Source: http://gizmodo.com/these-nanoparticle-panels-will-bring-blue-skies-indoors-1566662662
Skylights are so 1986. Now it doesn't matter if the weather outside is dark and dreary, or even if it's midnight, for that matter: Thanks to this LED panel which replicates cloudless skies, you'll feel like you're bathed in warm sunshine.
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Head-mounted computing specialists Recon Instruments is building quite a team to take on Google Glass. Last year, Intel offered both cash and its manufacturing and technology expertise, and now the "other" Motorola has followed suit. Motorola Solutions has opened its checkbook and pledged to share its product development and distribution know-how with the Canadian outfit. Why has a company with a pedigree in walkie-talkies and barcode scanners teamed up with Recon? Not only does it have plenty of experience making rugged gadgets that'll likely improve the Jet and Snow2's hardiness, but it also already makes wearable computers on the side. The Motorola HC1, you see, is an enterprise device that's designed to work in extreme environments where it'd be too! dangero us to use a phone. Perhaps the two of them will develop a new wearable platform that's as comfortable on the slopes as it is on the oil rig.
Filed under: Wearables
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/23/etsy-acquires-grand-st/
Gadgets are probably the last thing you'd look for on Etsy's DIY-heavy marketplace, but that could soon change. Today the NY-based company announced that it's acquiring Grand St., an online retailer focused on electronics with a creative, maker bent (think app-enabled piggy banks and Wifi-enabled kids' toys). In the short term, at least, Grand St. will continue to operate as its own marketplace, but it's possible that such hardware could someday have a home on Etsy.
In a blog post announcing the acquisition, Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson said, "What unites Etsy and Grand St. is a shared vision of the way making is changing, and we're excited to learn from their community." Grand St., which is also based in New York, curates all the products on its site, and a beta feature lets buyers give feedback to makers. The deal is still closing -- and financial details haven't been shared -- but it definitely seems to be positive news for those in the small-batch maker space.Filed under: Internet
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Etsy News Blog, Grand St.
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/23/amazon-prime-pantry/
Amazon's dead-set on killing off the grocery store, with a same-day delivery service and even a Dash gadget for restocking items around the house. Now the retailer's going one step further, taking on Costco and Walmart with a new program called Prime Pantry. If you're a Prime member living in the 48 contiguous states, you can ship 45 pounds' worth of household essentials -- in "everyday sizes," not in bulk -- for a flat fee of $6. (Yes, that's on top of your Prime membership payment.) Amazon told us the items available include "popular soft drinks and bottled water, a new range of paper and laundry products in popular pack sizes, single boxes of breakfast cereal, potato chips, convenience-sized personal care products and more." Rumors about an Amazon Pantry service began circling late last year, and while the service is live now, the company hasn't formally announced it.
To help you stay within that weight limit, a virtual Amazon cardboard box will show you how much room is left. While you could easily fill a Prime Pantry box with obscene amounts of Fruit by the Foot and gummy bears, the program is especially attractive for customers who want to stock up on heavier and bulkier items that don't usually ship for free. Check out a video introduction below, and find more info at the source link.
Source: Amazon Prime Pantry
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Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/states-where-walmart-and-whole-foods-are-dominant-2014-4
Walmart country and Whole Foods country are very different places.
Morgan Stanley is out with a retail "atlas" that breaks down retail stores by geography. Based on their data, we made the following maps showing the number of Walmarts and Whole Foods per one million people in each state.
Here's Walmart: You can see it absolutely dominates in the center of the country. Arkansas, where Walmart was born, has the most per capita, with Oklahoma a close second. Walmart is much less popular on the coasts.
Here's Whole Foods: It's not that big in the center of the country, but it's huge on the coasts. Colorado is also huge.
There are, of course, far more Walmarts than Whole Foods in each state overall, but it's fun to see where the stores are more and less concentrated. Bottom line: Whole Foods America is much more coastal, while WalMart America is much more central.
Here are tables showing the number and population-adjusted number of Walmarts and Whole Foods stores in each state:
SEE ALSO: Here's How Stuff Gets Shipped Across America
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/21/google-glass-update-calendar-iphone-sms/
On the heels of last week's KitKat update, Google Glass nabbed up two more notable improvements today. First, iOS users can now have their text messages displayed on Glass, after a quick toggle of the Bluetooth settings. Here's the catch: "due to some limitations with iOS," you wont be able to reply to those messages directly from the headset. There's also a new Calendar Glassware that situates an agenda to the left of the home screen. Tapping a card in that timeline will allow you edit title, time, location and even RSVP. If you'd rather just skip those festivities altogether, you can delete events or hide them from view. Both of the new features are said to be rolling out to early adopters "in the next few days," so keep your eyes peeled.
Filed under: Wearables, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: Google Glass (G+)
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/19/rufus-cuff-wrist-monster/
We told you to put on your disappointment pants for the Galaxy Gear 2, but for the Rufus Cuff we suggest rolling up your absurdity sleeves. Seriously, given its three-inch screen you might just have to. This wearable boasts a built-in mic, a camera, a speaker, web browser, voice control, GPS and full access to the Google Play store -- if the Cuff sounds like a smartphone that straps to your wrist, well, that's basically what it is. It connects to your Android or iPhone via Bluetooth for mobile data, making calls and sending texts, but it's running a full version of Google's mobile OS and can hook on to WiFi if you're in a cellular dead-zone or if your phone's battery runs out.
While the gizmo doesn't exactly look practical (we're pretty sure that it won't play nice with the cuffs of a slim-cut oxford), as of this writing it's has raised over $150,000 of its $200,000 IndieGoGo goal, with a handful of days to go. If you dig the idea of strapping one of these monstrosities on your wrist, all it takes is a $249 pledge.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile
Source: IndieGoGo
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No, it's not a one way mirror. It's much cooler than that. MIT scientists have invented a new invisible mirror that can show reflections like a typical mirror but also be see through like a window. The magic is in the alternating 84 ultra thin layers typical glass and tantalum oxide. It's a mirror but when you spin it, it becomes transparent. Some light passes through, some light gets reflected.
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Source: http://gizmodo.com/holy-cow-another-crazy-meteorite-caught-on-russian-das-1565040438
Last night, yet another eye-searing blue meteor screamed across the dark Russian sky. Lucky for us, Russia is the land of dashcams, meaning that yet again
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Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-100-smartphone-2014-4
Google is planning a low-budget smartphone that may retail for as little as $100, according to rumors coming from Taiwanese supply chain sources.
We saw the news on 9to5Google but you can read more about it here, too. Treat this info with skepticism: There's little more to go on.
Nonetheless, the rumor is enticing for several reasons.
First, Google is actually expected to launch the Nexus 6 later this year. That's the successor to its well-regarded (but modestly sold) Android flagship phone with a big screen.
Second, we saw recently these internal documents from Apple showing that the market is moving away from Apple's iPhone business, if that business is defined as $300+ phones with small screens. Apple sells the iPhone at around $700. Virtually all the growth in smartphone sales recently has been in the sub-$300 price range, and among large-screen phones. Apple knows its own customers actually complain about the price and screen size. So if Google was to bring out big-screen, high performance Android at the $100 level it could terrify Samsung and Apple.
The emphasis is on "could" here, because profits on such phones are tiny or non-existent. Only Apple and Samsung actually make profits selling phones. So a $100 Google phone would be a money-loser for Google.
Third, all the buzz at Mobile World Congress back in March was about the $35 C! hinese A ndroid business. It's not that anyone thinks these things are going to catch fire in the U.S. or Europe. Rather, it's the principle of the thing: You can make a moderately good Android and sell it for $35. So why should anyone pay $700 for an iPhone or a Galaxy S5 (which retails at about $660)?
Fourth, and this is the most speculative part of the whole thing, a $100 high-quality Android would look especially enticing in the U.S. market if Apple did actually pursue the rumored — and suicidal? — plan of raising the price of the iPhone 6 to nearer $800.
At that point, consumers would be faced with a choice of the "best" phone for ~$800 and what could be the second best phone for $100.
Here's the rumor from Taiwan:
According to the source’s “trusted insiders from Taiwan supply chains”, Google has now teamed up with the chip maker “MediaTek” in order to build a very low priced smartphone. The handset would supposedly hit the shelves at prices as low as $100!
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Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/boston-dynamics-sand-flea-jumping-robot-2014-4
Meet the Sand Flea:
Google-owned robotics company Boston Dynamics makes a number of stunning robots, perhaps most notably its Atlas humanoid and the "Big Dog" cargo-carrying robot.
But the "Sand Flea," weighing in at a mere 11 pounds (compared to Atlas' 330 pounds) can do something that none of these others can. It can jump, and it can jump high.
It moves along the ground like a remote control car, but when the operator wants to get airborne, the Sand Flea props itself up at an angle and fires a piston into the ground that sends the robot hurtling forward through the air at heights of up to 30 feet. That's high enough to jump onto the roof of an average house from the ground.
It's not all about height, however. Boston Dynamics boasts that this thing is also handy for "precision hops through windows or doors, on to tables," even up staircases. Developed with funding from the U.S. Army's Rapid Equipping Force, it's plain to see that this robot could be a handy surveillance bot that can get itself into otherwise inaccessible locations.
Check out the full video below:
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/19/google-trends-email-notifications/
You can always swing by Google Trends if you want to gauge the popularity of a given search, but visiting that website every time can be a hassle. Thankfully, there's now an easier way: Google has added a subscription option that sends email notifications when there are changes in the interest levels for most searches, including hot searches, specific topics and the top US charts. If you want to see how long an internet meme survives or find out when your favorite team is creating a lot of buzz, you just have to visit Trends' subscription area to get started.
Source: Inside Search, Google Trends
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/19/allcast-android-app-amazon-fire-tv/
Been putting off sideloading AllCast's SDK to your brand new Amazon Fire TV? Well, friend, your procrastination has paid off. Now, all you have to do to install the casting and screen-mirroring app is download it straight from the Amazon App Store. So long as you also have AllCast installed on an Android device, you can beam photos, videos and music from your phone or tablet to Amazon's set-top box. Plus, you can use the app to view images and videos saved on Google+ and Dropbox. If you don't plan to pick up a Fire TV (waiting for the second one, eh?), you can still use AllCast with a number of other devices, including Chromecast, Xbox One, Roku, Apple TV and a smattering of smart TVs.
Filed under: Household, HD, Amazon
Source: Koushik Dutta (Google+), Amazon
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Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/nike-fires-fuelband-team-2014-4
There have been rumors that Nike will stop making its FuelBand wearable device, and now it looks like the rumors have come true.
A person familiar with Nike's plans confirmed to CNET that the company will get out of the fitness band business and will stick with software, such as the Nike+ app for the iPhone.
"As a fast-paced, global business we continually align resources with business priorities," Nike spokesman Brian Strong tells CNET. "As our Digital Sport priorities evolve, we expect to make changes within the team, and there will be a small number of layoffs. We do not comment on individual employment matters."
As many as 55 people of the 70-person hardware team, part of the larger Digital Sport division, were let go on Thursday, according to CNET's source.
It seems obvious that Nike would jump out of the hardware game right now, with the upcoming iWatch on its way, as well as wearable Android devices, such as Samsung's Gear Fit, flooding the market.
But as CNET reports:
As Apple enters the fray, Nike has a potential partner. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who was seen wearing a FuelBand at the company's launch of the in October of 2012, sits on Nike's board, and has for the last nine years. That relationship has been fruitful over the years, helping Nike enter the wearable market as early as 2006, with the Nike+iPod shoe sensor package, with a strong brand partner.
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Is that the Loch Ness monster in this satellite photo used by Apple Maps? Or at least something that looks like a giant biological form underwater? It's strangely similar to the shape spotted in Google's satellite imagery. Could it really be an underwater creature, a long-forgotten aquatic dinosaur?
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