‘Nourish’ System Provides Supplements Based on Fitness Tracker & App Data

FitNatic yesterday launched a new Indiegogo campaign centered around a device called the “Nourish.” The “Intelligent Countertop Supplement System” aims to provide users with a detailed, personalized concoction of vitamins based on information collected from health apps and fitness trackers synced with the Nourish.

The system itself is a black box with a 15-inch touch screen on its front and rows of 16 “seeds” lining its top. After taking into account data collected from locations like an Apple Watch or the Health app — including exercises, blood pressure, and sleep patterns — Nourish will dispense a specific cocktail of personalized nutrition in the form of a powder that users simply dump into a bottle of water and drink.

As Aldo Beqiraj, founder of FitNatic, explains, the combination of data collected from sources like a Fitbit and apps like MyFitnessPal, the Nourish can present users with a detailed list of nutrients scheduled out over daily and weekly dispenses. The Nourish also can ask users for extra caffeine in the morning if they’re feeling tired, or inquire as to whether you want more glutamine in a post-workout blend if feeling sore.

When a particular seed is beginning to run out, Nourish will notify its user, and FitNatic will deliver replacement seeds if the user opted in for the company’s automatic home delivery service. FitNatic even says Nourish will begin to learn your preferences over time, and begin to suggest new seeds “that will be more beneficial and help you reach your goals faster.”

There’s also an app for the system that lays out a weekly dispensing schedule for the device, highlights nutrients your body needs, and points you towards ways to capitalize on the system. The app also reminds you of your “optimal metabolic window,” and sends a push reminder to drink the next blend. Users just need to tap dispense, and the Nourish mixes the ingredients, eventually raising the 15-inch touch screen to reveal a hidden compartment holding the Nourish Pod with the requisite blended nutrients.

The 16 ‘seeds’ filled with various supplements that line the top of the Nourish
FitNatic is looking to crowd-funding to help make the molds its manufacturer needs to enter the device into a larger-scaled production line, along with basic funding requirements like cloud optimization, final firmware development, production and tooling, and shipping and fulfillment. The perks for the Indiegogo start at $299 for one Nourish alongside a one month supply of supplement seed pods. After that early bird special ends, the same perk will cost those interested $399.

Nourish has 37 days left to reach its $65,000 goal, so there’s plenty of time left for anyone thinking about backing the project to decide whether or not to contribute to FitNatic’s fitness-focused system. Those who do are promised a shipping date estimate of January 2016.

Apple rumored to let other companies make Watch chargers

Apple is believed to be ready to let third parties build magnetic charging cables for the Apple Watch in the same way as it does for the iPhone and iPad. A report by 9to5Mac claims that the company is gearing up to launch a Made for Apple Watch licensing program that’ll enable other firms to build their own. Currently, watch stands have to have a groove cut out of them into which you can cram your bundled charging cable. Unfortunately, that’s not a very elegant solution for your nightstand, especially if you’ve dropped $100 on a custom dock. If the report is to believed, then we should start seeing integrated chargers all over the place by early 2016.

Filed under: Wearables, Apple

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Source: 9to5Mac

Apple Launches 2015 Back to School Promotion, Offers Free Beats Solo2 Headphones

Apple today launched its annual Back to School promotion, providing a free pair of Beats Solo2 On-Ear headphones to customers that purchase an eligible Mac, including the iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac Pro. Apple is also offering the option to upgrade to a pair of Beats Solo2 Wireless Headphones for $100.

Apple has outlined the full eligibility requirements for the program in its terms and conditions (PDF).

In years past, Apple has launched its Back to School program during June or early July, with the second Tuesday of July being the target date for several years in a row, but this year’s launch has come later in the month than expected.

Apple’s Back to School promotion will run from today through September 18, 2015 and is available in the United States and Canada. The program should also be available in additional countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Joe Rossignol contributed to this report.

Apple Pay Adds 35 New Participating Issuers in United States

Apple updated its Apple Pay participating issuers list today with 35 additional banks, credit unions and financial institutions supporting the contactless payment service in the United States. Apple Pay now has over 375 participating issuers nationwide, and dozens more plan to support the NFC-based mobile payment service in the future.

The newly added Apple Pay participating issuers are reflected below, although it’s worth noting that some banks, credit unions and financial institutions listed may have already had support for the contactless payments service and are only now being reflected on Apple’s website.

The full list of new Apple Pay participating issuers:

• 1st Source Bank
• Allegacy Federal Credit Union
• Amarillo National Bank
• American National Bank and Trust
• Cambridge Trust Bank
• CASE Credit Union
• CME FCU
• Coast Line Credit Union
• Columbia Bank
• Community Financial Credit Union
• Eagle Federal Credit Union
• Earlham Savings Bank
• Eastern Bank
• Evergreen Credit Union
• Fidelity Bank
• Federal Savings Bank
• First Financial Bank
• First National Bank and Trust
• First National Bank of Omaha
• FNB Community Bank
• Heritage Family Federal Credit Union
• Meritrust Credit Union
• Pittsford Federal Credit Union
• Premier Federal Credit Union
• Quail Creek Bank
• Reliabank Dakota
• Reliant Federal Credit Union
• Renesant Bank
• SESLOC Federal Credit Union
• Stanford FCU
• The Summit Federal Credit Union
• uMark Credit Union
• Umpqua Bank
• VisionBank
• Y-12 Federal Credit Union

Apple Pay is accepted at nearly 750,000 locations in the United States and United Kingdom, and Apple is committed to an international rollout of the mobile payments service in additional countries such as Canada and China in the near future. Canada, a well-prepared candidate for Apple Pay, could be the next country to embrace the service outside of the U.S. and U.K. in November.

Apple Expanding Made for Apple Watch Program to Include Stands With Integrated Chargers

While the release of the Apple Watch has seen a boom in third-party docks and stands for the device, those accessories have needed the stock charger that Apple supplies to charge the Apple Watch. However, Apple will soon allow manufacturers to make official third-party Apple Watch docks and stands with integrated chargers, according to 9to5Mac.

Mophie’s Watch Dock with non-integrated Apple Watch charger
The change is coming for manufacturers in Apple’s Made for Apple Watch program, which is similar to the Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad program, known more simply as the MFi program. This will allow manufacturers to obtain the charging pad at the end of the Apple Watch charging cable so that they can install them in their dock and stand accessories. Previously, users had to insert their own charging cables into third-party stands and docks, making those products a little complicated to set up.

However, the charging components are currently only available in “sample quantities” and official plans for accessories with integrated chargers cannot be submitted for approval. It’s unknown when the first Apple Watch docks and stands with integrated chargers will be available.

Video Review: Catalyst’s Waterproof Case Keeps Your iPhone 6 Dry, but With Some Drawbacks

For our latest video review, we went hands-on with a waterproof iPhone 6 Plus case from Catalyst, which the company calls “the most protective case in the world.” It’s waterproof up to a depth of 5 meters (16.4 feet) and it’s also shock and drop resistant, made from polycarbonate with a rubber bumper and silicone seals.

In our testing, the Catalyst case lived up to its claims and kept our iPhone safe when we stuck it in a sink full of water, but in our opinion, this isn’t a case you’re going to want to use on a daily basis.

It’s protective, but that comes at the expense of the thin and svelte form of the iPhone. Catalyst’s case adds a lot of bulk, plus it makes the volume and the power buttons nearly impossible to use because the material it’s made of is so rigid. We also had a harder time using the iPhone’s touch screen due to the air gap between the protective cover and the display.

Catalyst’s waterproof case may not be ideal for every day use, but it’s a great option for situations where water protection is essential. You can use this case to take photos at the beach, in the pool, while snorkeling, and more, and your device will be protected from water, dust, dirt, and other elements.

The iPhone 6 Plus case is available in several different colors from the Catalyst website, and it’s priced at $74.99. There’s also an iPhone 6 version, which is priced at $69.99, and there are several accessories available for purchase like a floating lanyard, an audio adapter, and replacement parts.

Note: MacRumors received no compensation for this review.

Apple Releases Flash Storage Firmware Update for 2015 MacBook Pros

Apple today released MacBook Pro Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0 for the 2015 MacBook Pro, which fixes a storage firmware issue that could cause data corruption in rare cases.

Apple recommends that all customers who have a mid-2015 MacBook Pro download and install the update. It can be acquired from the Mac App Store on affected machines or directly from Apple’s support site.

Mid-2015 MacBook Pros include the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro released in March and the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro released in May.

Apple’s Strict Bluetooth LE Security Requirements Slowing Rollout of HomeKit Accessories

While it has been more than a year since Apple launched HomeKit, a software framework for communicating with and controlling light bulbs, thermostats, door locks and other connected accessories in the home, only five HomeKit-approved products have been released to date: the Ecobee3, Elgato Eve, iHome iSP5 SmartPlug, Insteon Hub and Lutron Caseta Wireless Lighting Starter Kit.

The slow rollout of HomeKit-enabled hardware accessories is not because of a lack of interest in the platform, but rather Apple’s strict security protocols for Bluetooth LE (low energy) devices, according to Forbes. In particular, the strong level of encryption required to use the HomeKit protocol through Bluetooth LE has resulted in lag times that essentially render some accessories useless.

For example, a smartlock that makes its user wait 40 seconds before it opens is clearly inferior to a traditional lock. One of HomeKit’s selling point is that it provides a more reliable user experience, so these kinds of lag times will need to be sorted out before Apple can become a major platform for the smart home.

Elgato Eve smart home sensors for doors, windows and energy consumption
Chipmakers such as Broadcom and Marvell have reportedly been working to improve their Bluetooth LE chips to more effectively handle Apple’s level of encryption, an important step if the company wants to become a major player in the smart home. In the meantime, developers have either been focusing on Wi-Fi-based HomeKit hardware or working on temporary solutions to the problem.

For the time being, Elgato has found a workaround for these problems with Bluetooth LE. It’s tweaked the firmware and added additional on-chip memory to handle the heavy-duty encryption. Elgato was not anticipating having to go make these modifications initially, and now the company hopes to make a side business selling its tweaks to other device makers wanting to build HomeKit devices with Bluetooth LE.

HomeKit delays have also been attributed to “sparse and shifting” documentation and Apple’s tedious certification process for its “Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod” (MFi) program. HomeKit accessory makers are required to send multiple prototypes of their products to Apple for testing, and the process can be lengthy until Apple is satisfied.

Apple’s attention to detail and focus on security should prove worthwhile for customers, however, and the company has the size and reputation to enforce manufacturers to adopt those high standards. “This is one of those things that Apple does,” a source working on a HomeKit device told Forbes. “They force an issue. It’s like that here. Regular Bluetooth has an issue — it’s not secure.”