2018 January 12

12

Jan

Western Digital’s USB-C storage stick may be tiny, but it’s capacity is huge

Western Digital introduced new SanDisk-branded products during the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, including the world’s smallest USB-C external storage stick, which has a not-so-small capacity of 1TB. Western Digital said the device was just a prototype, so the company couldn’t commit to a release date or price. But given that Dell’s just-revealed Thunderbolt 3-based storage stick with a 1TB capacity will set you back $799, this tiny USB-C drive could cost a pretty penny, too.

The benefits of the SanDisk prototype are twofold. The drive will be compatible with mobile devices, laptops, and desktops that are now adopting USB-C connectivity. The capacity is also incredibly huge for the drive’s physical size, eliminating the need to carry a wallet-size external drive in your pocket. Unfortunately, we don’t know the read and write speeds of this device. although the USB-C port supports up to 5Gbps transfer speeds.

The prototype’s eventual retail pricing will likely depend on the type of flash technology used in the stick. There are plenty of external SSDs sold on the market with 1TB of storage for around $350, such as the Samsung T5 Portable SSD with read and write speeds of up to 540MB/s. It measures 2.3 x 0.4 x 3.0 inches, which isn’t exactly monstrous in your pocket, but nowhere near as slim as the SanDisk prototype.

The upcoming stick-shaped Dell Portable Thunderbolt SSD relies on the same storage technology used in its desktops and laptops, and promises up to 2,650MB/s read and write rates. But it’s also backed by Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, supporting data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps, or 5,000MB/s. That means it has access to a PC’s internal fast lanes to provide internal-like speeds in an external device.

That said, there’s a good chance SanDisk’s 1TB USB-C stick could cost somewhere between the larger $350 units, and Dell’s Thunderbolt 3-based stick. Given SanDisk is Western Digital’s mainstream-focused arm, the company will likely shoot for a mainstream-friendly price that won’t break the bank. But it’s still just a prototype, after all, and may never even see a store shelf despite the hype.

SanDisk already serves up several storage drives supporting USB-C connectivity, such as the Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive with four capacities ranging from 16GB to 128GB. It supports USB 3.1 Gen1, meaning the connection is theoretically capable of transfer speeds of up to five gigabits per second (Gbps), which translates to 625 megabytes per second (625MB/s). The drives have a read speed of up to 150MB/s (130MB/s on the 16GB model) despite the USB-C connectivity, and a starting price of just $10.

Another SanDisk-branded USB-C storage solution is the Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C, with five capacities ranging from 16GB to 256GB. The write speeds are identical to the Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive collection, only this family of storage sticks includes an additional USB-A connector (3.1 Gen1) mounted at the other end. This group is rather inexpensive as well, with a starting price of a mere $17.

Editors’ Recommendations

Dell’s stick-sized external Thunderbolt 3 SSDs are extremely fast, but expensive
Intel finally soothes the PC gamer crowd with high-capacity SSDs
Dell’s refreshed Latitude laptops get to work with 8th-gen Intel Core, 4G LTE
Lenovo’s updated ThinkPads include T480s with Nvidia MX150, affordable X-Series
The most expensive iMac Pro costs over $13,000, and here’s what you could get on a PC

12

Jan

Western Digital’s USB-C storage stick may be tiny, but it’s capacity is huge

Western Digital introduced new SanDisk-branded products during the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, including the world’s smallest USB-C external storage stick, which has a not-so-small capacity of 1TB. Western Digital said the device was just a prototype, so the company couldn’t commit to a release date or price. But given that Dell’s just-revealed Thunderbolt 3-based storage stick with a 1TB capacity will set you back $799, this tiny USB-C drive could cost a pretty penny, too.

The benefits of the SanDisk prototype are twofold. The drive will be compatible with mobile devices, laptops, and desktops that are now adopting USB-C connectivity. The capacity is also incredibly huge for the drive’s physical size, eliminating the need to carry a wallet-size external drive in your pocket. Unfortunately, we don’t know the read and write speeds of this device. although the USB-C port supports up to 5Gbps transfer speeds.

The prototype’s eventual retail pricing will likely depend on the type of flash technology used in the stick. There are plenty of external SSDs sold on the market with 1TB of storage for around $350, such as the Samsung T5 Portable SSD with read and write speeds of up to 540MB/s. It measures 2.3 x 0.4 x 3.0 inches, which isn’t exactly monstrous in your pocket, but nowhere near as slim as the SanDisk prototype.

The upcoming stick-shaped Dell Portable Thunderbolt SSD relies on the same storage technology used in its desktops and laptops, and promises up to 2,650MB/s read and write rates. But it’s also backed by Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, supporting data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps, or 5,000MB/s. That means it has access to a PC’s internal fast lanes to provide internal-like speeds in an external device.

That said, there’s a good chance SanDisk’s 1TB USB-C stick could cost somewhere between the larger $350 units, and Dell’s Thunderbolt 3-based stick. Given SanDisk is Western Digital’s mainstream-focused arm, the company will likely shoot for a mainstream-friendly price that won’t break the bank. But it’s still just a prototype, after all, and may never even see a store shelf despite the hype.

SanDisk already serves up several storage drives supporting USB-C connectivity, such as the Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive with four capacities ranging from 16GB to 128GB. It supports USB 3.1 Gen1, meaning the connection is theoretically capable of transfer speeds of up to five gigabits per second (Gbps), which translates to 625 megabytes per second (625MB/s). The drives have a read speed of up to 150MB/s (130MB/s on the 16GB model) despite the USB-C connectivity, and a starting price of just $10.

Another SanDisk-branded USB-C storage solution is the Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C, with five capacities ranging from 16GB to 256GB. The write speeds are identical to the Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive collection, only this family of storage sticks includes an additional USB-A connector (3.1 Gen1) mounted at the other end. This group is rather inexpensive as well, with a starting price of a mere $17.

Editors’ Recommendations

Dell’s stick-sized external Thunderbolt 3 SSDs are extremely fast, but expensive
Intel finally soothes the PC gamer crowd with high-capacity SSDs
Dell’s refreshed Latitude laptops get to work with 8th-gen Intel Core, 4G LTE
Lenovo’s updated ThinkPads include T480s with Nvidia MX150, affordable X-Series
The most expensive iMac Pro costs over $13,000, and here’s what you could get on a PC

12

Jan

Full-body Teslasuit allows virtual reality to reach out and touch you

Virtual reality is a feast for the eyes and ears, but what about the rest of your body? Companies are experimenting with ways to incorporate touch into VR experiences, and while products like the Sense Glove are cool, the Teslasuit is an effort to more fully immerse people in virtual environments by providing (almost) every inch of your body with haptic feedback. At CES 2018, Digital Trends talked to Teslasuit CEO Dimitri Mikhalchuk about the suit’s progress.

The suit uses an “electro-tactile haptic feedback system” to really put you inside the games you’re playing. “It covers the entire body. Currently we have 68 channels, we’re going to expand to even more by the time we hit the consumer level,” Mikhalchuk said. “It provides the sensations, anything from stroke to hard impact … but the hard impact we’ve specifically limited to the own wearer’s strength, not to damage any tissue or anything, to keep it safe.”

In theory, you’ll be able to feel when you bump into walls, or reach out to touch something in-game.

“Our electro-tactile haptic feedback system gives you the ability to touch and feel objects inside the virtual world,” says the project’s Kickstarter page.

The haptic feedback system, which stimulates your nerves directly with electricity so you can “feel” things in the virtual environment, is already common in the world of physical therapy. It’s likely the suit could be useful in those contexts, but for now the marketing seems focused squarely on the virtual reality market, a market that Mikhalchuk thinks is slowly reaching its potential.

“For the consumer market, we think there’s not enough headsets yet …” he said. “VR is getting untethered. Compared to Teslasuit, Teslasuit has been untethered from the very beginning. It’s built with multiplayer in mind straightaway, so we can have multiple users in the same area, or across the internet.”

The Teslasuit has started shipping out developer kits for game designers (since VR equipment lives or dies based on the software available), and hopes to have consumer models available in 2019. Full-body haptic feedback is one of the missing links between virtual reality as we know it today and a completely immersive “holodeck” experience, so we doubt the company will have trouble finding VR pioneers willing to pony up the cash.

Editors’ Recommendations

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12

Jan

Full-body Teslasuit allows virtual reality to reach out and touch you

Virtual reality is a feast for the eyes and ears, but what about the rest of your body? Companies are experimenting with ways to incorporate touch into VR experiences, and while products like the Sense Glove are cool, the Teslasuit is an effort to more fully immerse people in virtual environments by providing (almost) every inch of your body with haptic feedback. At CES 2018, Digital Trends talked to Teslasuit CEO Dimitri Mikhalchuk about the suit’s progress.

The suit uses an “electro-tactile haptic feedback system” to really put you inside the games you’re playing. “It covers the entire body. Currently we have 68 channels, we’re going to expand to even more by the time we hit the consumer level,” Mikhalchuk said. “It provides the sensations, anything from stroke to hard impact … but the hard impact we’ve specifically limited to the own wearer’s strength, not to damage any tissue or anything, to keep it safe.”

In theory, you’ll be able to feel when you bump into walls, or reach out to touch something in-game.

“Our electro-tactile haptic feedback system gives you the ability to touch and feel objects inside the virtual world,” says the project’s Kickstarter page.

The haptic feedback system, which stimulates your nerves directly with electricity so you can “feel” things in the virtual environment, is already common in the world of physical therapy. It’s likely the suit could be useful in those contexts, but for now the marketing seems focused squarely on the virtual reality market, a market that Mikhalchuk thinks is slowly reaching its potential.

“For the consumer market, we think there’s not enough headsets yet …” he said. “VR is getting untethered. Compared to Teslasuit, Teslasuit has been untethered from the very beginning. It’s built with multiplayer in mind straightaway, so we can have multiple users in the same area, or across the internet.”

The Teslasuit has started shipping out developer kits for game designers (since VR equipment lives or dies based on the software available), and hopes to have consumer models available in 2019. Full-body haptic feedback is one of the missing links between virtual reality as we know it today and a completely immersive “holodeck” experience, so we doubt the company will have trouble finding VR pioneers willing to pony up the cash.

Editors’ Recommendations

The Sense Glove enables users to get a grip on virtual reality
The best VR headset you can buy
HTC Vive Tracker Review
CryptoKitties lets you buy, sell, breed virtual cats using real digital currency
The ZephVR blows air in your face, which might actually make VR better

12

Jan

Displaylink is ready to make wireless virtual reality setups, well, a reality

It isn’t CES without virtual reality, and this year we saw the first steps toward making wireless VR a reality. At its CES booth, VR company Displaylink explained to us how it aims to bring a fully wireless VR experience to both single and multiplayer VR gaming setups in the near future.

The Displaylink XR setup is designed from the ground up to offer total freedom of movement — no cables, no toppling over furniture, or accidentally yanking over your PC. It’s also the technology powering HTC’s official Vive Wireless Adapter, which works with both the upcoming Vive Pro and legacy Vive headsets.

So, how does Displaylink make this possible? After all, most high-end VR headsets have been notorious for being a tangle of cords, tethering you down to small play areas near your PC, and presenting potential hazards and obstacles to playing. Including a wireless option would require a very quick wireless connection, because of the massive amount of data streaming from the PC to the headset and back again.

“Enabling the very best wireless VR user experience requires a combination of the best technology and partnerships,” said Frank Soqui, general manager of VR and gaming at Intel. “Intel 802.11ad WiGig radios working in conjunction with DisplayLink’s XR codec take HTC’s Vive to a whole new level.”

To do that, the Displaylink technology uses Intel’s WiGig technology — think of a typical WiFi connection on steroids. Connectivity runs over the 60GHz frequency band, which is great for preventing interference with existing Wi-Fi networks. Bandwidth fluctuations are bad for graphics, but Display link’s codec dynamically adjusts the bandwidth in real time, to deliver 90 frames per second with its current build, and up to 120 fps in the future.

You’ll have to wait a little while before you get your hands on one of these wireless adapters — they won’t hit store shelves until the third quarter of 2018. Still, keep an eye out — pre-orders will likely open in advance of the official launch date.

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12

Jan

Find your moment of Zen with our selection of the best meditation apps

It’s no secret that stress takes a serious toll on your body and psyche. In our constantly connected lives, it’s important to take a little time each day to be mindful of our breath and surroundings at this moment. Meditation allows us a moment of escape. Contrary to popular belief, there’s no need to meditate for hours on end; spending just a few minutes each day can improve concentration and reduce stress.

With the number of excellent meditation apps available for iPhone and Android, it’s easy spend a few moments practicing mindfulness from anywhere. With just your smartphone and a pair of headphones, it’s easy to meditate in the office or even on the train. Here’s our selection of best meditation apps to help you build your daily practice.

Inscape

As one of New York’s premier meditation studios, Inscape knows a thing or two about about mindfulness. The Inscape app lets you experience everything the studio has to offer no matter where you live. It allows you to select from a number of different guided meditation exercises, set meditation timers, and even keep a practice journal. The app also offers an amazing selection of sound meditations.

Inscape offers monthly subscriptions starting at $8. There’s a 14-day trial available to new members, so you’ll have a little time to try out the app before committing.

Download now for:

iOS

Headspace

Headspace is one of the oldest, and most well-known meditation apps available for iOS and Android. The subscription-based app helps you build a meditation by providing a Foundation Series to newcomers. Once you’ve worked through the preliminary meditations, Headspace offers a huge catalog of guided meditations.

Headspace subscriptions start at $8, however the company frequently offers promo codes and sales to make the app more affordable.

Download now for:

iOS Android

Stop, Breathe & Think

Stop, Breathe & Think offers much of the same functionality as other apps on our list — meditation exercises at different lengths and focuses. However, Stop, Breathe & Think also has a quick and easy check-in tool that you can use to find the perfect session for you at that exact moment. These check-ins help build mindfulness, the cornerstone of any meditation practice, by helping you recognize emotions and feelings you may experience during certain situations.

Stop, Breathe & Think is available to download for free, but certain meditation sessions cost anywhere between $1 and $3.

Download now for:

iOS Android

Timeless | Meditation

Timeless offers a simple, minimalist user interface. The app allows you to select a meditation duration from 8 to 32 minutes. Courses, guided meditations, and personal data is available on the bottom menu. The Timeless app makes it easy to set goals and track your progress.

Timeless offers basic guided meditations and some free courses, but you will have to subscribe to unlock the more advanced guides. The free content within the app is excellent, and should be enough to help you decide if this is the meditation app for you. If you choose to build your meditation practice with Timeless, monthly subscriptions start at $9. If you’re an Apple Watch owner, then you’ll be happy to know Timeless is compatible with Apple Watch.

Download now for:

iOS

Aura

Aura uses AI to create a personalized meditation experience. When you open the app, it greets you and asks you to answer a few simple questions, starting with your name and how you feel at that moment. The app creates a 3-minute session based on your answers. These 3-minute sessions are offered to you every day for free. Like other meditation apps, you can track your mood, but you can also write about your feelings by making notes within the app.

Aura is compatible with the Apple Watch, and allows you to share data with iOS Health. While Aura offers a decent selection of free meditations, premium content is available with monthly subscriptions starting at $12.

Download now for:

iOS Android

Update: Added Inscape to the list and removed 10% Happier, Calm, and Omvana.

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12

Jan

From Belkin to iOttie, these are the best wireless chargers at CES 2018

Android users know that many Android device manufacturers have been building wireless charging support into their phones for years now — but now that Apple has adopted the technology for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, wireless charging is once again in the forefront of consumer consciousness.

The result? A slew of new wireless chargers at CES 2018, the biggest consumer electronics show in the world. Quite a few companies have revealed their charging pads at the show, and many of them seem pretty nice. Here are the best wireless charging pads from CES 2018.

Unsure of the tech behind wireless charging? Take a refresher course thanks to our guide on how wireless charging works.

iOttie iON

Perhaps the coolest, most useful, and most beautiful wireless charging pad at CES 2018 is the iOttie iOn, which made waves during the show because of how well-designed it is. It has a nice fabric exterior with a subtle silicon ring on it to keep your phone from sliding off. It also has an output of up to 10W, so it will work with your iPhone or Android device. Most of us have multiple devices on our night stand to charge, and iOttie has you covered there too, as the device has a regular USB-A port on the back you can use to charge other devices. The pad itself plugs in to a power outlet via a USB-C port.

Apart from the charging pad, iOttie is also offering a similarly designed charging stand — though it does away with the USB-A port, so it may not be as useful to some.

We don’t have pricing for the charging pad just yet, though we should get it relatively soon — iOttie says the pad will be available in Q1 of this year.

HyperDrive USB-C Hub

This charging pad is a little different from the rest. Why? Because it’s not just a charging pad — it’s also a full-fledged hub that’s perfect for those that want a little more connectivity from their computer. Once you plug the USB-C port into your computer, you’ll have access to a 4K HDMI port, an Ethernet port, a MicroSD card slot, an SD card slot, three USB-A 3.1 ports, and one USB-C port for power delivery. Oh, and you can just slap your Qi-enabled phone on the top to start charging, too. What’s more, the top of the hub is designed to be able to slide up, so you can use it more as a wireless charging stand that a pad, if you so choose.

The hub isn’t available for purchase just yet — it’s set to be funded on Kickstarter starting on January 15, with delivery in March and April. The Kickstarter campaign shows an early bird special of $70, but eventually the retail price will be $150.

Belkin Boost Up Bold charging pad and stand

It comes as no surprise that Belkin is launching new wireless charging products. At CES, the company showed off its new Boost Up Bold charging pad, and we like it for a different reason that the others on this list: It’s simple. It’s really just a sleek, round charging pad that will look right at home for those with minimalistic decor. The charger is able to deliver power to devices at up to 10W, and comes in a few different colors — including black, pink, blue, and white.

While there is a listing for the charging pad on the Belkin website, pricing hasn’t been announced yet, and the pad won’t be available until the summer. The charging pad is also available as a stand. The stand comes in the same colors as the standard pad, and will also be available in the spring or summer.

Belkin Boost Up Bold wireless charging car mount

Belkin has you covered in your car, too. At CES, the company unveiled a car mount with built in wireless charging, essentially meaning you can simply put your phone in the mount, and it’ll start charging — no plugs necessary. It’s compatible with all Qi-enabled devices, so whether you have a newer iPhone or a Qi-enabled Android phone, it should be able to charge your device with ease. Like the other Belkin chargers on this list, we don’t yet know pricing for the mount, but it will be available in the summer. It’s only available in black.

Nomad Wireless Hub

Nomad has also released a wireless charger at CES, and it calls it the wireless charging hub. Why? Well, apart from being able to charge your Qi-enabled devices, it also boasts a hefty three USB ports and one USB-C port — so you should be able to charge most, if not all, your devices at once. All those ports are tucked nicely inside a compartment at the bottom of the device too, making for much better cable management than some other hubs offer.

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12

Jan

With Solos Glasses and a 2K microdisplay, Kopin Hopes to Storm the VR Industry

Virtual reality is a burgeoning industry, and while companies like HTC and Oculus are the kings at the moment, that isn’t stopping others from trying to plant their own flags. Kopin is a name people might not readily recognize, but the company has been working with VR since 1991, according to Kopin’s Stuart Nixdorff. At CES 2018, Digital Trends talked to Nixdorff about Kopin’s interesting history, and its recent attempts to establish its name in the consumer VR space.

While the name Kopin may not ring any bells for most consumers, it is the world’s largest microdisplay company. One of the reasons Kopin isn’t a household name is that its biggest client has been the military.

“Most of what we’ve done has come out of military development, and soldier deployments,” Nixdorff said, “where you’re trying to understand how form factors, products, technologies come out, and to help somebody solve a job. And so for the past six or seven years, we’ve been developing concept systems and reference designs, to help people understand and envision how to use products.”

Among Kopin’s most notable nonmilitary projects was its work for the U.S. women’s cycling team. “Three years ago, we started a project called ‘Project Rio’ which was for the Rio Olympics,” Nixdorff continued, “where we worked with the U.S. women’s cycling team to develop sports glasses specifically to help them improve performance to ramp up for the Olympics.”

The result was Kopin’s Solos smart glasses, which use microdisplays to relay metrics to cyclists as they ride. At CES 2018, Kopin showed off its second-generation Solos glasses, which are lightweight and have both integrated audio and voice control.

Solos isn’t the only project Kopin has been working on, however. The company is also showing off a new 2K OLED microdisplay, which could take the VR industry to the next level, not just in performance, but in size.

“What we found from the VR market is two things,” Nixdorff explains. “One, they wanted to have extremely high, lifelike experiences, which is resolutions, speed, lack of latency. And the second is very, very small size. And with the microdisplay, you’re able to shrink the size of VR headsets down about 40 percent.”

Kopin’s new microdisplay is, according to Nixdorff, the world’s highest resolution display, with 3,000 pixels per inch. Its small size means it can fit in smaller headsets, which would be less cumbersome for users. Look for headsets that incorporate Kopin’s display within a year or so.

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