GE promises smart light bulbs without the usual steep prices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/01/ge-link/

Many smartphone-controlled light bulbs cost a pretty penny, even if you're not interested in mood-setting colors or other elaborate tricks. How are you supposed to afford enough bulbs to illuminate your entire abode? That's where GE's new Link bulbs could save the day. While you'll need a hub ($30 by itself) to get everything connected, the LED-based white lights cost just $15 to $25 each -- in contrast, Philips' upcoming Lux models are $40 a pop. There's also a kit that includes two 60W-equivalent bulbs and a hub for $50, or half as much as you'd pay for an equivalent Lux bundle.

Before you start planning your home's new ambiance, understand that you're paying less because you get a bit less... so long as you're only concerned with lighting, anyway. While the necessary Wink mobile app gives you full control over brightness and scheduling, you don't get luxuries like Philips' electricity-free control switch or LG's light-based phone alerts. Link might be a better deal if you don't want those extras, though, and the Wink support could save you from buying additional hubs (or using additional apps) to steer other household gadgets. No matter what, you'll have to be patient if you want to try GE's approach for yourself. Although Home Depot is taking pre-orders today, the Link bulbs don't ship until the fall -- that's a long time to wait just to save some money.

Filed under: Household

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Via: The Verge

Source: GE Reports, Home Depot

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Samsung's new consumer SSDs shoot to the top of the benchmark league

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/01/samsung-850-pro-v-nand-ssd-review-roundup/

For the last year or so, Samsung has been touting a "paradigm shift" in the way it constructs flash memory: from a horizontal to a vertical arrangement of cells, or what it calls 3D V-NAND. Now, judging from reviews of the first V-NAND consumer SSDs, the 850 Pro range, it looks like this shift has resulted in a geniune and unequivocal boost to performance. Compared to synthetic and real-world scores from rival drives, made by the likes of Intel and Crucial, Sammy's 850 Pro "led the pack almost across the board," according to HotHardware.

Then again, Tom's Hardware noted that Samsung is now pushing the limits of the SATA interface, such that other products are "within a stone's throw" of the the 850 Pro's scores (at least until a PCI Express version comes around). What's more, all the reviews listed below highlighted the fact that the new line-up comes at a significant premium, even when you factor in Samsung's nice 10-year warranty. The 128GB drive costs $130, while the maxed-out 1TB option costs $730, equating to a cost per gigabyte that is almost twice as high as other recent drives that lack the cutting-edge NAND (such as Crucial's MX100). Actual street pricing, meanwhile, will only be established over the course of this month, as the 850 Pro starts to become widely available.

Reviews of the Samsung 850 Pro SSD:

• HotHardware
• TechSpot
• The SSD Review
• The Tech Report
• Tom's Hardware

Filed under: Storage, Samsung

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Barclays brings Pingit phone number payments to Windows Phone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/01/barclays-pingit-windows-phone-app/

Windows Phone users often have to resign themselves to getting apps months, if not years after their iOS- and Android-toting counterparts. That's especially the case for Barclays' Pingit app, which after more than two years has finally made its way to Microsoft's mobile platform. If you're not familiar, Pingit allows users to send money using only a recipient's phone number regardless of who either bank with. Banking customers have been able to check their balance and pay bills using Barclays' mobile banking app, but with new initiatives like Paym aiming to streamline mobile payments, Pingit could enjoy great momentum as a result. Despite being late to the party, Barclays' new app is still likely to enjoy some early-mover advantage, as only a handful of other banks have dedicated Windows Phone apps.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Microsoft

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Via: V3

Source: Barclays Pingit (Windows Phone Store)

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Google Fit is Android's answer to exercise and health tracking

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/25/google-fit/

Google Fit is Google's new health initiative. It's a service that'll track all your health metrics -- sleep, steps, etc. -- and it's built into the next version of Android. But what does that mean? Well, it means that Google's Android platform is getting the same kind of life-metric tracking that Apple's iOS users are getting in iOS 8 with HealthKit. More importantly, it means that the health devices you're already using will play nice with the myriad Android devices out there. It also means that all your health data ends up in one place, in one app, rather than spread across a variety of software applications. Which app you use, however, is up to you.

Adidas, Nike, Withings, Intel, RunKeeper and a variety of other fitness companies are involved with Android Fit. Nike's FuelBand wearables were specifically given a shoutout onstage at Google's I/O event this afternoon, where the initiative was announced.

What we didn't see from Google today is a dedicated app that collects all your data, like Apple's Health app. Rather, the Fit initiative is a platform for health device manufacturers trying to make their devices interface with Android. Google product manager Ellie Powers described it as using a single set of APIs for all health products, meaning all devices could technically work with all health/fitness software. While it isn't the whole-cloth approach that Apple's taking in creating its own app, it's the kind of open-source approach that we expect from Google.

Filed under: Wearables, Software, Google

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Meet the G Watch, LG's first Android Wear smartwatch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/25/lg-g-watch-hands-on/

LG believes it's hip to be square, and it created a smartwatch to prove it. The G Watch was announced alongside Android Wear, Google's new wearables platform, and the circular Moto 360 this March. After three months, LG and Google are finally ready to let me slip one on my wrist. The watch is going to be available for pre-order for $229 (update: preorders are live here) on the Play Store alongside the Samsung Gear Live (and Moto 360, once it comes out later this summer), and will ship out in both black and white to eager users on July 7th.

With a 1.65-inch display at a resolution of 280 x 280 and sizable bezel, the G Watch is a little bigger than the Pebble Steel, which is the smartwatch I've been using up until this point. It looks like it swallows up my wrist, so it's not going to be a go-to fashion statement for everybody. Just like the Gear Live, LG chose to go with a square shape, rather than circular, mainly to ensure the user will enjoy as much screen real estate as possible. The product managers we talked to also left the door open for future Wear devices with other shapes, so there's certainly a chance we'll see more options down the road -- especially if the G Watch is considered a success.

The display is covered with Gorilla Glass 3; the sides are constructed with stainless steel; and the back is polycarbonate to allow for attenuation and wireless charging (the watch comes with a charging pad that makes this possible). The straps are interchangeable because it uses a 22mm size, but the wristband that comes with the device is made of silicone and offered me a comfortable fit.

Underneath the back sits a 400mAh battery that LG claims is high-density and optimized for wearable use. When asked about battery life, reps told me that it should last 36 hours in always-on state, and even longer if you opt to turn the screen off -- there's a companion app that you can download onto your Android device, and it gives you a few settings. Additionally, the G Watch boasts an ambient mode when idle, which theoretically helps extend the life of the battery.

In terms of power performance, the 63g timepiece features a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, coupled with 512MB RAM and 4GB internal storage. I couldn't fully test out the watch's performance in real life because the watch itself was in a special demo mode that only gave me a few cards to play with, but I'll give it a full whirl in my upcoming review.

Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, Google, LG

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