5 tech trends you’ll be talking about in 2018

This was a big year for tech. Twitter users finally broke free of their 140-character chains, while Tesla made good on its electric car for the people in the Model 3. The Wannacry ransomware attack became one of the most disruptive cyberattacks in history, and three commissioners on the FCC lead by Chairman Ajit Pai (at least temporarily) repealed Obama-era net neutrality rules.

Good news or not, it was a busy year in tech. 2018 looks no different, and we’re already watching some important tech trends that we expect to make waves in the new year. But first, let’s see how we did in predicting what we would be talking about in 2017.

Looking back at our 2017 predictions

The smart home finally seemed to take off in 2017, and indeed without the “smart hub” as we had predicted in late 2016. Why? Blame Amazon.

Alexa wiped the floor with its competitors during the year, and from CES 2017 onward it sure seemed like device manufacturers were tripping over themselves to flex their “Works with Alexa” muscle. While this has led to some pretty silly integrations, it’s also a testament to Amazon’s strength. This also left Google, Apple and Microsoft with a smaller segment of the market to fight over.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Thanks to the competition, you can now get in on the digital assistant craze for as little as $30: that’s a sixth of what it cost at the beginning of 2016. The ‘race to the bottom’ price-wise might have also solidified the current crop of assistants as the one that survive long term: it will be tough for new entrants to compete (Sorry Jibo).

Automation and AI also increased in adoption during the year, but perhaps not to the scale that we expected. Where we saw most of the automation was in chatbots, like expected, however the much-hyped Amazon drone delivery tests didn’t expand much further than where they stood during 2016 nor did we see anyone adopting automation any quicker than the current pace. AI and so-called ‘machine learning’ made a big splash though, especially in the app space.

Pokémon Go spread like wildfire then it and other AR apps fell off during 2017.

Augmented reality seemed to fall off the radar during 2017 after a banner year in 2016 for both it and virtual reality. After Pokémon Go spread like wildfire, its use as well as other AR apps fell off during 2017.

Another miss was our prediction that fake meat would experience a boom. Despite our optimism, synthetic food still seems a ways away at the end of 2017. Beyond Meat, however, is making moves to change that, and towards the end of the year started appearing in Walmart Supercenters nationwide. That’s a start, but there’s a long way left to go before next-gen fake meat will show up on the mainstream dinner table.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad set of predictions, but it does appear that we might have been a bit ahead of ourselves in some cases. Now ,let’s take a look at our top five tech trend predictions for 2018! Hopefully we do a bit better this time.

The Blockchain

No, it’s not just Tulip Mania. The underpinnings of cryptocurrency — a distributed leger system called the blockchain — has a real place in the future of technology, regardless of whether or not the price of Bitcoin is $0 or $50,000.

The blockchain is the decentralized heart of cryptocurrency, and is a distributed ledger of records which allow for the verification of records without the need for a middleman. While its primary use in 2017 and before was to verify cryptocurrency transactions, developers are realizing it has uses outside of finance. Transaction records, or “blocks” are cryptographically protected and then distributed to all participants.

Bitcoin’s average block size through 2017.

This allows transactions to be verified without the need for human involvement, but also much more impervious to spoofing. If one version of a block is corrupted, other participants still have correct copies of that block, preventing its use. Blockchains could be used to verify contractual terms — perhaps even execute them automatically in  “smart contracts”, or verify access to resources.

2018 is only going to be the beginning of a years-long transformation of many industries as a result. With cybersecurity such a big story in 2017, the blockchain seems like it’s prime for a breakout year in 2018. Don’t be surprised if for whatever reason years down the road cryptocurrency collapses yet blockchain survives. It’s that game-changing.

The return of the ARM-powered laptop

We’ve gotten used to long battery life in our smartphones and tablets as manufacturers and software developers improve hardware and software. But one place it has not made it to is laptops, which still in most cases would require a recharge at some point in the day unless you are doing much more than surfing the web.

Code will run natively on these processors, allowing widespread production of ARM-powered laptops.

To that extent, Microsoft re-engineered Windows in 2017 to be compatible with ARM technology. This isn’t the same as it’s doomed-from-the-start Windows RT effort: code will run natively on these processors, allowing for widespread production of ARM-powered laptops, notably Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor.

While early benchmarking hasn’t been impressive, we’d note that those results were based on prototype chips. Qualcomm itself promises battery life of 20-25 hours and performance which should be similar to Intel processors when they finally release in 2018. Of course, these laptops are aimed at entry-level consumers, but “always on” functionality and LTE connectivity built in sure is an attractive feature set.

Of course, the first versions of any new product are always rough around the edges. It’s likely that’s going to be the case here. While it might not make it in time for 2018, the Snapdragon 845 processor looks even more impressive, as it is 25 percent more powerful and sports a 30 percent graphics performance boost over its predecessor.

Add to this artificial intelligence support, biometric, encryption, and mobile payments support, and it’s likely Snapdragon 845-based laptops will be even more attractive to a wider range of consumers.

The end of the smartphone

A pretty bold prediction, right? It’s not as crazy as it sounds, though. The idea of a smartphone traditionally described a device that allows you stay connected in ways other than the traditional voice call. That is changing in the face of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Although it may still be called a smartphone, it might be more appropriate to call them intelligent phones in 2018 and beyond. As we just noted, mobile processors are coming that are built to handle A.I. technology. In the next year, digital assistants will become much more useful because they will be able to anticipate your needs before you even ask.

Think of how you interact with your digital assistant now. Wouldn’t it make more sense to ask it to “turn the light on” in a room rather than have to tell it exactly which lights it needs to turn off? The device would be location aware, and automatically trigger the closest light that’s currently off without you needing to specify.

Amazon is rumored to be working on a more location-aware platform for Alexa, and other companies are likely working on similar technologies which we should begin to see during 2018. The smart devices of the future will be truly intelligent, in turn making them inherently more useful.

The touchless interface

The user interface is key to our experiences with our tech gadgets. However most of these gadgets rely on some kind of physical interaction in order to work. This will change in 2018, with a focus on the “touchless” interface.

Imagine picking up your empty juice bottle and saying “Alexa, order this.”

Amazon Alexa, Siri, and other virtual assistants have already begun to train us to no longer rely on our thumbs and fingers. But as we noted in our discussion of the future beyond a smartphone there are other ways to interact that could be useful.

Imagine picking up your empty bottle of juice and saying “Alexa, order this” and it being ordered for you without you since Alexa understands what you’re looking at or holding. Other features, like customized responses based on who is asking, are already available and will only become more prevalent throughout the year.

Combined with other tech trends that will play a large part in what we’re talking about in 2018, the touchless interface will move us far beyond the tap and swipe.

Cloud computing taken to the edge

We’ve gotten so used to “the cloud” that this next tech trend sounds counterintuitive. Edge computing stands to shake up how we think about the cloud, and how it will be used in 2018 and beyond.

Edge computing is a return to “distributed computing,” where processing power is spread out over multiple computers. You might think cloud computing is a form of distributed computing too, considering that the cloud can route your request to an available server. It’s actually not: that server itself is still handling all the computing work on a single machine.

Why edge computing? As devices become more powerful, they’ll require ever larger streams of data to operate, making cloud computing simply too slow. Even with superfast 5G connections on the horizon, there will always be some degree of latency in the connection itself. That’s not including the processing time on the remote server.

Think about it this way. A self-driving car makes split-second decisions on when to turn and when to stop or swerve to avoid hazards. Do you really want to take the chance of some type of hiccup as data travels from your car to a central server to make that decision? Of course not. Instead, your car becomes a data center of its own, making computing intensive decisions locally, but sending data home after the fact to improve the operation of other vehicles.

The same general concept applies for other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, all of which could learn from each other’s real-world experiences yet not overload communications networks in the process.

It’s going to be a lot of work, especially considering how much we’ve invested in the cloud. However, with the number of IoT devices exploding we’re coming to the point where we’re going to need to figure out a better way to have them all communicate without sucking up all available bandwidth.

Editors’ Recommendations

• What is a blockchain? Here’s everything you need to know
• Ripple passes Ethereum to become the second-most valuable cryptocurrency
• A language for legumes: Can the Internet of Food help us know what we eat?
• You’ll soon be able to bet on Bitcoin’s future value on NASDAQ
• Here are some Alexa answers that prove the AI is smarter than you think

5 tech trends you’ll be talking about in 2018

This was a big year for tech. Twitter users finally broke free of their 140-character chains, while Tesla made good on its electric car for the people in the Model 3. The Wannacry ransomware attack became one of the most disruptive cyberattacks in history, and three commissioners on the FCC lead by Chairman Ajit Pai (at least temporarily) repealed Obama-era net neutrality rules.

Good news or not, it was a busy year in tech. 2018 looks no different, and we’re already watching some important tech trends that we expect to make waves in the new year. But first, let’s see how we did in predicting what we would be talking about in 2017.

Looking back at our 2017 predictions

The smart home finally seemed to take off in 2017, and indeed without the “smart hub” as we had predicted in late 2016. Why? Blame Amazon.

Alexa wiped the floor with its competitors during the year, and from CES 2017 onward it sure seemed like device manufacturers were tripping over themselves to flex their “Works with Alexa” muscle. While this has led to some pretty silly integrations, it’s also a testament to Amazon’s strength. This also left Google, Apple and Microsoft with a smaller segment of the market to fight over.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Thanks to the competition, you can now get in on the digital assistant craze for as little as $30: that’s a sixth of what it cost at the beginning of 2016. The ‘race to the bottom’ price-wise might have also solidified the current crop of assistants as the one that survive long term: it will be tough for new entrants to compete (Sorry Jibo).

Automation and AI also increased in adoption during the year, but perhaps not to the scale that we expected. Where we saw most of the automation was in chatbots, like expected, however the much-hyped Amazon drone delivery tests didn’t expand much further than where they stood during 2016 nor did we see anyone adopting automation any quicker than the current pace. AI and so-called ‘machine learning’ made a big splash though, especially in the app space.

Pokémon Go spread like wildfire then it and other AR apps fell off during 2017.

Augmented reality seemed to fall off the radar during 2017 after a banner year in 2016 for both it and virtual reality. After Pokémon Go spread like wildfire, its use as well as other AR apps fell off during 2017.

Another miss was our prediction that fake meat would experience a boom. Despite our optimism, synthetic food still seems a ways away at the end of 2017. Beyond Meat, however, is making moves to change that, and towards the end of the year started appearing in Walmart Supercenters nationwide. That’s a start, but there’s a long way left to go before next-gen fake meat will show up on the mainstream dinner table.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad set of predictions, but it does appear that we might have been a bit ahead of ourselves in some cases. Now ,let’s take a look at our top five tech trend predictions for 2018! Hopefully we do a bit better this time.

The Blockchain

No, it’s not just Tulip Mania. The underpinnings of cryptocurrency — a distributed leger system called the blockchain — has a real place in the future of technology, regardless of whether or not the price of Bitcoin is $0 or $50,000.

The blockchain is the decentralized heart of cryptocurrency, and is a distributed ledger of records which allow for the verification of records without the need for a middleman. While its primary use in 2017 and before was to verify cryptocurrency transactions, developers are realizing it has uses outside of finance. Transaction records, or “blocks” are cryptographically protected and then distributed to all participants.

Bitcoin’s average block size through 2017.

This allows transactions to be verified without the need for human involvement, but also much more impervious to spoofing. If one version of a block is corrupted, other participants still have correct copies of that block, preventing its use. Blockchains could be used to verify contractual terms — perhaps even execute them automatically in  “smart contracts”, or verify access to resources.

2018 is only going to be the beginning of a years-long transformation of many industries as a result. With cybersecurity such a big story in 2017, the blockchain seems like it’s prime for a breakout year in 2018. Don’t be surprised if for whatever reason years down the road cryptocurrency collapses yet blockchain survives. It’s that game-changing.

The return of the ARM-powered laptop

We’ve gotten used to long battery life in our smartphones and tablets as manufacturers and software developers improve hardware and software. But one place it has not made it to is laptops, which still in most cases would require a recharge at some point in the day unless you are doing much more than surfing the web.

Code will run natively on these processors, allowing widespread production of ARM-powered laptops.

To that extent, Microsoft re-engineered Windows in 2017 to be compatible with ARM technology. This isn’t the same as it’s doomed-from-the-start Windows RT effort: code will run natively on these processors, allowing for widespread production of ARM-powered laptops, notably Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor.

While early benchmarking hasn’t been impressive, we’d note that those results were based on prototype chips. Qualcomm itself promises battery life of 20-25 hours and performance which should be similar to Intel processors when they finally release in 2018. Of course, these laptops are aimed at entry-level consumers, but “always on” functionality and LTE connectivity built in sure is an attractive feature set.

Of course, the first versions of any new product are always rough around the edges. It’s likely that’s going to be the case here. While it might not make it in time for 2018, the Snapdragon 845 processor looks even more impressive, as it is 25 percent more powerful and sports a 30 percent graphics performance boost over its predecessor.

Add to this artificial intelligence support, biometric, encryption, and mobile payments support, and it’s likely Snapdragon 845-based laptops will be even more attractive to a wider range of consumers.

The end of the smartphone

A pretty bold prediction, right? It’s not as crazy as it sounds, though. The idea of a smartphone traditionally described a device that allows you stay connected in ways other than the traditional voice call. That is changing in the face of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Although it may still be called a smartphone, it might be more appropriate to call them intelligent phones in 2018 and beyond. As we just noted, mobile processors are coming that are built to handle A.I. technology. In the next year, digital assistants will become much more useful because they will be able to anticipate your needs before you even ask.

Think of how you interact with your digital assistant now. Wouldn’t it make more sense to ask it to “turn the light on” in a room rather than have to tell it exactly which lights it needs to turn off? The device would be location aware, and automatically trigger the closest light that’s currently off without you needing to specify.

Amazon is rumored to be working on a more location-aware platform for Alexa, and other companies are likely working on similar technologies which we should begin to see during 2018. The smart devices of the future will be truly intelligent, in turn making them inherently more useful.

The touchless interface

The user interface is key to our experiences with our tech gadgets. However most of these gadgets rely on some kind of physical interaction in order to work. This will change in 2018, with a focus on the “touchless” interface.

Imagine picking up your empty juice bottle and saying “Alexa, order this.”

Amazon Alexa, Siri, and other virtual assistants have already begun to train us to no longer rely on our thumbs and fingers. But as we noted in our discussion of the future beyond a smartphone there are other ways to interact that could be useful.

Imagine picking up your empty bottle of juice and saying “Alexa, order this” and it being ordered for you without you since Alexa understands what you’re looking at or holding. Other features, like customized responses based on who is asking, are already available and will only become more prevalent throughout the year.

Combined with other tech trends that will play a large part in what we’re talking about in 2018, the touchless interface will move us far beyond the tap and swipe.

Cloud computing taken to the edge

We’ve gotten so used to “the cloud” that this next tech trend sounds counterintuitive. Edge computing stands to shake up how we think about the cloud, and how it will be used in 2018 and beyond.

Edge computing is a return to “distributed computing,” where processing power is spread out over multiple computers. You might think cloud computing is a form of distributed computing too, considering that the cloud can route your request to an available server. It’s actually not: that server itself is still handling all the computing work on a single machine.

Why edge computing? As devices become more powerful, they’ll require ever larger streams of data to operate, making cloud computing simply too slow. Even with superfast 5G connections on the horizon, there will always be some degree of latency in the connection itself. That’s not including the processing time on the remote server.

Think about it this way. A self-driving car makes split-second decisions on when to turn and when to stop or swerve to avoid hazards. Do you really want to take the chance of some type of hiccup as data travels from your car to a central server to make that decision? Of course not. Instead, your car becomes a data center of its own, making computing intensive decisions locally, but sending data home after the fact to improve the operation of other vehicles.

The same general concept applies for other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, all of which could learn from each other’s real-world experiences yet not overload communications networks in the process.

It’s going to be a lot of work, especially considering how much we’ve invested in the cloud. However, with the number of IoT devices exploding we’re coming to the point where we’re going to need to figure out a better way to have them all communicate without sucking up all available bandwidth.

Editors’ Recommendations

• What is a blockchain? Here’s everything you need to know
• Ripple passes Ethereum to become the second-most valuable cryptocurrency
• A language for legumes: Can the Internet of Food help us know what we eat?
• You’ll soon be able to bet on Bitcoin’s future value on NASDAQ
• Here are some Alexa answers that prove the AI is smarter than you think

Best Gaming Controllers for Amazon Fire TV

Gaming on your Amazon Fire TV? You have more controller options than you might think.

Looking to invite friends over for a multiplayer session on your Amazon Fire TV but not sure what controllers are compatible with it? Well, for starters you’re going to have an easier time connecting third-party controllers if your still rocking the first generation of Fire TV.

But worry not. We’ve broken out a list of some of your best controller options for the Amazon Fire TV — and chances are you may already own something that’s compatible without knowing.

• Amazon Fire TV Gaming Controller
• Matricom G-Pad BX Wireless Gamepad
• Mad Catz Micro C.T.R.L.R. Mobile Gamepad
• Xbox 360 Wired Controller
• DualShock 4 Bluetooth Controller (for PS4)
• SteelSeries Stratus XL
• Logitech Gamepad F310

Amazon Fire TV Gaming Controller

An obvious but necessary inclusion on this list, if you enjoy the gaming controller that came with your Amazon Fire TV Gaming Edition, you can buy extra controllers from — where else — Amazon.

The Amazon Fire TV controller connects via Bluetooth and has a number of features specifically designed to get the most out of your Amazon Fire TV box. For starters, it includes a built-in microphone, which gives you full access to Alexa features and allows you to search for games, movies, music, and more information, using only your voice.

The controllers also feature a headphone jack, so you can fully immerse yourself in a movie or game without bothering the people around you. This will also be your best option if you have a second generation Fire TV, as support for third-party game controllers with the newer Amazon box is spotty at best compared to its predecessor.

The Amazon Fire TV controller takes two AA batteries, so you should stock up on those if you plan on becoming a heavy gamer. Get yours for just $49.99 from Amazon (where else?).

See at Amazon

Matricom G-Pad BX Wireless Gamepad

There’s a number of features that makes the Matricom G-Pad a compelling third-party Bluetooth controller to buy for your Amazon Fire. For starters, it’s powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery which means you won’t need to stock up on AA batteries, and if you’re running low you can plug the mini-USB cable to your Amazon Fire and play wired.

Since it’s Bluetooth, it’ll work just fine with your Samsung Gear VR, other Android devices and, of course, Matricom’s own G-Box Android TV box. It features dual modes for control, so you can switch over to mouse emulation whenever you may need it. Best of all, it’s the cheapest controller on the list offering at just $17.50, yet is quite comfortable and lightweight for a budget price. Given its near-universal compatibility and simple-yet-conventional design, Matricom’s G-Pad Wireless gamepad is worth your attention.

See at Amazon

Mad Catz Micro C.T.R.L.R. Mobile Gamepad

But since we’re talking about third-party controllers for the Amazon Fire, we gotta include this smaller option from Mad Catz — a household name in third-party gaming accessories. This is a compact option, and probably the smallest controller on this list, but it is jam packed with features you’ll love.

For starters, Mad Catz claim the Micro C.T.R.L.R. is “future-proof”, featuring dual-mode Bluetooth that works with Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Smart devices. That helps this controller achieve near-universal compatibility, with controller modes specific to the device you’re connected to: Mouse Mode, PC Mode, and GameSmart Mode (for near-universal compatibility with laptops, tablets and smartphones). It also features built-in media buttons for controlling your favorite media streaming services including Netflix, Youtube and Hulu Plus, so you can use this little kitty for nearly everything on your Amazon Fire.

For great quality and versatility that won’t break the bank, you can’t go wrong with this travel-sized controller. Get yours for just $32.99!

See at Amazon

Xbox 360 Wired Controller

The wired version of the Xbox 360 controller works nearly flawlessly with the first generation of Amazon Fire TV. Simply plug in the controller to the USB port on the back of your Amazon Fire TV and you’re good to go. With the second generation, you may need to go into settings and ensure that USB debugging is turned off before the system will find the controller.

Looking to attach more than one USB controller? It’s as simple as first plugging in a USB hub then plugging in up to four controllers. If you’ve got a couple plugged in, you’ll even notice the player indicator lights will light up properly — a small but reassuring feature.

There’s a whole bunch of third-party controllers that work with the Amazon Fire, including the wireless versions of the Xbox 360 controllers, but the reason why we’re not recommending the wireless variant is because you’ll also need to own Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows.

If you happen to already have a few of the wireless Xbox 360 controllers around, the dongle receiver may be the better option. If you don’t, the wired variety are your best bet, as you won’t have to worry about batteries or connectivity issues. They’re available on Amazon for just $40.20.

See on Amazon

DualShock 4 Bluetooth Controller (for PS4)

The DualShock controller has been an industry standard and trailblazer since first being introduced for the original PlayStation back in 1998. While the technology inside the controller has improved, the overall design has remained largely unchanged and it’s clear to see why — it’s incredibly comfortable to hold.

Sony’s DualShock 4 Bluetooth Controller is a great option that’s compatible with your Amazon Fire TV. It’s quick to pair — simply go into the Amazon Fire TV’s Bluetooth controller settings, then hold down the Share and PS button on the DualShock controller to start the pairing.

The DualShock 4 controller is a surprisingly versatile controller; beyond using it with your PS4 and Amazon Fire TV, it’s also compatible with Windows for PC gaming. But it’s also quite expensive, starting at $69.99 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

SteelSeries Stratus XL

The SteelSeries Stratus XL is a great controller that works for gaming on your Windows PC, Android phone, and Amazon Fire TV. SteelSeries has basically taken the best features from the DualShock and Xbox 360 controllers and combined them to create the Stratus XL.

It connects via Bluetooth and plays for up to 40 hours on two AA batteries. It’s perfectly weighted and has been designed to fit comfortably in your hands for marathon gaming sessions.

Best of all you can get this great controller for just $38.50. Don’t miss out!

See at Amazon

Logitech Gamepad F310

If you’re looking for a cheaper USB controller option, the Gamepad F310 from Logitech is a good choice.

It features the same analog stick layout as the DualShock and a cord that should be long enough to reach from the Amazon Fire TV to the couch. This one is also plug-and-play, meaning you shouldn’t have to worry about setting things up.

And since this is a cheaper option, starting at $19.99, you could stock up on a couple of them, along with a decent USB hub and always be prepared for some multiplayer action.

See at Amazon

What’s your preferred controller?

Do you have a favorite Amazon Fire TV gaming controller that didn’t make our list? Tell us about it in the comments!

Update, January 2018: Updated pricing information. These are still the best options for the Amazon Fire TV.

Amazon Fire TV

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Pixel 2 portrait mode now works on 2016 Pixel, Nexus 6P, and 5X

Available now as part of v7.3 of Camera NX.

It’s no secret that the Pixel 2 has an incredible camera, and one of its standout features is portrait mode. Google’s kept this locked to the Pixel 2 and likely won’t release it to other phones anytime soon, but thanks to the hard work of developer Charles Chow, you can now get portrait mode on your first-gen Pixel, Nexus 6P, and Nexus 5X.

If Chow’s name sounds familiar, that’s because this isn’t the first time he’s brought features from the Google Camera app to other phones. Some of Chow’s previous work includes bringing HDR+, Zero Shutter Lag, and Google’s AR Stickers to the above phones, but portrait mode might be one of his biggest achievements yet.

You can read the technical bits on Chow’s website about how he pulled this off, but all you need to know as the end user is that it seems to work just like it does on the Pixel 2. Open up the hamburger menu, choose portrait mode, snap a picture, and you’re good to go.

Portrait mode is available for the Pixel, Nexus 6P, and 5X as part of v7.3 of the NX Camera app, and you can download it here.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

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Shapa’s scale swaps numbers for psychology to help with weight loss

Weighing yourself after the holidays can be an emotionally trying process, especially if you’ve gone heavy on the turkey sandwiches. Oftentimes, the bad news sends you reaching for the comfort of the leftover chips and candy to get you through the cold winter months. However, Shapa, the new scale from behavioral scientist Dan Ariely, is designed to keep you ignorant and possibly thinner.

By removing the drip-drip of data in the micro, the idea is that you can focus on the macro and avoid getting demoralized by your body’s shifting weight. Instead, all you’ll get is a color, depending on if you’re underweight, about right or overweight, but nothing more specific.

Ariely is a professor of behavioral economics at Duke University, but is probably more famous for his books and TED Talks. His work looks into how humans make decisions, and how rational — or irrational — we are on a daily basis. It should be no surprise that the bulk of the Shapa app is dedicated to training you into better habits through small goals.

On my first day with the scale, I was asked to meet the goal of tidying my bedroom, while on day two I was asked to write down a goal and fix it to my refrigerator. Other aims include setting an alarm on your phone that encourages you to get up every two hours, or to walk down to your gym. You don’t need to enter it, mind you, just walk down to the front door and back, to help the habituation begin slowly.

Build-quality wise, the scale itself feels pretty sturdy despite being pretty lightweight, with a wood-effect texture that looks pretty classy. As for the app, it has clearly been designed with some love, and it’s certainly not the buggy, error-ridden mess many startups put out on their first attempt.

Over time, it’s expected that the combination of secret weight-loss data and your responses to the missions you’re sent on will help create a weight-loss profile. After a while, the system will understand what buttons work best to inspire you to put down the bagel and leap onto a treadmill.

There are a couple of issues with using Shapa on a daily basis, however, the biggest one being the lack of a display. I get the idea behind removing the feature, but the hardware demands that you can only weigh yourself with your phone open and the app running. Shapa doesn’t work on uneven surfaces, like a carpet, so you’re going to have to leave it in your bathroom (or kitchen).

Now, if you’re used to weighing yourself in your bedroom, and you aren’t in the habit of taking your smartphone into the shower, then you have a problem. Specifically, that you’ll need to dash from one room to the other in your towel to fulfill your twice-daily weighing routine. Or, alternatively, abandon the task and resolve to do better in the future, a common refrain amongst us serial dieters.

I’ll admit: I’ve been spoiled by Withings’/Nokia’s smart scales, which connect to the internet and upload your vital statistics automatically. But then again, a vanilla smart scale can’t, and won’t, necessarily trick you into honoring your goals and putting down that bag of corn chips. Shapa’s pricey, too, setting you back $129 for a device that’s paired with a $9.99 monthly subscription. Order now and you’ll get the device for $99 and the monthly rate is lowered to $7.95. That’s still a lot, especially when you can pick up an off-brand Bluetooth scale for as little as $25 on Amazon and use a $4 habit-forming app, like Productive to reach the same effect.

Source: Shapa

The best personal blender

By Lesley Stockton

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here.

After spending 20 hours researching two dozen personal blenders and testing 10 models with an expert in our test kitchen, we think the NutriBullet Pro 900 Series offers the best balance of power, simplicity, convenience, and price for most people. We pureed almost 25 pounds of frozen fruit, hearty kale, fibrous ginger, gooey peanut butter, and sticky dates into thick smoothies to come to this conclusion.

Who should buy a personal blender

A personal blender is a convenience item for the dedicated smoothie lover who’s short on time in the morning. If you want to quickly make a morning smoothie and run out the door without having to wash a blender pitcher and lid, a personal blender is for you.

Personal blenders are good for small jobs like smoothies, but their motors aren’t as powerful as the ones found in our picks for full-size blender. This means you’ll need to use more liquid, cut fruit into smaller chunks, and avoid crushing large pieces of ice.

How we picked and tested

From left to right: NutriBullet Pro 900, NutriBullet, Cuisinart CPB-300, Jamba Juice Quiet Shield, Vitamix S-55, Nutri Ninja, Tribest PB-150, Bella Rocket Pro, Bella Rocket. Photo: Michael Hession

The perfect personal blender is powerful, hands-free, and simple to use. It should be able to make relatively smooth purees in about a minute, and should have a small footprint that doesn’t take up much space on a countertop. A sturdy cup with a secure travel lid is a major plus, especially for commuters. We also found that blenders that had only one speed and were powered by engaging the cup with the base were the easiest to use. And of course, the perfect personal blender is also durable and reliable.

We decided on 10 blenders to test, and started by blending a smoothie from frozen bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and juice for the recommended running time of each specific model. If any blender couldn’t make a puree in that amount of time (usually one minute) or the base began to get noticeably hot, it was disqualified.

Then, we blended curly kale and water. We strained the mixture to evaluate the amount and size of any leftover solids, fibers, and particles. We also pureed ginger and frozen peaches to test each model’s ability to tackle tough fiber. Finally, we made a hearty shake from dates, banana, peanut butter, ice, and almond milk.

After blending each smoothie, we attached the travel lid and gave each tumbler a vigorous shake over the sink to check for leaks. We then tried to drink thick smoothies from the opening in the lids. Finally, we took decibel readings to check how noisy each blender was.

Our pick

Photo: Michael Hession

Out of the models we tested, the NutriBullet Pro 900 has the best balance of power, ease of use, and price. It blended everything we threw at it without straining. The Pro comes with a secure-fitting travel lid, and the large cup has a blending capacity of 24 ounces. It’s also the only blender we tested that includes two blade assemblies. With a 5½-inch-diameter footprint, it’ll tuck away neatly on most kitchen counters, and its 15-inch height clears standard upper cabinets. NutriBullet Pro comes with a limited one-year warranty, but a four-year extended warranty is available.

The NutriBullet Pro had no problem blending thick, spoonable smoothies. Our banana-berry smoothie came out lump-free. The kale puree wasn’t the finest blend we saw, but it wasn’t as fibrous as the kale from the Nutri Ninja. The NutriBullet blended dates well, leaving only a few small, pleasantly chewy pearls in the bottom of the cup that didn’t clog the straw.

A small, durable blender

Photo: Michael Hession

The Tribest PB-150 is a durable, no-frills personal blender. We like the Tribest for its tiny footprint and minimal clutter. At 16 ounces, the blending cups are smaller than those on both the NutriBullet and Breville blenders, and the travel lid doesn’t have a seal, so you can’t throw it in a bag. The Tribest made thinner smoothies than our top or upgrade picks because it required more liquid to get a consistent puree.

The Tribest includes the smallest cup of all our picks, which has a maximum blending capacity of 10 ounces (a 24-ounce cup is available to purchase on the Tribest website). This little blender can be easily stashed in a corner or on a shelf, and the two 16-ounce blending cups won’t add too much clutter to your kitchen. We also liked its streamlined, intuitive design.

A sleek and powerful blender

Photo: Michael Hession

In our tests, the Breville Boss To Go delivered the thickest, silkiest smoothies. It’s superpowerful and easy to use out of the box. The Breville is the only one of our top picks that has a metal base and driveshaft. At around $160 (at time of writing), it’s a splurge, but if you want sleeker design and velvety smoothies, it’s the one to buy.

The Breville Boss To Go blended smoothies in the same amount of time as the NutriBullet Pro, but produced smaller berry seeds and the finest kale puree of all our picks. The Boss To Go could handle superthick blends, and the motor never showed any sign of straining. Unlike the NutriBullet, the Breville pureed dates until only tiny brown flecks of skin were detectable.

This guide may have been updated by Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

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Making your own waves in the ‘Vortices’ art installation

Technology allows you to experience art in a direct way by physically becoming part of the exhibition, and TeamLab is on the forefront of that movement. The Japanese art collective is at it again with a new exhibition at Melbourne’s NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) Triennial called Moving Creates Vortices and Vortices Create Movement. It’s a hypnotic melange of art, interactivity and spectacle that shows how humans impact their environment and vice-versa.

The technology is similar to what we’ve seen with Microsoft’s RoomAlive and from companies like Theoriz, using sensors and projectors, and crunching everything with a powerful computer. However, TeamLab’s execution is particularly effective and poetic.

When you move within the large space at the NGV (made larger by mirrors on the walls), the sensors track your location and send a signal to the computer. A computer generates a stream of particles that follow you via a projection on the floor. “The faster the person moves, the stronger the force is applied in that direction,” TeamLab explains in a press release. “If a person is not moving or there are no more people, no flow will occur and nothing will be present in the space.”

Once there’s enough people and movement, the streams form into vortexes, much like they would in nature. “In the ocean, complicated terrain such as an island produces flow velocity difference and a vortex is generated,” TeamLab says. “Vortices swirl up the carcasses of organisms sunk to the bottom of the ocean, producing nutritious seawater. This becomes a source of nutrition for plankton to grow and nourishes the sea life. Vortices therefore contribute to enriching the ocean.”

The artwork plays with the idea of the “butterfly effect,” in that seemingly small actions can become big effects down the road. The vortices can dramatically grow in size and force, their effect amplified by the mirrors and large space.

“Through their own movement, visitors realise that seemingly unrelated things affect the world in an uncontrollable way,” TeamLab founder Toshiyuko Inoko told Wallpaper. “We want to create an experience where people’s various behaviors create diverse flow velocity, generating huge vortices –- whether you intended to do so or not.”

Via: DesignBoom

Source: TeamLab