Sony SmartBand 2 will hit the Market with a Heart Rate Monitor

August 21, 2015

The Japanese tech firm Sony has just launched the successor of the SmartBand. It will be named the SmartBand 2 and feature wise will be identical to the previous version, but with a heart rate monitor.

Just like the SmartBand, the SmartBand 2 will be a “multi-sensor lifelogger that provides full-scale insights about your fitness, well-being and stress levels”, with features like health tracking and sleep tracking functions.

Sony SmartBand with Heart Rate Monitor

The “smart fitness wearable ” market is also quite crowded. Sony has added a new device to the market, claiming it to be most advanced wearable available.

The senior vice president of Sony Mobile Communications, Kaz Tajima said:

“We set out to create the most advanced wearable at this section of the market – SmartBand 2 has the capability to deliver, and make biometric data meaningful for users within Lifelog.”

The new heart rate monitor is the key upgrade in the SmartBand 2. According to Sony, it will give “meaningful” insights on user’s health and stress level.

Apart from this, the wearable can provide you with an insight about your sleep patterns via its inbuilt automatic sleep detection technology.

While you are asleep your band can also wake you up by gently vibrating if you tell it (set an alarm) to do so.

Sony Smarband 2 also has the usual stuff like notification alerts for missed calls, messages, emails, tweets etc on the paired smartphone.

All notifications will be delivered by means of vibration and pulsing RGB LED lights as the band doesn’t have a display.

Sony has also mentioned the Smartband 2 can operate for up for 2 days, on a single charge and is IP68 certified, implying it is water resistant up to 3-meters.

The Sony SmartBand 2 will be available in 60 countries worldwide. In respect of OS, the band will work on Android 4.4+ and iOS 8.8+.

If you are interested then, estimated availability of the device starts from September and will cost you EUR 119.

The Tesla Model X SUV arrives this September

Nitish Singh

August 6, 2015

The highly anticipated electric SUV from Tesla, the Tesla Model X SUV will arrive this September.

News about the vehicle has been around for some time now, and in a letter to shareholders, Tesla confirmed the long-awaited Model X will ship by fall – specifically during September.

About Tesla new Eco-friendly SUV:

The SUV as stated above will be run by Electricity only and will seat 7 people. The rear doors are articulated and will go up, instead of opening out.

Every Model X model comes in all-wheel drive standard, powered by two independent, digitally controlled electric motors.

Brilliantly functional Falcon Wing rear doors fold up and out of the way to allow easy access to third-row seats.

So if you’re car fanatic, this should make you drool. Owning an Electric SUV whose doors go up like a Delorean. However, according to reports even though the Model X is due in September you may have to wait a while to own one.

If you hop into the waiting list now, you will probably not be able to lay your hands on the steering wheel till 2016.

The price of the Model X hasn’t been disclosed yet, but you have to pay $5000 deposit, just to enroll yourself in the waiting list.

Tesla Model X has been delayed for a long time. The first estimated arrival of Tesla Model X SUV was during the end of 2013.

It then got delayed to Q4 2014 and now it’s September 2015. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla has said that the company is having troubles with the suppliers which is causing the delay.

Again Tesla seems quite Enthusiastic about their Stated release in September, which is quite clear from a letter by Musk:

“As we prepare to launch Model X in September, we are building more validation vehicles, executing final engineering and testing work, enabling our new manufacturing equipment and finalizing arrangements with our suppliers,”
“We have been producing release candidate Model X bodies in our new body shop equipped with more than 500 robots.”

However, not all investors are enthusiastic or excited about the venture. The company’s share has gone through a drop of 6% in just hours of trading after announcing its financial records.

Tesla released second quarter earning Wednesday. The company was $61 million in the red zone compared to previous year’s $148 million.

Graava is a new action camera that does the editing for you

Jia Khan

August 6, 2015

Graava is an action camera which comes with an amazing picture editing capability and can do the editing on its own, one area were it betters the GoPro action camera range .

The Graava action camera is capable of shooting full HD videos at 30 fps (frames per second) with its 8 megapixels lens. It is quite small in size and can easily serve as a security camera.

An additional feature which gives this camera an edge over its competitors is its wireless charging. Built-in 1100mAh battery can give 3 hours of performance for an uninterrupted video recording.

This camera features modest specifications. It can record 1080 pixels video at 30 fps and 720p video at 60 fps. Still shots can be captured with 8MP with wide viewing field of up to 130 degrees.

It also provides extreme slow motion 4K videos, magnifying the minute details without breaking pixels.

The Graava action cam features a hyper lapse mode that automatically compiles the 8MP still shots and convert them to equivalent 4K video.

It combines the best moments and molds them into a single video with multiple effects. Video can also be shared to your favorite social site as Graava software provides you plenty of options.

Graava mobile App can be used to cut or trim different shots and assemble them in a video after selecting the desired length. Timeline editor allows addition of clips or audio to the videos.

This tiny action camera is expected to go on sale in February 2016 for a price of $400.

If you can’t go to Mars – Just go for NASA Curiosity Simulator

Nitish Singh

August 6, 2015

Want to see Terrain of Mars without risking your life? Well, NASA has built two interactive web applications to fulfill your wish. The web applications will let you explore the literal “no man’s land” from the comfort of your hospitable home.

So there are the Two Web Apps in brief details:

The first of the two simulators is Mars Trek.

The simulator will show you the red planet, like Google Earth, Shows you the Blue Planet (by the way, Earth is the Blue Planet!). the Application uses 50 years worth of exploration data and represents it like an interactive 3D globe.

It includes 3D and 2D views and the pictures are very deep. The detailing is so good that NASA is currently using Mars Trek to Trek-out potential landing sites for its 2020 Mars rover.

It has bookmarks to show-off interesting points as per NASA’s previous Missions. The controls of the Mars Trek appears to be right out of a video-game.

Checkout the Mars Curiosity Simulator

And the second simulator is named the Experience Curiosity.

This App is going to give you a little more personal touch as you can literally take control of NASA’s latest Mars rover.

It is essentially a curiosity simulator with manual drive controls, multiple camera view angles and a guided tour. You can control the rover and there are narrated lesson about exploring the Mars terrains.

Both Web Apps are completely free and will support any Web Browser. So if you have regret for not seeing through Columbus’s eyes, then open your browser.

History for the first time has given you the capability to see through the eyes of the pioneers.

Microsoft delivers first cumulative Windows 10 update

Jia Khan

August 6, 2015

Merely one week after its release, Windows 10 receives its first non-security focused updates from Microsoft.

This update package has officially been named KB3081424. Several modifications have been added in the update.

“The update is launched to focus on some non-security fundamentals to enhance the user interface and experience. Windows 10 updates are cumulative. So all the previous errors have been fixed (last update by Microsoft for other operating systems was KB 3074683). If you are done with the previous fixes, then only the new modifications will be made and installed on your system.”

Windows 10 had been generally applauded by the users. Windows 10 owes the accolades to its brilliant eye-catching features. However, very soon, the reviews reverted and users began to point out bugs in the software.

People have different views regarding this update.

Walt Mossberg, a Microsoft lover says,

“Don’t upgrade till all the bugs are fixed”.

Microsoft has not yet mentioned what changes exactly this SR1 makes to Windows 10 but the release is an evidence of Microsoft’s concern about its new operating system.

One may regard it as the first update Windows 10 has received after its launch, but several other updates have also been made during the final phase just before the launch. These updates rolled out for the Insider Preview users that were going through the testing phase.

Microsoft is of the view that these are just cumulative updates and new installations will also encompass the previously missing updates.

Stream God of War 3 on your PS Vita and PlayStation TV

Nitish Singh

August 4, 2015

We all know and love the PlayStation Now game streaming service from Sony. Now get ready to Stream games on PS Vita and PlayStation TV as the service has arrived for the aforementioned micro-consoles.

PlayStation Now’s current availability on PS Vitas and PlayStation TV:

PlayStation Now is a subscription-based service available in the US. It was available for PS3 and PS4 consoles, and the subscription lasted for a year. Last month a beta version of the service arrived for the UK.

Now, PlayStation Now can be to stream titles to Handheld gaming machines. The Subscription is at $19.99 a month, and the user will be given a 7-day free trial.

PlayStation Now has also added 5 more games to its video library, making a total of 125 titles, at your disposal when you get the subscription.

Of the five, the one you’ll most likely want to check out would be God of War 3. But it might just be a miss judgments as you might also like Dynasty Warrior 8, MX vs ATV supercross, Bomberman Ultra and The Last Guy.

So what are you waiting for? Get the subscription and stream the new games on your portable micro-console now.

3D Printing of a Seizure drug approved by the FDA

Nitish Singh

August 4, 2015

fda-3d-print — A product image provided by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals shows Spritam 750 mg, foreground, and 1000 mg tablets. The 3D-printed pills have been approved by the FDA.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the United States has given their nod for the production of SPRITAM, a 3D printed drug for treatment of seizure for people suffering with epilepsy.

SPRITAM and the FDA’s action.

SPRITAM’s one of a kind 3D printed design allows it to be water soluble in a very low quantity of liquid which gets easily mixed in the bloodstream in as little as 10 seconds.

The drug has been approved by the FDA for oral administration and will be used as a prescription adjunctive therapy for the treatment of epilepsy.

SPRITAM will use Aprecia’s “ZipDose” technology, hence allowing it to be created at a premeasured dose which will disintegrate in the mouth with a sip of liquid.

Don Wetherhold, Aprecia’s Chief Executive Officer of Aprecia has revealed in a press release:

“By combining 3DP technology with a highly prescribed epilepsy treatment, SPRITAM is designed to fill a need for patients who struggle with their current medication experience.”

Wedbush security analyst, Tao Levy said:

“3D printing could help companies make products “to the specifications of an individual patient rather than (take a) one-size-fits-all kind of approach”.

Now, in the HealthCare industry, the use of this printers has been around for quite a while.

Dentists use 3D printers to create jaws and teeth. Even dental implants are created using the device.

Orthopedic surgeons find great use for this device, as they can create hip replacements with a specialized 3D printer.

Some British scientists have also made use of the device in replicating cancerous regions of the body. Doing so they can make a solid plan, which helps them in attacking tumors more precisely.

The use of 3D printing in for medicinal purposes is not new.

But it should be noted that this is the first instance that FDA has allowed such a thing. FDA’s step may just pave the way for a new revolution in medicine, where drugs are prepared according to the patients’ needs.

See PR

Stingray – The new game engine from Autodesk

Nitish Singh

August 4, 2015

Last year, Autodesk had purchased the Bitsquid engine. Now, Autodesk has launched Stingray a new game engine built around Bitsquid.

Here’s what Autodesk’s new game engine, Stingray has in store-

According to Engadget the primary goal behind the development of Stingray was creating a game engine for smaller studios which provides customization options without much need of programming.

Along with this, the company wanted Stingray to be well-equipped and offer a good competition to market competitors like Unity engine and Unreal engine 4.

Stingray will also come equipped with features like- post-processing effects, high-performance reflection system, physical shading and more.

Currently, major companies are using game engines like the Unreal 4 or the Unity 5 and it will be difficult for Autodesk to establish their market in these places. Hence, they have chosen to target small to medium sized companies.

The product will provide developers with comfortable scripting tools available via simple drag and drop. But you want complete control, the source code is also at your disposal.

“Between augmented reality, virtual reality and the proliferation of mobile platforms, the games industry is undergoing a major transition, which poses new complexities for both AAA and indie game developers,”

said , Autodesk’s senior vice president of media and entertainment, Chris Bradshaw in a press statement.

“Stingray makes it easy and intuitive for artists with varying skill sets and programming expertise to create the next generation of 3D blockbuster games, entertainment and even architecture.”

he added

Stingray will be supported on mostly all major OSes and – Windows 7, Windows 8, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, the Xbox One and even Oculus Rift DevKit 2.

“We never know what kind of games we’re going to create, and the engine is good for that. It really allows us to just make anything,”

said Arrowhead Game Studios CEO Johan Pileated.

“We can make an FPS or an RTS, or a top-down shooter, or a role-playing game, or whatever. It’s not tied to a specific genre.”

The Stingray is quite affordable with a subscription of just $30 a month. Subscriptions will start August 19 and any Autodesk’s Maya LT desktop subscriber will be eligible for access to Stingray.

Canons new ME20F-SH camera can capture images in near-complete darkness

Nitish Singh

August 3, 2015

Canon has announced the ME20F-SH camera. It is a full-frame multipurpose camera and will be shipping a max ISO of over 4000000 for an amazing low light performance.

Here’s the whats and hows of the Canon ME20F-SH:

So imagine shooting videos in total darkness and ending up with clearly differentiable content. That is the promise of the Canon ME-20F-SH

Canon also says that the camera can focus on objects which the photographer can’t voluntarily see. It will have the capability to capture coloured video in extreme low-lit conditions.

Canon themselves proposed a number of scenarios where the new camera will to excel. Take into consideration: night time surveillance & security, filming, nature and wildlife footage. But we can leave the speculations to the imaginative minds; who knows what they can do with these shooters.

The method of achieving this lies in the pixel size. The ME20F-Sh camera has a pixel size 5.5 times larger compared other recent high-quality cameras.

The camera will also include Canon Log and Wide DR. These features will allow the device to attain a wide dynamic range and attain high-quality videos irrespective of the lighting conditions.

Again Canon’s entire collection of ME20F-SH will be compatible with all EF lenses. So you don’t have to spend extra cash on buying this baby new artillery.

It also boasts a simple and versatile design, making it capable of fitting into existing shooting systems.

But here is a tricky part. The camera doesn’t have the capability to record internally. It also doesn’t have an onboard monitor to change setting.

For this reason, it will be coming with 3G/HD-SDI and HDMI output terminals. You will have to wire the camera with an external recorder to capture images.

The concept of a 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor was first announced as far back as 2013. The ME20F-SH will be the first camera to utilize this.

If you are interested in buying this camera, you have to wait till December. The wait makes a lot of sense, since it gives you ample time to put-together $30000, which is going to be the price of the new camera.

Latest version of the Google Glass is for Businesses

Nitish Singh

August 3, 2015

Reports from the Wall Street Journal claims Google is distributing a new version of Google Glass tailored for business users. Its main target is the healthcare industry, manufacturing and energy the report claims.

New Business version of Google Glass?

The new version of Google Glass has a curved rectangular design like the previous explorer version but doesn’t have the wired frame. Instead, it has a hinge and a button to attach to different glasses.

Hence, a portable minicomputer using your glasses as a form of output.

This is a good initiative by Google. The new design will allow Google Glass to be adaptable while wearing protective eyewear, which is the case in laboratories and factories.

Also, it can be removed and put away with no trouble, hence reducing your risks of carrying an expensive and fragile eye-wear.

The new model has a faster Intel processor, with ramped up battery life. The wireless connectivity of the device has also been improved.

This version of Google Glass is currently exclusive for business users and will be available by fall, but a consumer version is nearly a year away.

The previous version of Google Glass failed to live up to expectation failed to impress. While the users liked it the rest of us were not so impressed as it invaded our valuable privacy.

Do, you think that Google Glass can make it to the mainstream users? Let’s wait and watch.

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