Smartwatches are becoming ever more ubiquitous (total smartwatch shipments exceeded 6.1 million in Q3 2016, an annual increase of 60 percent) but there’s one major obstacle preventing them from being fully adopted by a dubious public… battery life.
However, that could be a problem confined to history if claims by the makers of the Matrix Powerwatch ring true. Just landed on Indiegogo, the Powerwatch is powered by thermoelectric technology, which converts heat to electric power. It’s the same tech that NASA used to power the Voyager spacecraft and Curiosity the Mars rover.
On the Powerwatch, it takes the body heat of the user and turns that into the juice to run the show.
It’s not a full-on smartwatch, running Android Wear or the like, but it does measure calories, steps and sleep – with the calorie count apparently more accurate than fitness tracker rivals as it analyses this directly from the same heat that it uses to power itself. When you’re not wearing the watch, it has memory on board to store your stats in a low-power state.
I’ve been told by the team behind the Powerwatch that it’s just the first product of the gate of a body-heat powered stable. “We aim to make this energy harvesting technology a reality for the IoT and wearables industries, alleviating the battery recharge/replacement pain point and helping to drive down costs for commercial businesses,” said senior engineer Anne Ruminski
“Also on our roadmap are medical devices, battery-less hearing aids, and smart logistics – energy harvesting sensors that track pallets and shipping containers that are wireless and don’t need batteries,” she added.
Back to the Powerwatch and it offers multiple watch faces, all displaying the power meter of how much battery life your body is generating. It’s made from a rugged aircraft-grade aluminium and is water resistant to 50m. There’s a smartphone app (iOS and Android) that all the info collected by the Powerwatch pairs to and it also syncs up with Google Fit or Apple Healthkit as well.
You can order one now from $99 – the suggested retail price is going to be (55000 naria) $169.99. Shipping is expected to begin in July 2017.
Google has been toying with its Tango augmented reality platform for several years, and now the first consumer smartphone with this technology is on the horizon. The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is set to ship in several weeks. This phone has all the sensors necessary for experiencing augmented reality content. However, it’s absolutely massive.
Having actually seen the phone now, I’m convinced few regular human beings would want to actually carry it around. The 160.000 naira ($500) Lenovo Phab 2 Pro has a 6.4-inch 2560 x 1440 resolution LCD. It’s a nice enough screen, but a 6.4-inch phone is barely a phone. It’s like a small tablet that makes calls.
You may think you’ve held big phones before, but this is on a whole different level. The Phab 2 Pro weighs 259g and is 10.7mm wide by 179mm tall. By comparison, the Google Pixel XL (which is plenty large itself) weighs 168g and is only 8.5mm wide by 154mm tall. You can use that phone with one hand for short periods of time, but not so with the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. See below for a comparison with other 2016 smartphones.
On the back of the phone are all the augmented reality sensors, which I think points to the reason this phone is so gigantic. For Tango to work as intended, the hardware needs to be a little larger to accommodate all the sensors. The last Tango dev device was a tablet not much larger than this. The layout of sensors and cameras also pushes the fingerprint scanner rather far down the rear of the device, making it even more awkward to hold.
This is only the first Tango phone, so I expect Google and its OEM partners to make the hardware smaller over time. maybe one day Tango will just be included in most phones by default. For now, though, you have to be okay with toting around a pocket-busting monster phone to enjoy augmented reality.
OnePlus on Tuesday as expected unveiled an upgraded version of the OnePlus 3 – the OnePlus 3T. The only differences between the two smartphones are a faster SoC, increased storage, an improved front camera, and a larger battery. The 64GB model has been priced at GBP 399, EUR 439 and USD 439 (roughly 146.000 naria), and while the 128GB model has been priced at GBP 439,EUR and USD 479 (roughly 159.000 naria)
The OnePlus 3T will be available in the US from November 22 and in Europe from November 26. Unlike the OnePlus 3 (Review), no details of when the smartphone will be made available in Nigeria were revealed at the launch. It will be available in Gunmetal (not Graphite) and Soft Gold colour variants, with the latter being made available shortly after launch. The company also announced that a new OxygenOS build based on Android 7.0 Nougat will be released for the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T at the same time before the end of this year, and going forward, the two smartphones will receive updates simultaneously.
Getting to the exact differences between the OnePlus 3T and the OnePlus 3 - the newly launched smartphone sports a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC (two cores clocked at 1.6GHz and two cores clocked at 2.35GHz) compared to the Snapdragon 820 SoC on the original. It comes in both 64GB and 128GB storage models, compared to just a 64GB model on the OnePlus 3.
As for the improved front camera, OnePlus has doubled the resolution of the front camera from 8-megapixel on the OnePlus 3 to 16-megapixel on the OnePlus 3T – whilst also switching sensors from the Sony IMX179 with 1.4-micron pixels to the Samsung 3P8SP with 1-micron pixels. It also gets PDAF autofocus, rather than just a fixed focus setup.
Finally, the OnePlus 3T gets a larger 3400mAh battery compared to the 3000mAh offering on the OnePlus 3. It once again supports Dash Charge (5V 4A) fast charging technology.
Everything else about the two smartphones is identical. The OnePlus 3T bears the same anodised aluminium metal unibody design, the same fingerprint sensor on the home button, and the same Alert Slider apart from capacitive hardware keys. It also comes with the same USB 2.0 Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It sports a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) Optic AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. The SoC is coupled with 6GB of LPDDR4
When Intel decided to take a crack at its first keynote at an automotive event, it swung for the fences. The company’s CEO, Brian Krzanich, took the stage at the Los Angeles Auto Show‘s Automobility event this morning to announce that Intel Capital would be investing $250 million in autonomous driving over the next two years.
Technologies that will benefit from the investment include connectivity, context awareness, deep learning and security. The goal of autonomous cars is to improve safety by removing as much human error as possible, which requires the vehicles and their data to be safe and reliable.
Intel’s processing power itself comes into play with the amount of data required for autonomous driving. Krzanich pointed out that cars are already equipped with a variety of sensors, cameras and controllers that create, gather and transmit data. He said the automotive industry needs to be prepared for 4 terabytes of data being generated by every car every day.
The fact that Intel chose to make this announcement at the LA Auto Show’s press days highlights the massive crossover that’s happening between technology and transportation. Representatives of every major car manufacturer were at CES 2016, one of the biggest shows for consumer electronics. The North American Auto Show will debut Automobili-D, its tech-focused event in January 2017. And this is the first year of Automobility, the rebranded tech event at the LA Auto Show.
As cars become devices that we drive (or not) and devices become more integrated with our transportation experience across modes, including bike sharing and public transit, cross-pollination between tech companies and auto manufacturers is becoming more than the norm — it’s becoming a necessity
Seagate announced today that its popular Backup Plus Portable line of external hard drives now comes in a massive 5TB size. The company is claiming that the new 5TB capacity option is the world’s highest capacity portable hard drive, and I can’t find any evidence that it’s wrong.
The new 5TB external drive uses the same technology as Seagate’s recently released 5TB BarraCuda hard drive — the world’s highest capacity 2.5-inch drive — in order to fit that much storage space into a portable drive. The advantage of that is unlike most external hard drives that use a larger 3.5-inch drive, the 5TB Backup Plus Portable doesn’t require a separate power source, making it a truly mobile device.
The 5TB Backup Plus Portable doesn’t trade any speed for storage, however, transferring data at up to 120 MB/s using a USB 3.0 connection. The 0.8-inch-thick case is relatively bulky at almost twice the thickness of Seagate’s 0.38-inch-thick Backup Ultra Slim and 0.4-inch Backup Slim drives, but you can take solace in the fact that the 5TB drive still out-stores two of Seagate’s smaller drives (which top out at a mere 2TB) put together.
The 5TB Backup Plus Portable will cost 59, 500 naria when it’s available later this month in Nigeria.
WhatsApp has upped the ante in the battle to be a one-stop shop for communication with the launch of video calling within its app. The latest update to the popular messaging app, designed to stem competition from the likes of Skype and Apple's FaceTime, means that users can call one another with real time video.
The one-to-one video calling will become available to all users on Android, iOS and Windows devices in the next few days, WhatsApp said.
With the update, users will be given the option to start a video or voice call when they tap on the phone icon in the top right hand corner of a conversation.
The new feature is the second addition to WhatsApp's video and photo sharing features in recent weeks. At the end of October, the billion-user messaging app added the ability for users to draw on images in a similar way that they can in Snapchat, Instagram and iMessage. The new feature is the second addition to WhatsApp's video and photo sharing features in recent weeks. At the end of October, the billion-user messaging app added the ability for users to draw on images in a similar way that they can in Snapchat, Instagram and iMessage.
"Over the years we've received many requests from our users for video calling," said WhatsApp. "We want to make these features available to everyone, not just those who can afford the most expensive new phones or live in countries with the best cellular networks."
WhatsApp isn't the only social app to lift features from its rivals. Instagram added Stories earlier this year, which are reminiscent of a Snapchat feature of the same name, while Snapchat now has video and voice calling. Google also launched two new communications apps recently, a video calling app called Duo and a smart messaging one called Allo.
WhatsApp's parent company Facebook is also investing in video calling on its Messenger platform, and 300 million people use its voice or video calling each month.
Facebook recently added Live Video to Messenger, which lets users send a silent stream of what they are doing at any given moment.
"We launched Instant Video a month ago that enables you to start a video stream with someone that's in a conversation at the same time you are," David Marcus, Facebook's vice president of Messenger, told the Telegraph at Web Summit last week.
"You'll see the little camera icon pulsating and if you tap on it you'll start streaming silently in another window to the person on the other side."
As the video stream is silent, users can open it when they are in a meeting or on the Tube, Marcus said.
Samsung really wants you to use its mobile-payment service -- so much so that it's willing to hand out prizes to frequent Samsung Pay users, just to keep them reaching for their mobile phones when it's time to pay for things.
On Thursday (Nov. 17), the company plans to launch a program called Samsung Rewards to encourage you to turn to Samsung Pay early and often at checkout stands. Under Samsung Rewards, you'll earn points every time you make a purchase using Samsung Pay. You can redeem those points for retailer gift cards, a Samsung Rewards Visa gift card and other Samsung products.
Samsung says it will also offer what it's calling Instant Win prizes to Samsung Rewards enrollees. The first Instant Win prize will be a trip for two to California's Napa Valley, the company said in its Samsung Rewards announcement.
The more you use Samsung Pay, the more points Samsung is willing to give you. A normal transaction will get you 10 points, but make five purchases in a month and you can double the points per transaction. Points triple after 20 Samsung Pay transactions, and quadruple to 40 points per transaction, when you use Samsung more than 30 times in a month.
Really, it sounds an awful lot like the rewards programs credit-card companies offer their customers. Every three months or so, an envelope will arrive from my credit-card provider containing special offers and deals, most of which I usually end up not redeeming as they're for things I don't want or need.
This is why it will be key for Samsung to offer actual rewards that people can easily redeem if Samsung Rewards is going to push people to use Samsung Pay with increased frequency. We've asked Samsung for more specifics on what kinds of rewards it's offering, and will update this story if we hear back.
To participate in Samsung Rewards, you'll need to activate and register the Samsung Pay app and enter a qualifying credit card. Devices that support Samsung Pay include the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, S6 Edge+ and Note 5 smartphones, as well as Samsung's Gear S2 and Gear S3 smartwatches.
Reviews for Google's Daydream View VR headset began to appear on Thursday, and the consensus among those who were able to test the new US$79 device appears to be two thumbs up.
Although it has limitations, Daydream could be a gateway to affordable virtual reality technology, they suggested. The headset, which is powered by the VR platform introduced in Android 7.1 Nougat, needs to be paired with Google's new line of Pixel and Pixel XL phones.
Unlike Google's low-end Cardboard headset, Daydream is made of lightweight fabric and paired with a simple yet intuitive controller. As with any new technology platform, there is a chicken-and-egg challenge to overcome regarding software for the device, but Google already has lined up content from a number of partners, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and CNN, in addition to its own offerings.
Early adopters will be able to make virtual visits to museums, faraway cities, other planets and more.
The View headset also can operate as a very personal home theater, providing a virtual big screen experience. Google has lined up partners including YouTube, Hulu, HBO Now and Netflix. Daydream also can be used as a VR video gaming platform
VR Done Simple
The Daydream View is a rather simple unit, but it provides a true VR experience for the budget-minded early adopter.
"The View might be significantly more wearable than a Google Cardboard viewer, but it's still essentially the same thing: a phone holster with some lenses in it," wrote Peter Rubin for Wired.
"One of the strongest points Daydream View has in its favor is the comfort of wearing it. ... Google has hit the mark with its design," noted Digital Trends' Julian Chokkattu.
Among the Daydream View's limitations are power consumption.
"VR apps and games will drain your phone's battery quicker than almost any other activity," wrote Nathan Olivarez-Giles for The Wall Street Journal.
Control Issues
The controller for the Daydream View, which reviewers mostly praised, is not without its issues. The consensus view seems to be that there is much room for improvement.
"It sometimes stops working," noted Chokkattu, in his case, possibly due to a lost Bluetooth connection.
"My controller's position sometimes drifted out of place, mostly during experiences that snap the cursor toward something on screen, pulling it away from the remote's real-world orientation," wrote The Verge's Adi Robertson.
The Reality of VR Today
VR technology is still in its early days, but Daydream View is a "much
more serious crack at bringing VR to mainstream audiences," said Roger Kay, principal analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates.
"It is a great showcase for YouTube VR," he told TechNewsWorld.
However, Daydream View "is really still just the entry level to VR," observed Roger Entner, principal analyst at Recon Analytics.
"This is a device that the early evangelist will adopt, as it provides a basic VR capability,"
"Google Daydream View has the benefit of being Android device-agnostic as opposed to the Samsung Gear VR, and at a lower price -- $79 vs. $99," noted Stephanie Llamas, lead analyst for AR/VR technology at SuperData Research.
"The Google name also lends itself to brand visibility, which will attract the trust of many consumers," she told afritechsolutio
From Dream to Reality
Along with its many pros, Daydream View has some challenges to overcome.
One obstacle is its lack of compatibility with most phones on the market right now, suggested Super Data Research's Llamas.
"Users need to purchase a Pixel phone until more phones are compatible with Android Nougat and the device itself, and even then they will need to upgrade, which may exclude a lot of consumers for a long time," she explained.
That said, ubiquity is likely to be one of its strengths in the future, suggested Recon Analytics' Entner.
Many phones will have great Daydream capabilities in a short time, and it is Google's drive to build a standard," he pointed out.
The Daydream's content catalog leaves much to be desired, but by the time the adoption of compatible devices is realized, "Google will have rolled out more experiences that both come from reputable developers and reach a wider audience," predicted Llamas.
Even if it achieves compatibility among phone models, the mobile platform could pose difficulties.
"Mobile is still the weakness, as a phone doesn't have the horsepower to do VR right," Entner warned.
"This is really a VR-lite solution -- and while everyone can have it, the technology really can't hold a candle to a computer-based solution," he added. "Who wants to do VR if it isn't really fully VR?"
VR in the Real World
It can be argued that mobility isn't advantageous for a technology that disconnects users from their physical surroundings.
"VR needs to be used in a protected environment," said Entner.
"You are truly replacing your reality with a virtual one, and this can put you at risk when you can't see the real world," he cautioned.
"You need VR in a room with no obstacles and where people mean you no ill -- so mobile isn't the best way to go," Entner said. Still, "this is still the early days -- and for the early adopters, this is a way to wet the whistle."
