Performance tracking wireless earphones, The Dash, have become one of the most funded Kickstarter projects in history. The company had a target of $260,000, but has so far raised over $3.1 million. The wireless stereo earphones play music via an embedded music player or Bluetooth and offer fitness monitoring. It will track users’ vital signs including heart rate, oxygen saturation and energy spent, as well as movement such as number of steps, speed and distance. Continue reading New Wireless Earphones Monitor Fitness Without Smartphone

Scientists and engineers are working towards making wireless power possible by harvesting and transforming existing energy from the world around us. Models they have looked at include nanoscale pillars that turn waste heat into electricity and a spongey smartphone case that generates electricity from sitting on a vibrating surface. One source of energy is thermoelectricity, which works by creating electricity from the current created by electrons moving from hot to cold, an approach that may be ideal for humans. Continue reading Wireless Power: Experiments in Charging Future Mobile Devices

Samsung recently announced it will make two follow-up smartwatches to the Galaxy Gear. The new Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will be available just five months after the release of their predecessor. While most of the key specs are similar to the first Gear, the new models will have a 1.0GHz dual-core SoC of unspecified make, in contrast to the 800MHz single-core chip in the first Gear. The new battery will last twice as long, and most importantly, the next-gen smartwatches will run on Tizen rather than Android. Continue reading Samsung Gear 2 Smartwatches Switch from Android to Tizen

Liquid Image unveiled a new mini camera during CES, which is capable of streaming live video to the Internet over 4G LTE wireless. Intended for extreme sports, news coverage and point-of-view footage, the $200 EGO LS will be available in the U.S. in June. Users can record 1080p video at 30 fps or transmit over 4G LTE in lower resolution WQVGA at 30 fps. The camera was demonstrated in Las Vegas attached to a $200 Verizon 4G network module. Continue reading CES: Liquid Image Demos 4G Live Streaming via Action Cam

Considering a mere five percent of U.S. consumers wear activity trackers, will wearables ever cross-over to the mainstream? Even the experts in this field have trouble agreeing. Steven Pierce, of IBM’s global business development, said we’ll have ten devices on our bodies very soon. “Wearables will be the key source of information in five years,” he said, listing implantables and injectables as future wearables. But Sonny Vu, founder of Misfit Wearables, disagreed. “Five years isn’t that far away,” he said. “I don’t think science will advance that fast.” Continue reading Wearables Waiting For a Killer App to Take Them Mainstream

Even a cursory look at the news coming out of CES makes it clear that wearables have garnered a lot of the buzz. Smartwatches, augmented reality headsets, digital health solutions and fitness tracking monitors are all the rage here. What’s not clear is if wearables will ever intersect with the entertainment industry. Although the question itself may seem risible, it’s worth remembering that most people dismissed the mobile phone as an entertainment device only a few years ago. Continue reading Will Wearable Tech Have a Future in Entertainment Media?

Sharp, which became the first to bring IGZO display technology to the mass market in 2013, is showcasing a number of eye-popping display prototypes that may find their way into devices in the next 12 months. Among them, a MEMS display and “narrow border” screens that will further slim down phones, notebooks and tablets. For example, the Ultra High Resolution “Quad Full HD,” or QFHD LCD screen, offers a 15.6-inch 3840×2160 pixel display, four times that of normal HD. Continue reading Sharp Takes Display Technology to New Levels with Prototypes

Duracell demonstrated its Powermat technology at CES this week by installing wireless charging stations at Starbucks in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Although most attendees don’t have the necessary Powermat case to charge their smartphone without a wire, Duracell loaned out charging receivers to people in need of power. These charging receivers fit into a Micro-USB port, Apple 30-pin, and Lightning, and work easily by placing the charging receiver on the Powermat. Continue reading Recharge Yourself and Your Phone at Duracell Charging Station

Google Glass moved Augmented Reality from the science fiction depicted in “Minority Report” to the real world. But the technology — which allows the superimposition of data, 3D CGI or video over a real environment, in real time — still has a long way to go. More importantly, the work has barely begun to make AR a revenue-generating business. “We’re not just putting content on top of the world but using context to decide what to display and how to display it, to expand the story and the experience,” said DAQRI CEO Brian Mullins. Continue reading Augmented Reality Needs Powerful Storytelling and Interaction

Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei is making its move to break into the U.S. market and onto the global scene with the Ascend Mate2, a 4G LTE phone with a splashy 6.1-inch screen and other features that aim it squarely at the active social and entertainment user. A zippy 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad core processor and 2.4GHz/5GHz dual band Wi-Fi powers 150mbps LTE Cat4 transfer speeds, making it possible to download a feature film in one minute, according to Huawei. Continue reading Huawei Rises To the 4G Challenge with New Ascend Mate2

It looks like Archos, maker of Android devices, will join Pebble, Samsung, Sony and others in the emerging smartwatch market when it debuts new connected devices at next week’s CES. A “Coming Soon” teaser page on the company’s website promises “Archos Smartwatches: the perfect companions for your smartphone.” And the company’s press release suggests new smartwatches will join a collection of other connected devices on display in Central Hall at the Archos booth. Continue reading Archos to Intro Smartwatches and Connected Devices at CES

Florida-based Redstone is claiming that it can deliver fast, gigabit wireless Internet access that will be cheap, fast and revolutionary. Using technology developed for the military and NASA, the company claims its single wireless switch can deliver Internet connectivity with a three-mile radius, which may soon make it possible to provide connectivity to entire cities. Some experts are doubtful, however, because the company has no public patents for any such technology. Continue reading Redstone Boldly Promises to Provide Gigabit Wireless Internet

The world’s most powerful smartwatch will soon be released, and it wasn’t created by Apple or Google, but a 19-year-old college dropout. The Kickstarter-funded product, named Neptune Pine, will be able to ship as soon as it has FCC approval and the Kickstarter funds are delivered for mass production. The project’s video depicts a working prototype with a 2.6-inch frame, front- and rear-facing cameras, and Web browsing, among countless other features. Continue reading Neptune Pine Smartwatch is Just as Capable as a Smartphone

Nokia will offer its first Windows-based tablet, the Lumia 2520, for as little as $199 through AT&T in the U.S. starting November 22. Verizon also plans to carry the new tablet, but has yet to announce a launch date. The tablet is equipped with a 10.1-inch HD screen and LTE technology. Nokia opted for Windows RT rather than the full version of Windows 8.1 to boost battery life and keep the device thinner. So far, however, Windows RT tablets have been a tough sell for some companies. Continue reading Nokia to Release its First Windows-Based Tablet This Week

A materials research team at Vanderbilt University has designed a new supercapacitor that is made of silicon and has the potential to power many types of devices, from solar cells to mobile devices. The supercapacitor may be made from excess silicon and can provide significant savings in manufacturing costs. The technology cannot store energy the same as lithium-ion batteries, but supercapacitors have promise in consumer devices.

Continue reading New Supercapacitor Can Store Electricity on Silicon Chips