

Tucked into its water resistant (100 meters) polyamide body are GPS, an accelerometer, and an optical heart rate monitor with 24/7 data capture. It tracks daily step count, heart rate, calories burned, and features a digital compass, stopwatch, and programmable interval training. It comes in three colors: blue, sakura (pink), and black.

The Spartan Sport HR comes preloaded with 80 different sport modes.

The Spartan Sport Wrist HR tracks nearly any activity (Suunto calls these “moves”) that can be done while wearing a watch and comes preloaded with 80 different sport modes such as CrossFit, walking, hiking, windsurfing, stand-up paddling, skiing, kayaking, football, and even cheerleading. Unfortunately for us, sports like skateboarding or surfing didn’t quite make the cut. Those who require additional sport specific metrics can connect the Spartan Sport Wrist HR via Bluetooth to cycling cadence sensors and power meters, running foot pods, and heart rate chest straps.

Performance and use

Getting the Spartan Sport Wrist HR running right out of the box is easy thanks to the watch’s onboard setup wizard. We chose our language from a long list (this watch speaks more languages than a Babel Fish) and answered all the personal metric questions. The watch grabbed our location, as well as time and date from the GPS satellites and it was ready to go in roughly four minutes.

Lee Crane/Digital Trends

To our dismay, syncing the Spartan Sport Wrist HR with a Movescount account and pairing it to the Movescount smartphone app is more complicated. It requires creating an account via the Movescount website, downloading the SuuntoLink app for PC or Mac, and then connecting the watch to a computer via the magnetic USB charging cable. Once the SuuntoLink app updates the watch’s software and syncs its settings, it’s time to download the Movescount smartphone app (for Android and iOS) and pair the watch.

We didn’t quite follow the proper install order and tried to pair the watch with our phone before syncing it with Movescount — it didn’t go well. While living with this watch, we found the most reliable way to sync the Spartan Sport Wrist HR with Movescount is to connect it directly to a computer.

After setup, we took the Spartan Sport Wrist HR straight to the hills and hiked to check out a few local mountain bike trails. The watch makes starting an activity or “move” simple — one click of the upper right button and we were quickly in exercise mode. By swiping left, we entered the Sport modes menu and then swiped up until reaching its Hiking mode. While it was a long scroll to get to Hiking mode the first time, it sat right on top of the list the next time as the watch remembers your preferences.

We were most interested in how well the heart rate monitor worked during our tests. Considering we aren’t the biggest fans of wrist-based heart rate monitors — due mainly to the fact there are so many ways to wear a watch — Suunto’s assumption that its Valencell-powered optical heart rate monitor is better than the competition had us intrigued.

During our hike, our heart rate numbers seemed significantly exaggerated. All we could figure is that the Spartan Sport Wrist HR wasn’t in the right position on our wrist. On our next activity (a mountain bike ride) we placed the watch higher on our arm and tightened the silicone strap just past comfortable. To have a comparison, we also wore a chest strap heart rate monitor. The wrist repositioning and tension increase made a huge difference in data. In fact, the heart rate data remained very close to that produced by our heart rate strap. Not close enough to ditch the chest strap entirely but well in range for most other activities.

Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR Compared To

Huawei Fit

LG Watch Sport

Apple Watch Series 2

Motorola Moto 360 (2015)

Martian Passport MP100WSB

Garmin fenix 2

LG G Watch R

Netatmo June

Neptune Pine

Motorola Moto 360

Martian Notifier Watch

Samsung Gear 2

Phosphor Touch Time

Samsung Gear Fit

Basis B1

Training with Movescount

Sure, it tracks all kinds of activities but the full training potential of the Spartan Sport Wrist HR is only realized after it’s synced with Suunto’s fitness tracking website and community Movescount. There, the watch’s captured data truly comes alive in multicolored graphs, charts, and overlays.

On the website, you can analyze your training in excruciating detail (including EPOC, estimated VO2, and more). Not good at planning training? Suunto has a library of preconfigured programs you could drop right into your calendar.

Furthermore, athletes serious enough to use professional coaching can give their coach access to their account where performance and training results are viewable, commented on, and adjusted for future training. A Suunto watch is required to access Movescount but it automatically shares performance metrics with other fitness portals like Strava, TrainingPeaks, Sports Tracker, and Preva.

Multisport training is the Spartan Sport Wrist HR’s core feature set but it also sneaks in a little smartwatch functionality as well. When paired with a compatible smartphone via Suunto’s Movescount app, the watch delivers text, email, calendar, and phone call notifications. You can answer phone calls remotely by tapping the touchscreen.

The Movescount smartphone app also delivers one of our favorite pieces of social media fitness sharing: the Suunto Movie. You have the option to turn each move you make into a shareable video that presents the route with peak speed, heart rate, and climbing depicted on a map. The professional looking movies feature automatically created titles which include the athlete’s name, location, activity, and distance traveled, and they’re perfectly packaged for uploading to Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Troublesome app syncing

Following a move, we tried posting our data quickly to dive into the details (and brag on Strava, of course), though we had a bit of trouble. The Suunto Movescount smartphone app syncs with the watch but not exactly when we wanted it to. Sometimes the app would say, “Not connected. Move closer to your watch.” Other times, it reported the sync had failed. Neither the watch nor the smartphone app has a way to force a sync, so we were often left with simply plugging the watch directly into our computer before uploading a move. Not a huge deal, sure, but it was annoying.

This interplay between the watch, the phone app, and the Movescount website is obviously complex but trouble posting moves wasn’t our only issue — we had trouble with the settings on the watch, as well. Watch settings can be adjusted on the watch, the app, and the website, but it’s difficult to know which of the three platforms has the final word. We assumed the settings might sync across all three, but it didn’t seem to work that way.

What notifications?

We turned our audible tone alerts on using the watch settings menu and it worked fine, but the next morning, after missing several texts and a call, we realized the audible tones automatically switched off. We turned them on again, and later, they mysteriously turned off for the second time. We finally realized the audible tone setting on the Movescount website was set to “off,” so while we adjusted the setting on the watch, the website reset it during each sync.

The Suunto Movescount app syncs with the watch, but it often wouldn’t do it when we wanted.

The reason having the tones on is so important is the watch’s vibration alert for smart notifications is so faint we couldn’t feel it while sitting still, let alone while running, biking, or swimming. Getting the notification immediately is also important because the Spartan Sport Wrist HR doesn’t save notifications on the watch, nor does it alert you when a notification disappears. The notifications appear on the watch face for about 10 seconds before vanishing.

In addition, the vibration alerts only work for notifications and not for the watch’s singular daily alarm. That means, there‘s no waking to a silent alarm and quietly sneaking out of bed without waking the person next to you. And only one alarm? We get up at different times each day depending on what training’s planned, so having to set and reset an alarm every night before going to bed is just too time-consuming, especially on a watch featuring as much customization as this. To us, this is almost a deal breaker.

Our Take

From a training data collection and planning perspective, the Spartan Sport Wrist HR is stellar. The display is easily readable in various lighting, the touchscreen responds quickly (even with gloved hands), and the battery held up to everything we threw at it as long as we charged it every third night. But for a watch so loaded with clever, insightful, graphically rich features, we were surprised to have trouble with some of the smaller stuff.

Multisport athletes need a watch capable of handling fitness metrics and smartwatch functions with equal aplomb. The Spartan Sport Wrist HR does well on fitness but falls short when it comes to notifications, alarms, and smartphone syncing.

Is there a better alternative?

The DT Accessory Pack

Suunto Ambit3 Peak/Sport Smart Heart Rate Sensor

$75.00

Suunto Foot POD Mini

$19.99

Suunto Bike Sensor

$69.00

PowerTap P1 Meter Pedals

$1,199.99

The stunning visual data design of the Movescount website coupled with solid GPS multisport watch functionality make the Spartan Sport Wrist HR a compelling package. But when it comes to value, we still lean toward industry leader Garmin. At $500 the Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR is $100 less than the category-leading Garmin Fenix 5 but is the same price as Garmin’s upcoming Forerunner 935. And the Forerunner has a similar feature set, plus a built-in barometric altimeter, thermometer, and programmable alarms that the Spartan Sport Wrist HR doesn’t have.

How long will it last?

The Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR is a well-built watch handmade in Finland. Suunto’s made compasses since 1936, so it’s not going anywhere. It also remains committed to constantly working to improve its watches on the fly with monthly software updates. Some of the issues we originally had with the watch saw fixes after the most recent update. For all we know, Suunto may even add more daily alarms and increase the power of the vibration notification system in a future update. We can only hope.

Should you buy it?

Yes, if you’re looking for a stylish GPS multisport training watch then the Suunto Sport HR would be a great choice, just as long as you don’t mind foregoing vibration alarms and alerts. If you already own a Garmin device and are happy with the way Garmin handles training data, then it would probably be a better idea to wait and buy the Forerunner 935 instead.

Logitech’s Universal Folio keyboard case works with any platform

Why it matters to you

If you want to make sure your new case will work with whatever nine- or 10-inch tablet you buy, then be sure to consider Logitech’s latest.

If you are a big tablet user, then you know the advantages of a nice case that can double as a keyboard dock. The market is full of options that made for specific tablets, but there are fewer good options that work with any tablet — and so if you buy a case and then switch tablets, you are stuck with a case you do not need.

Logitech recognizes this pain point and has developed a solution. The new Logitech Universal Folio is a case and keyboard dock combination that promises to work perfectly well with any nine- or 10-inch tablet, no matter who makes it.

In terms of its design, the Universal Folio is made to be durable and spill-resistant, to provide a measure of protection during daily use. It is also made to secure any tablet, with a patented four-point grip that locks onto a tablet regardless of design and keeps it in place. An integrated pen hold can make sure your pen, pencil, or stylus remains with you.

The Universal Folio also integrates a keyboard with a generous 2mm of travel and large spacing for comfortable typing. The keyboard incorporates dedicate function and shortcut keys that work with iOS, Android, and Windows tablets, and it is locked into place in what Logitech characterizes as the perfect typing position, even on uneven surfaces.

Logitech designed the Universal Folio to be durable and to meet the company’s exacting engineering standards. It adds a strap that securely closes the case and keeps everything securely in place. Finally, a replaceable coin battery can power the keyboard for up to two years thanks to Logitech’s smart management system. Bluetooth 3.0 provides the connectivity between the tablet and the keyboard.

Logitech is shipping the Universal Folio for $60 and it is also available at retailers like Amazon for immediate shipment. The company provides a one-year limited warranty to keep you protected. If you want to invest in a case that will work with your next tablet as well as the one you’re using today, then the Logitech Universal Folio seems like a flexible option.

Amazon

What is Amazon Echo Look and how does it work?

Echo Look is the newest addition to Amazon’s line of Echo-branded devices, which include the original Echo, Amazon Tap, and Echo Dot.

Each Echo device has a different form factor and is best suited to a specific environment – whether you’re at home and want to listen to tunes, on the go, trying to enhance your current audio setup, or simply need to take a photo of your outfit to get style advice. You can see the differences between each device here. The one thing they have in common is that they feature built-in Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant.

• Buy Amazon Echo (UK), Buy Amazon Echo (US)
• Buy Amazon Echo Dot (UK), Buy Amazon Echo (US)
• Buy Amazon Echo Look (US)

Echo Look is different from its siblings in that it isn’t about providing music playback or enhancing your audio experience. While it does have a speaker so you can hear Alexa, it’s primarily a camera that lets you snap photos and videos. It also includes a unique service that allows you to capture your daily outfits, catalogue them, and get style advice in real time. Here’s what you need to know about Echo Look.

What is Amazon Echo Look?

Amazon said Echo Look has “everything you love about Alexa” – only, now, she can help you “look your best”. You can mount it to your wall using the included mounting kit or sit it on a dresser, and then, using voice commands, you can ask it to take full-length photos and short videos of yourself. It has a depth-sensing camera, LED lighting for a flash, and computer vision that blurs the background of your shots.

The idea is that you can use Echo Look to see yourself from all angles, then build a personal lookbook of your outfits, and share those photos with others. Or, using the Style Check service that combines machine learning algorithms with advice from “fashion specialists”, you can get style advice. And at anytime you can tap into Alexa as you normally would to get weather updates, control smart home devices, etc.

What’s in the Amazon Echo Look box?

You get an Echo Look device, of course, which comes with a screw-on base and standard tripod socket, 21W power adapter with a 7.9-foot cord, and a wall-mounting kit. You can rest or mount Echo Look anywhere, as long as the power adapter is within reach of a wall socket.

Now, inside the Echo Look there is a bunch of sensors and technology, including voice-activated Alexa and dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi connectivity (MIMO. 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz). Other features include a 5-megapixel, depth-sensing camera, front lighting that can be used for a flash, a microphone array so Alexa can hear you, a speaker so that you can hear Alexa, and a mic/camera off button and indicator.

Amazon said Echo Look offers a cloud-based media storage option, but there’s no Bluetooth audio input/output or AUX audio input/output. It also doesn’t work with the Alexa Voice Remote, but it does use the Alexa app and comes with a second companion app called Echo Look.

How does Amazon Echo Look work?

Amazon

Setup

As with any Echo device, you can setup Echo Look and manage settings for its Alexa features using the Alexa mobile app or web app. Alexa tips are also available in the Alexa app under Things to Try. For more on how to set up and manage Alexa, go to Alexa Help.

Once you’re done, you’ll also want to download the Echo Look app for iOS or Android. You can use it to get a live view of whatever your Echo Look sees, take a short video so you can see yourself from every angle, view style recommendations via the Style Check feature (which Amazon said combines machine learning algorithms with advice from “fashion specialists”), or create a lookbook so you can browse your outfits.

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Hand-free camera

Echo Look has a 5-megapixel, depth-sensing camera and LED lighting so it can capture full-length photos and short videos of you in your outfits in any lighting and blur the background. Just stand in front of Echo, then say “Alexa, take a photo” or “take a video”, and look at the Echo Look app to see the photo, video, or even a live view. With Echo Look, you can see a 360-degree view of your outfit.

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Lookbook and Style Check

In the Echo Look app, you will see options to blur the background of your photo, then send the photo to friends, or add it to your lookbook. You can also use the Style Check feature, which lets you submit two photos for a second opinion on which looks better based on fit, colour, styling, and current trends. Amazon said these decisions will get smarter through your feedback and input from its fashion specialists.

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Alexa

Echo Look has the same Alexa found in other Echo devices. It can read the news and audiobooks, set alarms, get traffic and weather updates, control smart home devices, play music, order a latte from Starbucks, access your calendars, check your commute, etc, according to Amazon. For a brief overview of all Alexa can do on Echo Look, just say, “Alexa, tell me what I can do.”

Why did Amazon make Echo Look?

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Style Check builds on the company’s Outfit Compare platform.

In the latest version of the Amazon shopping app, Prime members can upload two pictures of themselves in different outfits and then the app will tell them within a few minutes which one looks better. The results, which again are “powered by a team of fashion specialists”, consider all sorts of metrics, such as fit, colour, style, and current trends in order to serve up a score on the “Style Scale”.

You get a ranking from “Definitely pick this one” to “We like this better” or “It was a close call”. Amazon said “qualified” staff may also be viewing your photos, and that full-body photos work best. So, don’t upload headshots. At launch, Amazon wasn’t even recommending new clothes to order, but it’s not exactly unclear as to why the retailer would make such a feature; it’s easy to see what Amazon could do.

To try Outfit Compare, use the Amazon for iOS app. Then go to Menu > Programs and Features (or More from Amazon)> and Outfit Compare. Currently, Amazon might just be collecting data to improve the types of fashions it offers. But imagine that if Amazon starts storing all your images, along with tonnes of pieces of contextual information, and then track your habits, it’ll have a lot of data about you to crunch.

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It can then use that data to determine which products you like so can it can serve up tailored suggestions (aka maybe even clothes from its online shop for you to buy). Although people like to try on their clothes in a store, an AR-like clothes experience could encourage you to try on and buy clothes without ever leaving your house. See where Amazon is going? The Echo Look opens up a lot of potential for the retailer.

Beyond being able to chuck clothing products at you, it could ultimately leverage your data to build partnerships with fashion brands and learn how to start producing its own clothes with custom sizing and next-day shipping. You’ll never want to go to Bloomingdales again if you can just say “Alexa, take a photo”, then try on an outfit, and tap on your phone screen a few times to quickly checkout.

How much is Amazon Echo Look?

Amazon Echo Look costs $199 in the US.

When can you buy Amazon Echo Look?

You can request an invite to buy Echo Look from Amazon.

If approved, Amazon said you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to purchase. Invitations can’t be transferred or deferred to a later date. After you purchase Echo Look, you can check your order status under Your Orders on your Amazon account.

Where is Amazon Echo Look available?

At launch, Echo Look is only available in the US via an invite-only scheme. There’s no word yet on when it will become generally available in the US. We also don’t know about UK availability or pricing.

Want to know more?

Check out Echo Look’s support hub for more information.

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