Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Samsung's AdHub Market advertising platform set to debut this year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/04/samsung-adhub-market-advertising-platform/

Would it be such a bad idea if Sammy were to try squeezing more revenue out of those five million (and counting) Notes? Not by any means. According to The Wall Street Journal, Samsung, in partnership with OpenX Technologies, is planning to launch an advertising platform of its own at some point during the second half of this year. Dubbed AdHub Market, the service will be able to run on the company's handsets and slates, following a model similar to that of Apple's iAds. The AdHub Market would essentially allow advertisers to shell out cash in exchange for real estate within apps running on most of Samsung's devices. What's not clear, however, is how Google will react to the news...

Samsung's AdHub Market advertising platform set to debut this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on with Smart Monitor's SmartWatch, the seizure sensing wristwatch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/04/hands-on-with-smart-monitors-smartwatch-the-seizure-sensing-wr/

Millions of people suffer from epileptic seizures, and the threat of such episodes is a constant concern for those with the condition, their families and caretakers. Smart Monitor knows that the freedom of folks with epilepsy is curtailed by trepidation caused by the unpredictability of seizures, so it's created the SmartWatch. The device is a wristwatch, roughly the size of a WIMM One, that has a GPS module and a proprietary accelerometer/gyroscopic sensor inside to detect the excessive and repeated motions that occur during grand mal seizures. It then records the time, duration and location of the occurrences and sends that information via Bluetooth to the accompanying app on your Android smartphone (an iOS version is in the works). The app tracks and stores the info and automatically calls your designated caretakers to alert them of the seizure, thusly ensuring the safety of the watch wearer. The watch also has physical buttons on the side that allow users to cancel a false alert or manually send one out with a single press.

Gallery: Smart Monitor SmartWatch hands-on

Aside from the real-time safety net that comes with wearing the watch, it also provides valuable information to neurologists over the long term. When and where seizures take place is data that those who study and treat epilepsy find useful, and it can be quite difficult for folks to recall such info after a seizure. SmartWatch can give doctors an accurate long term look at a patient's episodic history that they wouldn't be able to obtain otherwise. Because it's a motion detection unit, the device is only for those who suffer from tonic clonic, or grand mal seizures, so it's not a universal seizure detector. However, the company's clinical trials with the device are ongoing, and Smart Monitor will submit it for FDA approval as a tonic clonic seizure sensor later this year.

Hands-on with Smart Monitor's SmartWatch, the seizure sensing wristwatch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wahoo Fitness BlueSC cycling sensor preview

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/04/wahoo-fitness-bluesc-cycling-sensor-preview/

It wasn't all that long ago that Wahoo Fitness unveiled it's iPhone 4S friendly BlueHR heart monitor to let you track your workouts. Well, it turns out that Wahoo's been working on something new, and at a Bluetooth 4.0 event today in SF, we got a sneak peek at the company's next device, the BlueSC. It's a gadget aimed at would-be Alberto Contadors that wirelessly tracks the speed and pedaling cadence of cyclists via Wahoo's existing app. It's a three piece affair with a main hub that straps to your bike frame, one magnet that goes on your wheel, and a second that's placed on the pedal crank. The hub gets rotational info from each magnet as it swings past and then shoots your stats to your phone via Bluetooth, allowing you to track your performance as you chug up the Alpe d'Huez. (OK, maybe just around the neighborhood.) What you see above is a working prototype device, but Wahoo's being coy about further hardware details, pricing and availability -- though we can say that it's quite lightweight and can't weigh more than few grams. In the meantime, you can get a better look at your next training tool in the gallery below.

Wahoo Fitness BlueSC cycling sensor preview originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IDrive Connect offers Google Docs access via virtual folder on your Windows machine

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/04/idrive-connect/

Need a way to access those Google Docs outside of the native interface? IDrive Online Backup has unveiled its free software that does just that. IDrive Connect allows folks who fancy the document-sharing platform to access files as if they were resting in a folder on their PC -- in a DropBox-esque fashion. The application enables drag-and-drop capabilities for easy upload, conversion for popular document types to the Google Docs format and file sharing directly within the Connect interface. If that wasn't enough, you can also save those Google Docs to an existing IDrive account, which offers up to 5GB of backup / storage (not just documents, either) at no cost. If you're looking for all the details, hit the PR below or take a gander and the source links to download the app and get started.

Continue reading IDrive Connect offers Google Docs access via virtual folder on your Windows machine

IDrive Connect offers Google Docs access via virtual folder on your Windows machine originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic Lumix GF5 looks identical to its predecessor, offers similar specs for $100 more (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/05/panasonic-lumix-gf5-hands-on/

It's been a bumpy ride for Panasonic's GF line of Micro Four Thirds cameras. The GF1, an excellent mirrorless camera for its time, was soon replaced with a less-capable entry level model, the GF2. Then another, the GF3. And now, it's time to say hello (again) to the GF5. For better or worse, the GF3 won't be going away -- it'll sit tight at its new $500 price point (with a 14-42mm kit lens), ready to confuse consumers looking to purchase its nearly identical, yet $100 pricier, pseudo-replacement. Both cameras come equipped with 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensors, though the newer model adds a "High Picture Quality" distinction -- it's been dubbed a 12.1-megapixel "High Picture Quality" Live MOS sensor. So, naturally, we're going to expect some pretty incredible images. Panasonic has also added an ISO 12,800 "extended" mode (the GF3 topped out at a native ISO 6400). There has been a jump in the video department, with 1080/30p MP4 recording joining the 720p mix. Burst mode capabilities have seen an increase as well, from 3.8 frames-per-second to... 4. Finally, it's slightly larger, due to a more substantial (and more comfortable) grip, though battery life has dropped from 340 shots to 320, likely due to a new processing technique aimed at further reducing noise in low-light captures.

The GF3 and GF5 look so similar that we mistakenly photographed the former for a min! ute or t wo, only realizing the error when we flipped on the LCD. The 5 has a much-improved touchscreen, with a 920k-dot resolution (460k dots on the GF3). It looks gorgeous by comparison, but amateurs making the switch from a point-and-shoot may not take notice. The features they'll appreciate most relate entirely to the GUI, and include a highlight window for selection options, 14 filters with a realtime preview option, a background image that appears on the main menu and a filter recommendation while in Intelligent Auto. This feature works by suggesting that you apply the Expressive or Toy Effect if you're taking a macro shot, for example. Other additions include a stereo microphone for video capture, though the left and right mics are positioned oddly near each other -- on either side of the word "MIC" on the top of the camera, with the right mic angled towards the left -- so we can't image that you'll be getting a true stereo effect. Like its predecessor, the GF5 is clearly designed with beginners in mind -- more advanced photogs should consider the GX1 -- but with a $599 sticker price (with 14-42mm lens), it's sure to be a hit.

Gallery: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 hands-on