2018 January 13

Jan

Merge Blaster Hands-on Review

Research Center:
Merge Blaster

Augmented reality games sound really cool, but often they’re a disappointment when you try them out. Whether it’s having to wear a headset to play, or the game itself not performing very well, you give up after having only a few goes at it.

The Merge Blaster is an accessory for your smartphone

That’s not the case with the Merge Blaster. We had only a few tries and wanted more. Lots more. It’s one of the most fun AR game experiences we’ve had, and a great demonstration of the new six degrees of freedom (6DoF) technology that’s changing mobile AR and VR experiences. In our Merge Blaster hands-on review, we explain why we liked it so much.

The Merge Blaster is an accessory for your smartphone. It employs positional tracking technology to understand where it is, making use of Apple’s ARKit, Google’s ARCore, and other similar platforms. It’s shaped like a futuristic weapon, and equipped with four different buttons and triggers. These allow you to shoot your weapons, jump, reload, and perform other in-game functions. The gun is light, comfortable to hold, and looks really cool.

On the top is a mounting point for your smartphone. This is the clever part of the Merge Blaster: It doesn’t need you to wear a headset, removing a huge barrier to enjoying free-roaming AR games. Instead, the phone acts as your window into the virtual world.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

We played a sci-fi first-person shooter, where you zap robots trying to take you down. The 6DoF tech understands what you’re doing and how you move. You don’t just look left or right, you move left or right. To get closer to the robots, you actually have to move toward them. Everything is tracked on the phone, and the game world syncs to your movement.

It’s surprisingly immersive, but above all, it’s really fun. We were on the CES 2018 show floor demoing the Merge Blaster, and weaving in and out of the crowd flow was slightly more awkward than playing in an open area, but definitely no less enjoyable.

Merge Blaster Compared To

TimeFlip Magnet

Star Wars: Jedi Challenges

Insta360 One

Samsung DeX Station

Oaxis InkCase i7 Plus

Ampy Move

Neo Smartpen N2

Motrr Galileo

Typo keyboard case

Moga Mobile Gaming Controller

Hasbro My3D

Iomega SuperHero

BlackBerry Presenter

Callpod Chargepod

Griffin Elan Holster

The game’s secret is its accuracy. Whether it’s ducking behind cover or sharpshooting an enemy robot, it was exactly on point and not frustrating at all. Add the satisfaction of holding the Blaster itself, and you’ve got a gaming experience you’ll want to repeat.

Merge is still working on the Blaster. The version in our pictures is a prototype, and although the design may not change, the paint and finish will be improved. Merge also has an SDK for developers to build software for the Blaster, and we’re hoping for more games at release. The shooter is a good start, though.

We also tried the Lenovo Mirage Solo mobile VR headset at CES 2018, which uses 6DoF technology, and found the Merge Blaster’s software experience superior because it eliminated the dizziness felt during the ski game on Lenovo’s headset.

There’s no final price for the Merge Blaster, but the company’s VR headset is very reasonably priced, so we’re hoping the Blaster will be similar. The release date will be sometime during summer 2018. We can’t wait for this one.

Jan

ZTE’s new foldable smartphone starts a revolution by offering users two screens

We’ve seen a lot of really cool new trends in the mobile industry recently, including a move away from bezels, as well as a greater widespread interest in augmented reality (AR) and 3D-sensing cameras. But perhaps the most daring new product at CES 2018 was ZTE’s Axon M smartphone.

Released late last year in an exclusive deal with AT&T, the Axon M is revolutionizing the smartphone market by giving consumers not one, but two screens on their phone. The screens can be used in a variety of ways, including a tent mode that allows viewers to watch the same content on different facing screens.

Other iterations include a tablet mode, which utilizes the two screens to display one app, or a mode that allows you to have two applications open at once. You can also set the phone on end to record videos without the need for a tripod.

ZTE’s foldable smartphone is the perfect device for multitaskers, or people who just like the idea of having a bigger portable screen. But Jeff Yee, vice president of product marketing and strategy at ZTE, says there are no plans to get rid of their existing phones. ZTE will be working on a new line of foldable Axon phones in conjunction with its more “traditional” models. ZTE hopes to be able to improve on the foldable phone model in the future.

“The intention is to eventually get to a larger synced screen — one screen — when a consumer wants it,” Yee said. “At the moment, it’s a two-screen display, which is what we have available in terms of screen technology. In the future, we see one screen that can bend.”

The Axon M is made with Gorilla Glass, and ZTE has created a specialized case to help protect both of its screens. It only has one camera, but you can easily flip the phone to switch between portrait and selfie mode.

Yee also talked about other trends in mobile, including faster speeds, lower latency, and more information-storing capabilities of the cloud.

Interested in more CES 2018 coverage? Make sure to visit our coverage page for videos, reviews, and more.

Editors’ Recommendations

ZTE Axon M vs ZTE Axon 7: Can ZTE’s foldable phone beat its mid-range classic?
Huawei may be releasing a foldable smartphone next year
ZTE Axon M review
The best ZTE Blade Z Max cases to keep it safe from bumps and scratches
EKG watchband helps Apple Watch owners spot irregular heartbeat problems

Jan

ZTE’s new foldable smartphone starts a revolution by offering users two screens

Yee also talked about other trends in mobile, including faster speeds, lower latency, and more information-storing capabilities of the cloud.

Interested in more CES 2018 coverage? Make sure to visit our coverage page for videos, reviews, and more.

Editors’ Recommendations

ZTE Axon M vs ZTE Axon 7: Can ZTE’s foldable phone beat its mid-range classic?
Huawei may be releasing a foldable smartphone next year
ZTE Axon M review
The best ZTE Blade Z Max cases to keep it safe from bumps and scratches
EKG watchband helps Apple Watch owners spot irregular heartbeat problems

Jan

Action Launcher v33 adds impressive ‘AdaptiveZoom’ app animations

AdaptiveZoom might be our new favorite app opening animation of all time.

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Action Launcher has long been one of our favorite third-party Android launchers, and one of the reasons for this is that developer Chris Lacey relentlessly adds new features and settings for us to spend endless hours playing with. The latest v33 update for Action Launcher keeps this trend going, and the big feature this time around is something called “AdaptiveZoom.”

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AdaptiveZoom is a new app opening animation for Action Launcher, and while these animations aren’t anything new, AdaptiveZoom is unique in the fact that it naturally fills your screen with the background color of adaptive app icons as they load. It really is quite gorgeous, and it might result in me mindlessly opening apps on my home screen just to see the animation over and over and over and over.

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In addition to AdaptiveZoom, v33 also adds Android 8.1’s bounce animation when opening up the app drawer, improved animations and appearance of the home screen indicator, the ability to delete everything on your home screens at once and use empty home screens, and a re-enabling of Action Launcher’s ability to use Android’s Accessibility API.

Lastly, Action Launcher’s Supporter program has been updated with three new exclusive wallpapers and AdaptivePack is being pushed to v4.0 with support for 3500 apps and 1100 unique icons.

Action Launcher’s best hidden treasures: Covers, Shutters, and Quicks

Jan

CES showed us smart displays will be the new normal

Before the start of CES 2018, the only real smart speakers with a display were the Amazon Echo Show and the Echo Spot. But now that Google has partnered with several manufacturers to make a whole line of Echo Show rivals, a bona fide new device category has been born: the smart display. And based on the devices revealed this week, I believe the smart display will slowly start to outnumber smart speakers and will likely be the norm going forward.

The simple reason for this argument is that the display makes such devices much more useful. Sure, you could have Alexa or Google Assistant tell you there’s a Starbucks 1.5 miles away from you. But wouldn’t it be nice to actually see where it is on a map? Or if you wanted to know the time, you could just, you know, look at the screen. Or if you wanted to know who the artist of the song is but couldn’t be bothered to interrupt the track, you could do the same. That extra visual layer is really useful, especially for quick, glanceable information.

Of course, you could’ve made this same argument months ago when the Echo Show debuted. But these new Google Assistant displays are so much better in almost every way. For example, when you make a search query, it won’t just spit out a short generic answer with the transcript showing up on-screen; it’ll actually appear in a way that makes sense. So if you search for “cornbread recipe,” the display will offer an array of recipes to choose from. Tap on one and you’ll be presented with a lovely step-by-step recipe guide, all without having to install any additional skill or action.

Or if you ask a Google Assistant smart display to play relaxing music, it won’t pick out a random playlist and start playing a song you don’t want (something that happens quite frequently with the Echo). Instead, it’ll offer a visual selection of playlists, which you can then scroll through and pick the one you want. Perhaps my favorite feature is when you ask for directions. It will not only show you the map on the screen but also send those same directions straight to your phone without you having to ask.

Plus, Google has now opened the door for so many more companies to start making smart displays. At CES, we saw Lenovo, JBL and LG show off their versions, each with very different designs. Eventually, even more companies will join the fray, adding their own spin on what a smart display looks like. With so many options on the market, there’ll soon be a smart display for every kind of home. Amazon might’ve introduced the smart-display concept, but Google will be the one to democratize it.

And this is just the beginning. Smart displays can be incorporated in more than just a little 10-inch prop on the table. Personal assistants are already in smart fridges from LG and Samsung, so it doesn’t take much imagination to think that Alexa and Google Assistant displays could take over the rest of your home. Imagine a smart display not only on the front of your fridge but also in the kitchen TV or maybe the bathroom mirror. Soon smart displays will be everywhere. CES 2018 was just the beginning.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Jan

Schwarzkopf’s smart salon personalizes your hair care regimen

As a woman whose long, thick hair has undergone several chemical treatments, I’ve always been concerned about the health and quality of my tresses. When I heard about Schwarzkopf Professional’s new hair analyzer, I was naturally intrigued by its potential uses. The company is bringing its SalonLab Analyzer system to Schwarzkopf salons across the US and Europe in 2018, so you can get a better understanding of how damaged your hair is. Not only that, salons can also use the information learned to better cater their treatments to your needs, as well as create personalized shampoos on the spot. I went for a quick consultation at CES 2018, and am so far impressed by what it offers.

To be clear, this system isn’t meant to replace hairstylists. In fact, it requires the input of an experienced professional to fill out a brief questionnaire about your hair, based on her observations and expertise. At Schwarzkopf’s suite in Las Vegas, I was attended to by the company’s professional global ambassador Lesley Lawson, who quickly entered my hair length, color and previous chemical treatments.

Then, she picked up the scanner and ran my hair through the opening, just like you would with a flat iron. Depending on your hair length, your stylist may scan one, two or three different points to judge its quality. Since my hair cascades down to my lower back, Lawson sampled a swatch of hair at my roots and again down closer to the tips.

The scanner, which has an image sensor to capture color data and an infrared sensor to measure cysteic acid levels, will send that information to the app. Schwarzkopf’s reps said cysteic acid is produced when the bonds holding protein strands in our hair are broken, so the more of it is present, the more brittle your hair is. According to the scanner, my hair condition is a relatively poor 60 percent (average of results scanned at the various sample sites), but a healthy 33 percent moist.

After getting your results, you can use the app to pick a dye and get to see what the actual hue will be based on your original hair color. You can also overlay the shades you’re considering over your hair in real-time via the app’s AR function. As we were running out of time at my appointment, I unfortunately didn’t get to try this feature out. But if it works well, it could help people better communicate with their stylists on the look they want or what colors best complement their complexions and faces.

At the end of the session, the app generates a shampoo formula based on your hair data, and sends it to what Schwarzkopf calls the SalonLab Customizer, which is basically an on-site shampoo “printer”. In merely 45 seconds, my little sample bottle of shampoo was ready, and the Customizer also spat out a little sticker that used the first two letters of my name to create a faux element a la the periodic table. This label also has a barcode that can be scanned at other partner salons to simply refill your formula.

I haven’t used my personalized shampoo yet, so I can’t comment on whether it indeed makes my hair feel better. Although customized hair products and AR apps to try out hair colors aren’t new, there hasn’t been an implementation that’s as comprehensive as Schwarzkopf’s. Plus, this is more of a professional solution that actually uses data from your manes, compared to competing custom formulation services that base your product on your answers to a set of questions.

Schwarzkopf recommends that salons offer SalonLab Analyzer as a premium service to its clients, although it doesn’t dictate how much they charge. Depending on your local stores, you may be able to try out this service for free, or pay a small fee. Although I haven’t been able to get any real benefit from trying out the new system yet, I feel more confident about working with my stylist if we both had such information about my hair. I’d also be more inclined to pay more for an add-on like a moisturizing treatment if presented with data about my hair quality.

To some, this may seem like yet another one of many services hairstylists are known for trying to upsell to you. But when combined with the app and custom shampoo service, this feels like a more well-rounded approach that could actually be useful.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Jan

Tech wants to solve our tech-related sleep problems

Technology is bad for sleep. It keeps us constantly exposed to an endless cycle of bad news, and the blue light emitted by smartphone and tablet displays suppresses our ability to produce melatonin. Combine that with the feelings of inadequacy generated by watching other people’s picture-perfect lives on social media, and it’s no surprise that we’re all restless.

Sleep technology exists to solve this issue, and there were plenty of companies exhibiting new devices here at CES 2018. Many of them intend to tell you how well, or poorly, you have slept each night, in the hope you’ll make better decisions the following day. But, as well as becoming more commonplace, sleep gadgets are going to become far more diverse, at least according to what we saw at the show.

Smartwatches and fitness trackers have tracked sleep for years, using the principles of actigraphy: Monitoring how you move as you sleep with algorithms used to calculate your cycles. The less you move, the thinking goes, the deeper your sleep.

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This week, companies like Nokia and Emfit both launched new underbed sensors that do the same job, but without a device on your wrist. The former will track your sleep duration and quality and offers a sleep-coaching function if you’re having trouble nodding off. In addition, the Nokia Sleep sensor offers control of your smart home with IFTTT, triggering recipes as you begin to nod off.

Using sleep technology as an extension of the smart home seems to be the beachhead from which these companies plan to enter our homes. Sleepace exhibited a whole suite of connected home gear that’ll automate your pad when it senses you’re sleeping. Spend enough cash and your residence will turn off the TV and draw the blinds as soon as you climb into bed. When you’re rousing the following morning, the system could gently turn on the lights and fire up the coffee machine.

SONY DSC

Wake-up lights were sleep technology well before sleep technology was a thing, using daylight simulation to trigger your natural circadian rhythm. It’s probably best exemplified by Philips’ Wake Up Light, and at CES 2018 competing products appeared from companies like Witti and Aromarest. The latter pulls double duty as a scent diffuser, much like Bescent’s forthcoming night-time sleeping aid.

Other devices are attempting to appeal more to the marginal-gains crowd looking to get an edge on their bodies. Dreamlight, for instance, is an intelligent sleep mask that offers light therapy in the eye cups and sleep coaching. If you have taken a genetic test with 23andMe, you can even customize the sleep programs according to your DNA. Even to the point where, should your genetics indicate so, you can attempt to sleep like Leonardo DaVinci, who famously took 20-minute polyphasic sleep naps every four hours.

Sleep Number, which sells smart beds that cost upwards of a thousand dollars, claims that its SleepIQ platform is the “future of health and wellness.” The company believes that its monitoring technology will soon be able to proactively spot and warn you of medical conditions ahead of time. For instance, its future beds may be able to identify symptoms such as an irregular heart rate or breathing pattern, look for signs of you being laid up with the flu and relay vital signs to medical professionals. Assuming, of course, that its users are comfortable with the sheer volume of data that is being collected against them.

SONY DSC

Then there are the more extreme interventions, like the recently launched bed from Magniflex, which will actually try to stop you snoring each night. Should its sensors detect your nostrils making the sound of falling rocks, the head of the bed will lift up by a couple of inches. That gentle motion should be enough to motivate your unconscious body to shift around, jolting you into stopping snoring.

There’s also Somnox, a pricey sleep robot in the shape of a peanut, which you cuddle up to over night. The device is designed to simulate breathing as if you were snuggling up to a loved one or pet, playing soothing music to get you off to sleep. Although setting you back $550 to buy one might make you reconsider just how much you need to spend on getting some shut-eye.

Of course, the lingering issue over many of these products is if there is a genuine need for them at all. Professor Jean Tenge at San Diego State University believes there is a much simpler solution to solve our sleep-related woes: put down the phone. In an editorial at The Conversation, she explained that limiting smartphone use is the fastest way for us to enjoy more restful sleep. The rule of thumb is to avoid using your phone as an alarm clock, don’t take it to bed and don’t use it in the hour before you sleep. If we want to remain sane, our bedrooms need to be as analog an environment as possible. Not that the technology industry will tell you that, of course, because very few people get rich by not selling you things.

Additional photography: Nicole Lee and Chris Ip.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Jan

‘Pokémon Go’ Community Days bring exclusive captures every month

Starting this month, Pokémon Go players will be able to participate in monthly events that will bring out special Pokémon with exclusive moves. Community Days will be worldwide events and to take part, you’ll just have to head outside to your local park. Each Community Day will feature a special Pokémon that will pop up more frequently for a few hours. Other event perks could include increased XP or Stardust, and Lure Modules activated on Community Days will last for three hours.

The first Community Day is scheduled for January 20th and the special Pokémon will be Pikachu, which will boast the exclusive event move Surf. As an added bonus, players will also dearn double XP during the Community Day event. You can see what time your region’s event will take place here.

Source: Pokémon Go

Jan

TimeFlip Magnet hands-on review

Research Center:
TimeFlip Magnet

No-one wants to waste time. We lead busy lives and must get used to multi-tasking and managing varied tasks, sometimes setting strict time limits on how long we spend doing something. This is the case for entrepreneurs, anyone who works at home, parents observing how long their kids spend watching TV over doing homework, and even for bosses checking office productivity (boo).

The thing is, checking how long you work on something is often a hit-or-miss mix of checking the clock, setting an alarm, or some other convoluted way that often ends up being forgotten or ignored. That’s where the TimeFlip Magnet comes in. It’s a simple idea that could transform the way you track time. Our TimeFlip hands-on review appropriately took place at CES 2018, where it’s notoriously hard to manage time, and such a device would come in handy, if only to see how little sleep everyone gets.

TimeFlip Magnet looks like a large, multi-sided plastic dice. Each side is blank when it arrives, ready to attach one of the custom stickers that comes in the pack — each using icons to show common tasks, like email and social networking — but you can create your own that are specific for you too. The dice-like case contains the TimeFlip Magnet module, which has an accelerometer inside, and is powered by a coin-cell battery that should last for up to a year. It connects to the TimeFlip app using Bluetooth.

You’re just about to start work on an overflowing email inbox, and only want to dedicate a certain amount of time to it before having lunch for an hour. Place the TimeFlip magnet with the email icon facing up, and the app begins tracking your time. When you’re done, and are ready to have lunch, turn the TimeFlip Magnet round to the side marked break, or food, and the app automatically switches to the new task. A circular graph in the app shows a breakdown of how you spend your time, which is also viewable on a web interface. The app also integrates with a variety of different task management systems, including Trello, Todoist, and Zendesk.

It’s a simple idea that could transform the way you track time.

It’s incredibly simple, and because it’s automated, there’s a far lower chance of you ignoring it. It’s also easily customised with either your own stickers or using a non-permanent marker to write ever-changing tasks on each side. If you’re really keen, an entirely new case can be 3D printed, ready for the TimeFlip Magnet module clipped inside. The name references the magnets used to keep the whole dice structure together.

The TimeFlip Magnet appeals because it’s easy. In the same way that fitness trackers aren’t used when they’re too complicated or time-intensive, we don’t want to spend time measuring our time either. It’s good to see a device that doesn’t get too deeply involved in adding features, or complicating things in the name of, “adding value.” It does one thing, and appears to do it well. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing device, and we’d like to have seen other colors or designs. It’s also fairly expensive at $50.