Apple Now Handling Support for Beddit Sleep Tracker Following Acquisition

Following its May acquisition of sleep tracking product Beddit, Apple has taken over all support for the device.

The Beddit support site, which previously provided customers with a Beddit customer support email address to use, now includes a link that directs customers to instead contact Apple support for any issues. It’s not entirely clear when the change was made, but it was noticed today by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Beddit, purchased by Apple earlier this year for an undisclosed sum, is a $150 sleep monitoring system that pairs a pliable under-sheet sleep sensor with an app that’s designed to help users analyze and improve their sleeping habits.

The Beddit Sleep Tracker uses ballistocardiography (BCG) to measure the mechanical activity of the heart, lungs, and other body functions, a non-invasive monitoring technology that’s similar to the light-based photoplethysmography the Apple Watch uses to monitor heart rate.

With BCG, when the heart beats, it measures the mechanical impulse generated by the acceleration of the blood through the circulatory system, providing a wealth of data about the body. Beddit tracks metrics like sleep time, sleep efficiency, heart rate, respiration rate, movement, snoring, room temperature, and room humidity.

Since acquiring Beddit, Apple has continued selling the Beddit hardware and is collecting sleep-related data from users. It’s not yet clear what Apple plans to do with the Beddit sleep technology, but some possibilities include advancing sleep research for efforts like HealthKit and CareKit to implementing more advanced health tracking and sleep monitoring functionality into the Apple Watch or other future wearable devices.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook Sells Over $43M in Apple Stock

Apple CEO Tim Cook today sold more than $43 million worth of Apple stock, according to documents filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Cook sold 268,623 shares at prices ranging from $159.27 to $161.43, earning more than $43 million, all of which is held in a trust.

Cook sold the stock after 560,000 RSUs vested on August 24, 2017. 280,000 of the restricted stock units he received were time based, while another 280,000 were performance based.

A restricted stock unit (aka RSU) is compensation valued in terms of a company’s stock, but the stock is not issued at the time of the grant. Instead, the recipient receives the stock at a later date, a method generally used to make sure employees stay with a company for a set period of time.

While Cook was originally set to receive 1,000,000 RSUs awarded over a 10-year period in two lump sums (the 1,000,000 share number was prior to Apple’s 2014 7-1 stock split — it’s now 7,000,000), a 2013 amendment modified how his stock is awarded, shifting it from a time-based system to a performance-based system with the RSUs doled out over a 10-year period from 2011 to 2021.

Cook received one lump sum of 700,000 RSUs in 2016, and will receive another 700,000 in 2021. The remaining 5,600,000 RSUs are awarded based on Apple’s performance compared to other companies in the S&P 500.

If Apple’s total shareholder return is within the top third of the best performing companies in the S&P 500, Cook receives all 560,000 RSUs in a given year. If the company’s performance is in the middle third, Cook’s award is reduced by 25 percent, and if Apple happens to fall in the bottom third, Cook’s award is reduced by 50 percent.

As Apple performed well this year, Cook received all 560,000 shares in 2017. In addition to the stock Cook sold, Apple also sold 291,377 shares worth $46 million on Cook’s behalf to settle his tax liability for the RSUs.

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3D-scanning project will document the skeletons of 20,000 vertebrates

Why it matters to you

Whether you’re a researcher or an interested amateur, this massive online catalog will be a goldmine to explore.

When it comes to projects involving 3D scanning objects to create virtual catalogs, few projects could hope to match up in ambition to a new collaborative initiative called OpenVertebrate. Officially launching at the start of September, and supported by a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, OpenVertebrate will seek to CT scan the skeletons and insides of more than 20,000 types of vertebrate over the next four years.

“Believe it or not, the genesis was Twitter,” Adam Summers, a University of Washington researcher working on the project, told Digital Trends. “[Florida Museum of Natural History herpetologist] Dave Blackburn and I had both been posting images from our CT scanning on Twitter, and we were both very happy with the response. We got in touch with each other because we both had big ambitions: He to scan all the frogs and me to scan the fishes. He discovered an NSF program that might fund us and spearheaded the multi-institution proposal that resulted in this funded grant.”

From there, the project grew to include 14 different institutions, all of which will help with the compiling process. All of the vertebrate samples are ones already preserved in U.S. museum collections. Samples will be selected based on quality, then transported to one of six scanning facilities around the country. The scanning takes place using various scanners, ranging from microCT tools for tiny samples through much bigger 6-foot scanners for the larger animals.

“We are focusing on alcohol-preserved specimens,” Edward Stanley, another researcher on the project, told us. “We first take them out of their storage containers, place them in an airtight, sealed bag so they do not dry out, then place them in the CT machine, where they are X-rayed thousands of times in a 360 rotation. A computer then uses these 2D X-rays to work out where the high- and low-density parts of the specimen are, and builds a 3D-density map, which is then sliced up into tomograms, or serial sections. From these sections, we can reconstruct 3D models of internal and external anatomical features.”

As great a research tool as this will be, the really exciting part of the project is the fact that the results will be freely available to everyone.

“Not only will scientists and researchers be able to access these data, but educators, students, and the general public will have free and online access to these data and resulting 3D models for research, education, and non-commercial uses,” Blackburn told us. “All of us, whether you’re six or 86, will be able to see inside some of the rarest, most charismatic, and strangest animals in the world.”

For more security, Google wants to make sure you own ‘Certified Android devices’

Why it matters to you

Have your Android device certified to help ensure that it is not plagued by spyware.

On Monday, Google took to its Indian blog to introduce an additional way for users to make sure their Android devices are safe and secure.  The company is now branding its tablets and smartphones as “Certified Android devices” with the Google Play Protect logo included on the packaging.

With an open-source platform, it can be tough to keep up with the pace of more than 2 billion active devices around the world. In order to make sure users have a secure and stable experience via their Android devices, Google now provides certification — similar to seal of approval.

By working with manufacturers across the globe, the company runs hundreds of compatibility tests to check that the devices adhere to the Android security and permissions model. The same tests also verify the Google apps already pre-installed — such as YouTube, Maps, Gmail, Chrome, and Google Search — are authentic and apps from the Play Store work smoothly.

These same certified devices also come with Google Play Protect already included. The security platform — which has already been available to Android users — provides protection against malware, privacy hacks, and more. Other features include automatic virus scanning along with Find My Device in order to keep it safe from any type of occurrence.

Within the last few months, Google discovered Android spyware on two separate occasions —  one known as Lipizzan and the other named Chrysaor. Once installed, it would allow hackers to spy on personal information such as text messages, emails, voice calls, and even keys you typed on your device.

No apps with Chrysaor were discovered on the Play Store, but Lipizzan had a different outcome. Google found the spyware was distributed through the Play Store within “backup” apps that seemed harmless. Once installed, Lipizzan would then begin to send data from the device to a command and control center.

Since then, Google Play Protect has removed the spyware from any infected devices and blocked its installation on new ones. But the company still urges users to make sure to opt in for the extra security. Certifying these devices will help to make sure all of your information is automatically protected the minute you purchase your Android.

When shopping for an Android tablet or smartphone, you will be able to see whether it is certified or not by simply looking for the Google Play Protect logo on the box. You can also check the list of Android’s partners who ship certified phones and tablets.

How glamping went from a joke to an industry, and how to give it a try

What is glamping, anyway? When people first started tossing around the term “glamping” roughly a decade ago, it mostly made fun of high-income travelers spending money to camp with their luxuries. The word — a portmanteau of glamor and camping — called up images of those who refused to rough it without daily access to technology, entertainment, soft beds, and accessible cuisine — even if it required going to ridiculous extremes.

But then things changed. Several factors shifted glamping from the meme that it was to a far more widespread, significant part of the camping industry:

• Incomes rose following the recession and more people had the ability to spend extra money on their camping trip.
• Social media encouraged the use of technology while camping—with a focus on areas with internet availability.
• Technology evolved toward smaller, more portable devices that made glamping easier and less costly.
• Luxury camping became more about the location and less about the means of camping itself. Glamping earned respectability if the focus was on a unique spot that few people had access to.

By 2017, glamping evolved into a serious trend — a way of taking a vacation in nature combined with the luxury of a fine hotel (and preferably flanked by excellent views as part of the package). Here’s what you need to know about the modern glamping trip.

Glamping locations

Modern glamping places a ton of importance on the spot you choose to “camp” at. This transformed glamping from a purely DIY pastime into a search for special, isolated lodgings which bring you closer to nature while providing accommodations as good or better than your own home. While this may stretch the definition of glamping, it’s led to everything from glamper Kickstarters to resorts that actually have glamping in their name. Popular glamper destinations include:

• Yurts: These aren’t your granddad’s tiny wood yurts but rather large, spacious yurts designed with a minimalistic approach. They feature full beds, furniture, plenty of light and air, and all the amenities you’d ever need. It’s the closest accommodation to actual tent camping and allows glampers to get further into nature.
• Treehouses: A wave of eco-friendly treehouses sprung up across the world recently, including plenty within the United States. It’s a fun, innovative idea that provides a different perspective and adds a little adventure to surprisingly traditional resort amenities — which is exactly what most glampers look for.
• Pods: Pods are like modern, often portable, yurts. They’re typically metal or plastic bubbles designed to have a minimalistic impact on the environment when possible, and can be placed in wilder locations than most resorts would allow. Entire hotels, like White Pod, have made a business model out of offering isolated pods to travelers looking for a different experience.
• Large campgrounds: Of course, some people still prefer bringing their own technology to traditional campgrounds. The key is that glampers tend to need a lot of room, so the average camping space may not be sufficient.

Glamping tents and trailers

For traditional glamping, you still need a tent — but it shouldn’t be anything close to ordinary. For the real experience, you need either a luxury tent or a fully equipped trailer. Trailers are largely self-explanatory, though it’s worth mentioning there’s a growing trend of renovating older trailers with more luxurious features to make them fit for glamping.

When it comes to tents, only the best will do. Two important trends to point out here are teepee variations and double tents. A teepee style tent is exactly what it sounds like — the extra room makes these tents ideal for more room and amenities, without compromising all the rough aspects of camping. The double tent, meanwhile, isolates the living space as much as possible so nothing from the outdoors makes its way inside and used on its own or as part of a larger setup. Some double tents are even designed to sit on top of your truck for better protection.

Glamping technology

For a DIY approach to glamping, you need the right tech — and that means bringing along many of your current beloved mobile devices. With today’s tablets and smartphones, there’s no need to haul along a TV or gaming console, which makes glamping far easier. However, there are a number of additional technologies capable of helping out.

• Portable chargers: Portable chargers carry necessary ports for mobile devices and electronics. Powerful versions are a must for a good glamping experience. Extended trips benefit greatly from solar-charged models you can leave out in the sun to renew over time.
• Bluetooth speakers: Music, radio, movie sound — Bluetooth speakers do it all, average around 12-15 hours of battery life, and have plenty of durable models that can survive any camping experience.
• Inflatable everything: Sure, an inflatable mattress is important but don’t stop there. Bring along an inflatable sofa to relax on, or pick your favorite couch, chair and bubble tent for a fully inflatable glamping package.
• Meal kits: Glamp in style with a dedicated camping dinnerware set designed for camping, or bring along a portable outdoor oven range to create the kind of meal you really want. Hey, you can even pack a whole kitchen if you want.
• Pressure showers: If there’s one thing glampers miss from home, it’s the on-demand shower. That’s tricky to replicate with a water heater and plumbing but you can get extremely close with pressurized camp showers — these include everything from bags with nozzles to full shower tents and yes, portable water heater ensembles.
• Advanced lighting: Most portable LED lights, including strings like Luminoodle, work well for camping purposes but if you want a dedicated LED light, you should try LED camping lanterns.

The best ultrawide monitors you can buy

Sometimes you need a little extra screen real-estate, and the typical 16:9 monitor won’t do. Whether you’re a creative professional who needs a massive curved display, or a gamer looking for the most immersive experience you can possibly get outside of VR, there’s probably an ultrawide monitor for you. Be careful though, ultrawides are dangerous – once you try one, you’ll be spoiled for all other monitors. Even the sharpest, clearest 16:9 monitor will seem insubstantial and inadequate by comparison. So, who makes the best ultrawide monitors on the market? Well, let’s have a look.

We’ve gathered the best of the best in the ultrawide monitor market and run them through a barrage of tests to determine their fitness to display your games, your movies, or even your workspace.

Our pick

Why should you buy this: You want a monitor with the sensibility and size of a small luxury yacht.

Our Score

The best

Samsung CF791

With a reasonable price, stunning display, and understated, premium design, the Samsung CF791 is easily the best ultrawide monitor on the ma…

$949.99 from Amazon

$949.99 from Samsung

Who’s it for: Gamers, professionals, and everyone in between.

How much will it cost: From $850 to $1000

Why we picked the Samsung CF791:

First and foremost, this monitor is a striking piece of hardware. The design is understated, effortless and professional. The frame and stand all seem to melt away when you’re seated before that massive curved display. Colors saturate your vision from all angles, and the monitor is all-encompassing.

The CF791 offers stunning picture quality, with rich inky blacks, vivid and lifelike colors — right out of the box. Without any tinkering, it hits a stellar 940:1 contrast ratio, which puts it well ahead of similarly priced competitors.

This level of quality on a standard 16:9 display would be outstanding. The fact that it’s on a massive 21:9 display with a deep curve makes it truly a sight to behold. Video content is rich and fluid thanks to the monitor’s 100Hz refresh rate, and AMD’s FreeSync. For a look at the difference between FreeSync and Nvidia’s G-Sync, check out our guide.

In addition to the stunning display, it has a simple and professional exterior design which makes it a bit of a chameleon. It would be just as comfortable beside a flashy gaming PC decked out in LEDs as it would in an office beside a dusty old workstation.

The Samsung CF791 doesn’t need a flashy exterior design because its size, clarity, and resolution make it a showstopper all on its own.

Our full review

The best gaming ultra-wide

Why should you buy this: This monitor’s 200Hz refresh rate is wonderfully excessive.

Our Score

The best gaming ultra-wide

Acer Predator Z35

The Acer Predator Z35’s 200Hz refresh rate and massive curved display deliver an unparalleled gaming experience.

$980.47 from Amazon

$980.47 from Walmart

Who’s it for: Gamers, or anyone else who needs a monitor that can render 200 frames per second without breaking a sweat.

How much will it cost: Around $700

Why we picked the Acer Predator Z35:

Ultra-wide monitors look great, and they can provide an immersive gaming experience, but there’s more to a gaming monitor than size and curvature. No matter how big and gorgeous they are, no matter how bright and vivid, there’s one specific that must be up to par. Refresh rate.

So how does Acer’s ultra-wide measure up to other gaming monitors in a more traditional form factor? Well, it doesn’t. It obliterates them. The Acer Predator brings a massive 200Hz refresh rate to bear on an equally massive 35-inch 1080p display, and the result couldn’t be more satisfying. By allowing games to hit 200FPS without screen tearing, the Predator’s refresh rate delivers best-in-class performance. The result is buttery-smooth gameplay.

That said, the display’s 2,560 x 1,080 resolution is a little low by today’s standards. It translates about 80 pixels per inch, which is a little less than a 1080p, 24-inch monitor. However, the resolution does mesh well with the refresh rate. High framerates are less likely at high resolutions.

Despite its high price tag, the Predator is a very good choice for a long-term investment. The Acer Predator Z35 is compatible with Nvidia’s G-Sync, which makes the most of the monitor’s impressive refresh rate, serving up frames as quick as your PC can render them.

Our full review

The best professional ultra-wide

Why should you buy this: You need a massive workspace and pitch-perfect color accuracy.

Our Score

The best professional ultra-wide

Dell UltraSharp U3415W

A stellar contrast ratio, deep blacks, vivid colors, and a massive viewing area make the Dell U3415W a superb choice for creative profession

$722.00 from Amazon

$0.00 from

Who’s it for: Professionals looking for extra space, without sacrificing color accuracy.

How much will it cost: Starts at $620

Why we picked the Dell U3415W:

As you can probably gather from our coverage so far, ultra-wide monitors look spectacular. The technology has matured over the last couple years as resolution and pixel density have gone up, while prices have gone down. Sometimes, though, you need more than a great looking monitor. Sometimes you need a monitor that looks, well, perfect.

Creative professionals like photographers, graphic artists, and film editors need near-perfect color accuracy. Professional monitors need to resolve colors with a degree of precision that might go unnoticed in movies or games. They need to replicate real-world tones and hues with as little variation as possible.

That’s where the Dell U3415W comes in. With near-perfect color accuracy, 3,440 x 1,440 resolution, a best-in-class contrast ratio of 730:1 at 75 percent brightness, and a display panel capable of reproducing 100 percent of the sRGB spectrum, this ultra-wide monitor delivers a unique viewing experience that is well suited to professional graphic design or photo editing.

Dell has also thrown in a few extras, like a versatile on-screen menu system, multiple USB ports, and an highly adjustable stand – something that’s not always guaranteed, even on expensive ultra-wide monitors. Taken together, these traits make it a clear pick for creative professionals.

Our full review

The best budget ultra-wide

Why should you buy this: You need that extra real estate, and you don’t mind a few eccentricities.

The best budget ultra-wide

LG 29UM68-P

If you need a 21:9 workspace, without the usual bells and whistles, the LG 29UM68-P is the best you can get under $300.

$300.25 from Amazon.com

Who’s it for: Students, or professionals on a budget.

How much will it cost: $250

Why we picked the LG 29UM68-P:

As stunning as gaming on an ultra-wide monitor can be, one of the best uses for all that extra space is, unsurprisingly, work. A monitor with a 21:9 aspect ratio makes for an excellent, luxuriant workspace, offering up enough screen real-estate for three or more windows to co-exist side-by-side. Games will look great, but so will spreadsheets.

If you’re shopping for your home office or your office-office, you probably don’t want to go all-out for an $800 ultra-wide that’s just going to spend most of its time rendering word processors and spreadsheets. The LG 29UM68-P is probably not the best choice if you want an ultra-high-fidelity movie watching experience, but if you need a reliable, well-rounded ultra-wide for less than $300, look no further.

As with any budget option, the LG 29UM68-P is not without its drawbacks. It only supports a 60Hz to 75Hz refresh rate range, and its 2,560 x 1,080 resolution can look a little stretched on such a big screen. But those downsides are easily excused by the price.

It’s even decent to look at when turned off, as this humble LG offers thin display bezels and an attractive curved stand. This is the budget model in the ultra-wide world, but most people won’t know that unless you tell them.

The best ultra-wide for showing off

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Why should you buy this: You have deep pockets and a penchant for extravagant tech.

Our Score

The best ultra-wide for showing off

Dell Ultrasharp U3818DW

It doesn’t come cheap, but Dell’s spectacular U3818W is the final word in super-sized monitors.

$958.34 from Amazon.com

Who’s it for: Monster battlestation owners and media moguls.

How much will it cost: $1,170

Why we picked the Dell Ultrasharp U3818DW:

Most of the ultra-wide screens we spend time with are 34 inches, but the Dell Ultrasharp U3818W is almost in a class of its own, with a 38 inch diagonal and 3,840 x 1,600 resolution. It’s massively expensive, with a $1,170 suggested retail price, but makes up for it with, well, sheer size.

It’s one of the biggest monitors we’ve reviewed in the Digital Trends office by a fair margin, and tied for the absolute largest — with the equally enormous LG 38UC99. During our testing, it drew the attention of every coworker who walked by the test lab. Many even stopped in for a quick game of Overwatch, or to check out a 4K trailer.

The U3818W doesn’t compromise where it counts, either. Designed for professional use, the U3818W features absolutely impeccable color accuracy, hitting an average color error of .97 after calibration. That means colors are perfectly reproduced, as far as the naked eye is concerned.

If you can afford it, the Ultrasharp U3818W is one of the most impressive monitors you’ll ever set eyes on, and it’s sure to give your gaming rig or media machine an extra pop that even a 4K monitor can’t provide.

How we test

Reviewing monitors can be tricky. Unlike other types of hardware, it’s hard to convey how well a monitor performs with raw statistics alone. Everyone’s going to see a monitor a little differently, so we do our best to conduct objective testing to bring out the best in each monitor that comes through the Digital Trends offices.

When we test monitors, we leave no stone unturned. From physical stability to color reproduction, we run these monitors through a battery of tests to make sure they live up to manufacturer promises and customer expectations. Right out of the box, we test color accuracy, contrast ratio, and brightness with a professional-grade colorimeter, and follow that up with a run through some very dark and very bright games to get a look at how things look in motion.

To find out more, check out our guide to calibrating your monitor. The tools and techniques we use in that guide or the basis for what we use to test and calibrate monitors that we receive.

Is now a good time to buy?

If you’d have asked that question last year, the answer would have been a resounding negative. Ultra-Wide monitors are more expensive than their traditional 16:9 cousins, as they’re bigger, and less common. But if you compare last year’s prices to those you can find today, you’ll see that some of the best, most impressive ultra-wide monitors are currently available for a fraction of their original asking prices.

In fact, if you look through the reviews we have on file for the monitors in this list you’ll notice that the MSRP for each of them is well more than current asking prices. Some are available online for about half what they were just a year ago.

Market pressure and cheaper components have made for an incredibly inviting buyers’ market when it comes to ultra-wide monitors. So, yes, now is a great time to buy an ultra-wide 21:9 monitor, particularly considering we’re nearing the end of the year, and as we all know there are a couple high-profile nationwide-sales just on the horizon. You might see these already-low prices plunge even lower by the holiday season.

Update 8-28-2017: Added the Dell U3818W, updated pricing.

Uber picks up a new CEO, Expedia’s Dara Khosrowshahi, ending high-profile search

Why it matters to you

For days, rumors swirled around several high-profile execs in the running for the Uber CEO job. In the end, the ridesharing company went with the lesser-known Dara Khosrowshahi of Expedia,

Uber’s board has finally chosen a new leader, and it’s not any of the high-profile executives that rumors had been swirling around. Rather, it’s the much-less-well-known Dara Khosrowshahi, who is the current leader of Expedia. On Monday, the travel company confirmed that its CEO had been offered the leading position at the ridesharing giant, where he’ll have his work more than cut out for him.

Over the course of the last few days, rumors had run rampant about who the final pick for the challenging position might be. It was initially suggested that former GE leader Jeff Immelt would be taking the reins from Travis Kalanick, but Immelt himself confirmed that he would not be pursuing the position in a tweet on Sunday. Then it seemed as though Meg Whitman of Hewlett Packard Enterprise was the top contender. But now, all this speculation has passed, and Khosrowshahi has emerged as the last person standing.

The Expedia exec, in many ways, seems to be the opposite of the scandal-prone Kalanick. Khosrowshahi hails from Iran, where his family owned a number of manufacturing plants. As such, it came as little surprise that he was one of the first tech leaders to voice opinions against the Trump administration, especially as they related to its travel ban.

Khosrowshahi also boasts considerable experience, having served as president and chief executive of Expedia since 2005. While the public company is smaller than the private Uber, it provides a similar service — helping people travel from Point A to Point B (though the distance may vary quite a bit between the two firms). Expedia is based in Bellevue, Washington, where the tech culture is markedly different from that of Silicon Valley.

Still, relatively little is known about the executive, as his name seemed to be one of the few not mentioned in the ongoing deliberations surrounding Uber’s leadership future. And Khosrowshahi may need to fend off attempts by Kalanick himself to regain control of Uber, as the former CEO has long been rumored to be looking for a way back in.

Android Oreo’s picture-in-picture feature now usable in Google Maps

The latest version of Google Maps makes Oreo’s PiP actually usable and adds other news features.

While Google Maps added support for Android Oreo’s Picture-in-Picture mode a few weeks ago, it wasn’t actually any good. Users reported rendering issues and application crashes, prohibiting the PIP experience. That has been fixed with the latest update to Google Maps.

Android Police reports that Google Maps 9.60 has fixed the previous issues with PIP, meaning all Android Oreo users will now be able to take advantage of the feature.

Also spotted in the update file were references to a new “personal notes” feature. This would presumably allow users to jot down specific information for a location, such as a gate code, that you wouldn’t want to share with the general public or save in a permanent Google Keep note. Another feature will allow business owners to publish events through the smartphone app. Owners can already put events information in Maps via the website, but being able to publish events through the app would be great for adding or changing events quickly.

The one (possible) feature that I’ll be most excited for is shortcut support. Rather than dig through the hamburger menu every time one opens the Maps application, users would be able to pin shortcuts to a specific location in the interface to save a few seconds. Another cool feature will allow for restaurant goers to add photos and reviews of their food dishes, with a basic rating system consisting of a thumbs up. Hopefully, Google fleshes that out before launch, with a 1 to 5 scale to let users know about “meh” food offerings. Google Maps 9.60 is rolling out to users now.

Have you received the latest Google Maps update? Let us know down below!

Numworks graphing calculator is made for students raised on tech

Like textbooks, graphing calculators are still a necessary (and expensive) accessory for math and science students in high school and college. Sure, there are calculator apps for tablets and smartphones, but those are often banned for tests because they could let you cheat online. So, many students have to buy them, and the dominant models from Texas Instruments and Casio can be complex and expensive. Now, an open-source calculator called Numworks is taking them on with a clean, simple look, an intuitive interface and open source programming and design.

“It seems crazy to say this, but it’s the only calculator on the market conceived for people of the 21st century,” the creator and head of Numworks, Romain Goyet, tells Engadget. As such, the team steered clear of existing calculators, and instead looked at game consoles, smartphones and other modern devices for inspiration.

Physically, Numworks is much smaller than most scientific calculators, weighing just 5.9 ounces with a thickness of 10 millimeters (0.4 inches). It’s rechargeable via a micro USB port (a cable, but not a charger, is included), and can go 20 hours between charges under normal operation. When not in use, it can hold a charge for “years” in deep sleep mode. The 2.8-inch diagonal (2.2 x 1.7 inch) screen can display over 262,000 colors.

Goyet says he and Paris-based industrial designer Alexandre Morronoz wanted a clean, Apple-like design. They succeeded in that regard, though the look borders on generic — far from the nerdcore models of TI, Casio, HP and others. That choice is deliberate, so as not to distract from its main purpose, says Goyet. “We deliberately avoided complexity in order to make something simple and logical that students will want to use,” he says.

The keyboard is split into three distinct areas: navigation, advanced calculations and a numeric keypad with widely spaced keys to reduce entry errors. There’s also a home, back, and standard On/Off button.

There’s no touchscreen, as with the pricey Casio FX-CP400 and similar models. Rather, navigation is done with arrow keys placed on the left of the device, opposite to most other graphing calculators. That’s not an accident: It’s designed to match the position of the navigation keys on gamepads. “We examined controllers from Sony and others to compare the layouts, buttons, etc. to see what made them efficient,” Goyet explains.

There are six applications to choose from: calculations, functions, sequences, statistics, probability and regression. (There’s also a Python interpreter that’s in beta.) Calculations are entered much as you’d see on paper, using numbers, operators and brackets, followed by “Exe” to get the answer. Students learning chalkboard algebraic notation will be at ease: If you tap 8π(25+6), for instance, it knows you mean 8*π*(25+6).

Functions are entered the same way, and let you see a graph and table of possible solutions (x, y and other variables are entered by selecting the “alpha” key first). The same logic is used for statistics, regression and other calculations. The suite of applications was developed in collaboration with teachers and professors to cover all of a student’s needs for high school and early college math and science.

The other main idea behind Numworks is the transparency and open source nature of the design. “When you use an iPad, you don’t really know how it works or what’s inside. We publish all our plans,” says Goyet. “How we do the plastic pieces, how we make the electronic circuits, how we write the software.”

Studying those plans and manuals could help students gain an understanding of coding and electronics, for one thing. But it also means that the product is expandable in the future. For instance, Goyet’s team added the aforementioned Python interpreter so that students can learn or test code.

Teachers and others can also contribute to the project, and see their work or suggestions arrive to all via updates (contributions are made here at Github). Right now, the calculator is a bit too basic for advanced math classes, Goyet says, but that could change down the road with the addition of new functions. You could even update your own, individual calculator if you’re ambitious, as Numworks uses a standard flashing protocol (DFU) and the SDK is public.

It’s been a long while since I used a scientific calculator, but navigation feels similar to using a console controller, which may be a comfort to students that have gamed since they were tots. Despite my rustiness, I was able to quickly figure out how to enter calculations, create functions and make graphs.

Calculator purists who like the funky style of devices like the Texas Instruments TI-84 may decry Numworks’ minimalism, but the company doesn’t really care about that. Rather, it’s hoping that high-schoolers who have never not used smartphones, tablets and consoles will grasp it quickly and be able to focus on math, not learn a calculator.

“If you give students something that’s 25 years old, it’s going to seem complicated to them,” says Goyet. “So, it was simply made for the tastes of today.” Numworks is available starting August 29th at Amazon and Numworks’ website, for $100 in the US, £80 in the UK and $80 in Europe.

Get ready for ‘Halo’ in VR

Microsoft regularly uses Halo as a selling point for its technology (see: the original Xbox), and that’s definitely true in the virtual reality era. The tech pioneer and 343 Industries have revealed that they’re working on Halo mixed reality experiences. The two aren’t saying anything more at this early stage, but it’s safe to say these offerings will run on Windows Mixed Reality headsets whenever they’re ready… and of course, Microsoft is bound to hype them to the hilt.

Between this and the move to add Windows Mixed Reality support in Steam, it’s evident that Microsoft sees gaming as an important battlefront in its quest for VR market share. It’s safe to say that gamers make up a large chunk of VR’s early adopters, and Microsoft needs to win them over if its own approach to VR is going to lure people away from the likes of HTC and Oculus. Halo may not be as much of a system seller as it used to be, but it’s a big-enough name that it might lure players who are still waiting for a must-have title before they pick up a VR headset.

Source: Windows Experience Blog