Google's augmented reality turf war, 'Ingress,' arrives on iOS

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/14/ingress-for-ios/

Google's Niantic Labs grew the potential audience for Ingress in a big way late last year, when it put out the finished Android version of its augmented reality game. Today, the studio is taking the next (if fairly obvious) step toward grabbing more players: it's releasing the long-promised iOS edition. Both iPad and iPhone owners can now capture territory ("portals" in Ingress-speak) and build up their virtual skills by visiting real locations. The experience will be very familiar if you've played before; missions give you an incentive to keep coming back, while faction chats let you coordinate turf battles and meet fellow players. There aren't any major tweaks or upgrades that we've seen. The game ultimately remains an excuse to explore new places, but that's not a bad thing if you're tired of visiting the same old haunts -- hit the App Store if you're willing to give it a spin.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Mobile, Google

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Cut a Watermelon into Sticks (Perfect for Kids and Parties)

Source: http://lifehacker.com/cut-a-watermelon-into-sticks-perfect-for-kids-and-part-1603562078

Summer's beloved fruit, the watermelon, can get pretty messy to eat. Instead of serving the melon in traditional wedges, cut it into sticks—easy finger foods.

This is great for little kids or for serving a crowd and you need smaller portions. I did this the other day and found another benefit: The sticks stack up much better in a container, so you don't have to do that Tetris-like watermelon wedges cramming to save space.

A Thrifty Mom has a tutorial for cutting the watermelon. Basically you'll first cut it into three pieces, then the intersecting 1-2" slices. If you have an apple corer, you can make watermelon cylinders, but with this method you only need a sharp knife.

Watermelon Slices - Perfect for Little Hands | A Thrify Mom

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Chromebooks can get cheaper thanks to new support for a low-end chip

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/12/chromebooks-can-get-cheaper/

You can pick up a Chromebook for a dirt-cheap $200, if you know where to shop. However, there are now signs that these Google-powered portables could get even cheaper. MediaTek has contributed code to Chromium OS (the base for Chrome OS) for a test device with an entry-level ARM Cortex-A7 processor -- a big step down from the relatively inexpensive Cortex-A15/A7 hybrid that Samsung uses, not to mention the Intel Celeron chips in other Chrome devices. Theoretically, this leads to Chromebooks and Chromeboxes that cost significantly less than $200, albeit after a big speed hit. Just as with phones and tablets, a Cortex-A7 system is likely to be pretty sluggish.

MediaTek hasn't discussed what it's doing with the code, and it could be a while (if ever) before there's hardware you can buy. However, it's not hard to see why the semiconductor firm would want to support Chrome gear. The company's chips are seemingly omnipresent in the basic smartphones seen across developing markets like China and India. Support for a starter Cortex-A7 processor could have a similar effect in the PC world, bringing Chrome OS systems to people who might not otherwise get a computer at all.

Filed under: Laptops, Internet, Google

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Via: Francois Beaufort (Google+)

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This Fitness Watch Doesn't Have A Lot Of Bells And Whistles But It Works Extremely Well

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/lifetrak-zone-c410-2014-7

Salutron's LifeTrak Zone C410 is a simple fitness-tracking watch. 

It doesn't have any bells and whistles. It simply tracks your steps, sleep, distance traveled, calories, heart rate, and it tells the time. All for a very affordable $99. 

The best part about it? You can forget about adding another charger to your collection: The C410 runs off a regular battery and you won't have to replace it more than once a year.

The Design

The watch has a pretty basic design. There are two buttons on the side that allow you to do things like scroll through menu items, start and stop the tracking, light up the display, and sync the watch to your phone (more on that later). 

There's also a button underneath the display that allows you to scroll through all the various tracking modes. When you hold it down, it tracks your heart rate. It even tells you the percentage of your maximum heart rate, which is an added bonus. 

The watch and band are waterproof up to 90 feet. The band is reversible (blue and black), but you can buy different watch bands for around $14 from LifeTrak's site. It fits securely on the wrist and overall looks pretty unassuming. 

The Watch

You can set goals on the watch, like how many steps you'd like to take per day. This is pretty straightforward; you scroll through your options with the top-right button. It also has an iOS and Android app that allows you to change the settings. 

There's a bar at the top on the watch face that shows you how close you are to reaching your daily goals. 

The coolest feature is the automatic sleep mode. I've used fitness bands in the past that required you to put it in sleep mode before it would t! rack how much shut eye you're getting. But it's hard to remember to press a button when you're halfway to dreamland. 

But luckily, the C410 senses it automatically. Once the device hasn't moved for a little bit, it goes into sleep mode and starts tracking your Zzzzs.

The problem is, it works a little too well. The watch would sometimes go into sleep mode even when I just took it off for a little while, like before a shower. But overall, that didn't seem to overly affect the overall sleep it thought I was getting.  

The watch can also sync with third-party health-tracking apps like as MapMyFitness. Syncing is easy; you just press and hold the bottom-right button, and all your information is pulled into the app via Bluetooth. 

Conclusion

The C410 is a basic fitness watch that performs well. It even offers more features than some of the competition.

All the information you need is right there on the watch. You don't have to take out your phone or use an app, if you don't want to. 

It doesn't vibrate. You can't track your food calories. It doesn't even have an alarm function.

But for $99, you get a straightforward fitness tracker, with the added bonus of a heart-rate monitor and automatic sleep detection. And it's super accurate.

In a world of Galaxy Gears and Pebbles, it's nice to have an option on the opposite end of the spectrum. And the Zone C410 performs exactly as advertised, with very little fuss. 

SEE ALSO: I tried out a standing desk for all the health benefits — here's why I quit

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Demand For Light Beer Is Collapsing

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/demand-for-light-beer-is-collapsing-2014-7

American beer drinkers are becoming more discerning. 

Thanks to the booming popularity of the craft beer business, light beer sales will hit a 10-year low in 2015, writes Devin Leonard at Bloomberg Businessweek. 

Sales of once-popular staples like Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite are on the decline, Leonard writes. 

Craft beer has become so popular that there's now a black market for rare brews. 

Anheuser-Busch executives told Businessweek that it was pushing light beer sales through flavored beverages such as the Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita. 

The cocktail-beer hybrid appeals to women who don't want to drink heavy craft beer. 

Sales of the so-called 'Ritas hit $462 million last year, according to IRI, a research company in Chicago. 

Bud Light is also working to develop seasonal flavors, such as apple for the fall, writes Venessa Wong the magazine.

The brand is also expected to step up marketing in the near future, executives told Businessweek. 

SEE ALSO: RANKED: The 29 Most American Foods Of All Time

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