Source: http://gizmodo.com/every-river-in-the-u-s-colored-according-to-the-way-i-1674447918
There are over 250,000 rivers in the U.S., some subtly serene, others tremendously tumultuous. But in this visualization you can see them all—and the color shows which way their waters flow.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/21/samsung-ultra-widescreen-curved-monitor/
If both ultra-widescreen and curved computer monitors are all the rage these days, then Samsung's new SE790C display is supremely fashionable. The 34-inch, 3,440 x 1,440 LCD has both a super-wide 21:9 aspect ratio and a gentle arc, combining two trends (fads?) in one. Supposedly, this all-encompassing design produces a "3D-like" effect that brings you into the action -- that's a little difficult to believe, but the screen will at least look futuristic sitting on your desk. Just don't expect it to make your photos pop. Although the SE790C covers all of the sRGB color range, it's using a middle-of-the-road VA (vertical alignment) panel rather than something particularly vivid, like IPS (in-plane switching). There's also no mention of US availability or pricing, so it's hard to know if this represents a good deal. So long as the price isn't too outlandish, though, it could be a good way to immerse yourself in games and movies.
Filed under: Displays, Peripherals, Samsung
Source: Samsung Tomorrow
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/19/amazon-os-update-firefly/
Amazon SVP of Devices David Limp promised back in October that the company will continue releasing updates for the Fire phone despite its rather poor performance -- like this big software upgrade, for instance. The latest version of Fire phone's OS comes with a long list of new features, including the ability to translate text and identify artwork (well, anything included in its 2,000-piece catalog, anyway) in photos using Firefly. Plus, there's a new camera mode called Best Shot that saves three versions of each captured photo, so you can choose the best one.
You can also start blocking phone numbers, selecting more keyboard languages, disabling MMS character count, editing documents in the preloaded WPS Office app and connecting to a VPN. Want to sync calendars across Amazon devices, view more info on the lock screen and scroll through Kindle books using gestures? You can do all those, as well. The update's available for both the AT&T device and the unlocked GSM version, which, by the way, is now priced at half the $449 it used to cost -- just sayin', in case you want to relieve the company of one of the many, many phones it can't sell.Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Amazon
Via: Phone Scoop, Android Central
Source: Amazon
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/robo-adviser-growth-2014-12
In July, research and consulting firm Corporate Insight presented an impressive number: $15.7 billion.
That was the amount of money managed by the online investment platforms known as robo-advisers.
By once again analyzing 11 leaders in the field this December, Corporate Insight has determined that since its last analysis, these robo-advisers have taken more than another $3 billion under management for a total of nearly $19 billion.
This number represents a 21% increase since July, and a 65% increase since the first time the data was collected in April.
"The continued growth of the newcomers and the recent actions of the major players prove that online advice is not a fleeting fad," Corporate Insight analyst Grant Easterbrook wrote in an email to Business Insider. "Human advisers must realize that the disruptive powers of the web and automation are here to stay."
Corporate Insight looked at the influence of online platforms Wealthfront, Betterment, Assetbuilder, Covester, Financial Guard, FutureAdvisor, Jemstep, MarketRiders, Personal Capital, RebalanceIRA, and SigFig.
Easterbrook says the innovative new partnerships and products announced by Fidelity, TD Ameritrade, TradeKing, and Charles Schwab, as well as the $161 million raised in funding rounds by four of these 11 robo-advisers this year, is clear evidence that robo-advice is being welc! omed int o the mainstream.
The growth, segmented into "discretionary control" (money that's directly managed) and "paid investment advice," is shown in the chart below:
SEE ALSO: Here's Why Betterment's CEO Loves That People Call His Investing Website A 'Robo-Adviser'
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/18/android-m-cars-rumor/
If Reuters' rumors are true, then apparently the folks at Mountain View think the Android Auto overlays rolling out this year don't go far enough. Citing unnamed sources, it indicates that an Android 'M' able to embed directly into cars -- no smartphone necessary -- is set to roll out in about a year. The idea is to make Android the standard for controlling navigation and entertainment, no matter what phone the driver is holding. Some automakers, like Hyundai and Honda have already announced plans for systems that run their own custom flavors of Android, but it sounds like this could go much further -- if any automakers actually plug it into their vehicles. The Detroit Auto Show rolls around next month right after CES, if any such project is under way then those seem like excellent times to make an announcement, don't you think?
Filed under: Transportation, Google
Source: Reuters
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/17/lg-web-os-2.0/
The usual pre-CES flood of information is under way, and LG is announcing details of the webOS 2.0 package its smart TVs will ship with in 2015. Improving on the menus we already dug at last year's show, LG says that the new versions will improve mainly in speed, with power-on boot time reduced by 60 percent, and a 70 percent improvement when switching from the home screen to YouTube. Sluggish, unresponsive apps have been a major pain point for "smart" TVs since their introduction, so it's good to see that addressed. One thing that will remain an issue however, is that the 2.0 upgrades will require a new display, as we haven't heard about an upgrade for existing sets (or other platforms like smartwatches, or even phones). According to LG, the first webOS sets were quite popular, with over five million sold through eight months.
If you have one of the new ones, it will include a new "My Channels" app that puts user's favorite TV channels right in the TV menu. Last year's TVs included "Universal control" from the Magic Remote LG ships with each one, and now it's built into the UI so it's easier to stay in one menu. Also upgrades is an Input Picker that recognizes whatever devices are plugged in for easier use, as well as 4K streaming support (on the appropriate TVs) for Amazon and Netflix. If everything holds to form, we should hear more about super size, high res displays with new tech (like quantum dots) over the next few days, before the usual CES flood of information once we hit Las Vegas in early January -- see you then.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, LG
Source: LG Newsroom
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/18/amazon-prime-now/
Amazon has just launched a new service called Prime Now, which will let Prime members order "tens of thousands" of "daily essentials" for immediate delivery. Once you download the new app (on Android or iOS), you'll get the option of picking a one- or two-hour delivery between 6AM and midnight, with Uber-like tracking included. The fastest option will run $7.99 per order and two-hour deliveries are free for Prime members. The service looks like a response to Google's same-day Shopping Express launched last year, which offers same day (but not one-hour) delivery at $5 a pop, or $99 a year. Prime Now will operate exclusively in Manhattan to start, but Amazon has promised that it'll soon be coming "to a city near you."
Amazon toyed with taxi deliveries earlier, but said that the Prime Now will be powered by its "growing network of fulfillment centers," and deliver goods like paper towels, books and toys. The discount online retailer has recently seen its turf invaded by interlopers like Walmart, which has the advantage of brick-and-mortar stores if you need something now. And if you can't get out of the house, Google will do the dirty work by picking up items from retailers like Staples and Costco, and delivering them the same day via Shopping Express, which we mentioned earlier. Since many of Amazon's competitors now price-match, that will put it back on par with them for convenience -- and it didn't even need any drones.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Amazon
Source: Amazon
Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-little-lead-can-make-graphene-magnetic-1671641756
Graphene has very many strengths
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/15/lg-4k-quantum-dot-hdtv/
LG has announced that next year, it will have a new set of 4K TVs to slot between its existing Ultra HD LCDs and super-colorful OLED models. These are different because they use quantum dot technology, which LG says will make for a wider color palette and better color saturation than regular LCDs. Sony's already using the technology in its high-end TVs, and reports have indicated that Samsung will offer LCDs with quantum dots as well. The tech used here will use nanocrystals in sizes of 2 to 10 nm that show a different color based on their size, laid in a film over the usual IPS LCD. LG has committed heavily to OLED as a display technology of the future, but even with prices dropping rapidly, it's still out of range for most buyers. As a result, improving traditional LCDs -- and trying to convince folks to upgrade to 4K at all -- is where the key battles will be. The new TVs will be available in 55- and 65-inch versions at first, and you can be sure we'll be taking a close look at them in Las Vegas next month.
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, LG
Source: LG Newsroom
Many people know how a camera works—at least conceptually. In the practice, it's not easy to imagine (in fact, it truly blows my mind if I really think of it.) This excellent 3D visualization shows exactly how the photo is taken. Very very neat.
Jaguar just unveiled a proposed new navigation system that's unlike anything we've ever seen.
Most modern navigation systems instruct drivers using a series of arrows or at best a pictographic representation of a highway exit. However, Jaguar's new experimental system abandons the arrows and instead projects an image of a "Ghost Car" for the driver to follow.
Officially known as "Follow-Me Ghost Car Navigation," the system uses the heads-up-display technology to project an illuminated "ghost car" that looks to be driving right in front of the actual vehicle.
"Driving on city streets can be a stressful experience, but imagine being able to drive across town without having to look at road signs, or be distracted trying to locate a parking space as you drive by," said Jaguar Land Rover's director of research and technology, Dr. Wolfgang Epple, in a statement.
"We want to present all of this information on a Heads-Up Display in the driver's eye-line, so the driver doesn't have to seek it out for themselves and take their eyes off the road ahead."
In addition to automotive apparition, the experimental navigation system also projects onto the windshield an array of strategic information for the driver to use — such as parking guidance, stop light duration, and geographic landmarks.
This new nav system is related to the company's 360 Virtual Urban Windscreen technology, which features an array of video displays mounted around the car's cabin that virtually eliminates driving blind spots around the vehicle.
As with Jaguar's Virtual Windscreen, there isn'! t a set date for the system's debut in a production vehicle. But I wouldn't be surprised to see it in the next generation Jaguar XJL Portfolio or Range Rover Autobiography.
SEE ALSO: The 10 Best Car Engines In The World
Join the conversation about this story »
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/14/hwyc-lenovo-helix/
Lenovo's first Yoga machine still stands as a watershed moment in laptop and tablet design, but what of one of its successors, the ThinkPad Helix? In addition to those first two modes, you could spin the Helix's display outward, enabling you to use the device as a free-standing drawing display. When we placed it front of our Dana Wollman, however, she found that the exciting form factor had some drawbacks. Like the fact that the 'Rip'n'Flip' design wasn't all that, not to mention the last-generation internals and the short battery life. Still, we imagine some of you might have taken a liking this piece of hardware, so why not hop over to our forum and tell us what you would have changed?
Source: Engadget Product Forums
Area 1 Security, a two-year old Valley startup not yet out of stealth, just raised $8 million for a product that is meant to stop the most impossible hacker attacks, something called "social engineering."
Social engineering is basically lying to trick people into giving away their passwords or to visiting a malicious website. If hackers are trying to break into a specific network (a "targeted attack") they are going to lay traps that the target is likely to fall for.
This could be via email (known as "phishing"), malware-laced ads ("malvertising") or planting whole malware-laced websites that look authentic but aren't ("watering holes.")
It's very difficult to come up with a technology solution to protect against targeted social engineering because it manipulates human nature itself.
But after learning tricks from the NSA, Area 1's co-founders think they've got the solution. It's a cloud service that basically watches the whole Internet and can then detect when something fishy (phishy?) is going on at a particular company.
"The hardest thing a human can do [when hacking] is to pretend to be normal. There's all of these subtle behaviors when someone is being attacked, deviations when they go to banking sites, search the web," CEO Oren Falkowitz tells us.
Area 1 isn't the only security company working on this. FireEye made its name with a product that protects against a similar kind of targeted attacks. And the whole field of "anomaly detection" security is decades old.
But because Area 1 is watching the whole internet, not just looking at data inside the company, it thinks this service will perform better.
"We look outside of companies," to see where websites, emails, or ads are coming from and if they are behaving weird. If so, it can bl! ock them or take other actions, depending on how an IT department has the service set up.
The three founders met a few years ago during stints with the NSA.
"We've all gone on and done other things since our time there. We wanted to go after root cause of hacking, social engineering attacks. This would be the holy grail of solutions. When attackers can’t manipulate people, they can’t succeed in attacks," Falkowitz says.
This latest round was led by Ted Schlein at Kleiner Perkins, with total raised so far at $10.5 million. Other VCs include Allegis Capital, Cowboy Ventures, and Data Collective, plus angels like Shape Security CEO Derek Smith.
Join the conversation about this story »
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/12/snapdragon-810-hands-on/
If you're already bored by the annual speed upgrades we're seeing in mobile chips (can you really feel the difference between a Galaxy S4 and S5?), Qualcomm's giving you a few more reasons to consider upgrading. Its octa-core Snapdragon 810 chip, which will likely end up in many of next year's top phones and tablets, sports a few new features that go far beyond the megahertz rat race. And it might just be the first step towards your tablet replacing your laptop -- which makes sense now that Qualcomm has its eyes set beyond mobile.
Let's start with 4K video -- which, to my surprise, might actually be useful with the Snapdragon 810 rather than overhyped fluff. Qualcomm's supported 4K video recording since the Snapdragon 800's release earlier this year, but there really wasn't much you could do with that content. Its new chip will actually support 4K resolution displays, so you'll get to see your ultra-high def videos in their full glory. You'll also be able to wirelessly stream the video by connecting a small dongle to a TV set (which almost makes up for the dearth of true 4K content). In a demo yesterday, I didn't notice any stuttering or fuzziness when a Qualcomm rep wirelessly shot some 4K video from a phone to a television. There's certainly no rush to replace your current HDTV yet, but the support for high-res movies will come in handy as 4K sets drop further in price.
Qualcomm is also pushing 4K resolution tablets as something that could lead to a major upgrade in typography, but I was less convinced with that argument. The company showed off a website sporting a huge image and some tiny text as something that could only be viewed with a high-res tablet. But it really just looked like a terribly designed site.
The same high-speed wireless technology Qualcomm is using for streaming 4K video in the Snapdragon 810 will also power a major upgrade for Miracast, its AirPlay-like solution for sharing your screen with other displays. You can plug in a keyboard and additional storage when you dock your tablet and Miracast it to a larger monitor (as pictured above). It allows for an almost desktop-like experience when combined with the technology's existing screen mirroring and mouse support. I was able to detect some slowdown when a Qualcomm rep showed off the new Miracast features, but it looked usable for basic document editing.
On the camera side, the Snapdragon 810 offers a respite from the horrors of digital zoom by supporting Corephotonics' dual-lens camera, which brings optical zooming to mobile devices. The company uses computational photography to combine the results from two lenses to achieve a 3x zoom in photos. Qualcomm has been talking up the technology since Mobile World Congress last January, but next year we may actually see phones taking advantage of it. HTC's One M8 (which isn't using Corephotonics' technology) gave us a glimpse at what's possible when two lenses work together, but there's clearly room for improvement.
You can get a sense of how the dual-lens technology works in the comparison above, which shows an image using traditional digital zoom on a small subject about six feet away. The digitally zoomed image on the left is practically useless, while the image zoomed with Corephotonics' lenses is decent. We've already seen Nokia try to tackle the photo zooming dilemma in phones with its PureView cameras, which let you crop into high-resolution photos without sacrificing much quality. But Windows Phone's many issues as a platform has held back PureView's potential.
Among other useful features, the Snapdragon 810 adds a hardware kill switch that will prevent hackers from flashing your device (which could let them bypass typical software kill switches). The chip also supports Dolby's new mobile Atmos sound technology, which does a surprisingly great job of simulating surround sound on headphones. And of course, the 810 offers some huge gaming improvements with its faster GPU. The game Godfire, for example, looked almost console-like when demoed on one of Qualcomm's reference tablets.
We've seen Qualcomm push plenty of fanciful features over the year, but this time around they actually look pretty useful. That's a clear sign of how far mobile chips have come. It's already hard for us to notice the expected speed upgrades, so the only choice now is to focus on other useful upgrades. And as the industry matures, so will the way we use our phones and tablets.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile
Source: http://gizmodo.com/youtube-now-lets-you-make-gifs-from-videos-1670140887
Making short GIFs of YouTube videos is a pretty well-established practice now — so much so that there's dozens of websites dedicated to this finest of art forms. But YouTube might be about to make them all obsolete, thanks to a new built-in GIF maker.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/12/gchq-cryptography-app-kids/
The next time you need a new Android app to keep the little ones entertained, you should consider turning to the UK's GCHQ intelligence agency. No, really. Infamous for its surveillance capabilities exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, the (once) super-secret organisation has now released a kid-friendly tablet app focused on cryptography. Originally developed by GCHQ placement students, the Cryptoy app teaches children about traditional encryption methods such as shift, substitution, Vigenère and Enigma. Youngsters can then apply these techniques to create their own encoded messages and send them on to friends for decryption. Cryptography has come a long way since these classic ciphers were invented, but GCHQ says the basic principles are still relevant for modern code breakers. It's also planning an iOS version for next year, so if your kids are using an iPad they shouldn't be left out for too long. Passing notes around in class will never be the same again.
Filed under: Tablets
Via: The Times
Source: Cryptoy (Google Play)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/11/youtube-is-testing-a-gif-sharing-option/
Click on the "share" button under any YouTube video, and you'll get three simple options: Share (for a URL), Embed (for HTML code) and Email (take a guess), but Google's video streaming site is about to get one more -- animated GIF. YouTube hasn't officially announced the new feature, but it seems to be testing it on select channels. Click on any video from Good Mythical Morning or The Idea Channel (the only two channels we found with the feature activated), for instance, and you'll be given the opportunity to make a captioned, six-second GIF like the one above. It's pretty easy; YouTube starts the GIF at the point of the video that was playing when you click "share" and allows it to be adjusted via timestamp or visual slider. Want to check it out? Click on either of the two above channels and have at it. Oh, and let us know in the comments if you find any other GIF-ready channels.
Via: Gizmodo, Twitter (WaxPancake)
Sigma is known primarily for lenses
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/11/chromecast-guest-mode/
With the number of content providers that keep coming on board with Chromecast, the next big step for Google is making the device a bit easier to use. Case in point: Today marks the launch of ultrasonic pairing -- otherwise known as "Guest mode." All you need to do is enable Google's streaming stick to connect to a nearby device and voila: Now anyone can cast to your TV from their Android, no WiFi password needed. For now, it's exclusive to Google's own OS, but there's a reason for that. Chromecast product manager Jagjit Chawla says that with iOS, you can't scan for a list of nearby WiFi access points because there isn't an API that'd allow it. Thus, Guest mode on Apple's mobile software isn't going to happen right away. "Either we can solve these tech problems, or, we can release it on Android first, gather user feedback, improve our back-end and find solutions," he said, with the goal of reaching iOS feature parity sometime later.
Guest mode in and of itself is part of a bigger push to make the device easier to use, in addition to getting more cast-enabled apps on board. "If you have more content and it's easier to get to it to the TV, then the whole ecosystem grows," Chawla says. For example, let's say you just bought a movie from Google Play and want to watch it at a friend's house. Before Guest mode, that'd mean the often cumbersome process of getting your pal's WiFi password and plugging it into your phone, or, having your friend log into your phone with their Google account. Neither are particularly ideal and are a bit of a roadblock to just sitting back and enjoying Gravity.
In the early days, just getting Chromecast out the door and into homes was the big focus. This year saw the device's SDK finalized and it getting baked into Google Play Services -- essentially becoming a finished product. For 2015, Chawla says the idea is to expand on ways that Chromecast becomes even more handy. "We look at how we can make the living room more effective and features that make Cast mode easier to use," he says. "If you look at the evolution of the product, like Backdrops, it isn't a core function, but it makes your TV more useful to you." Just how much further Google takes that and what other additions are in the hopper are anyone's guess at this point.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Google
Source: Google Chrome Blog
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/11/irl-lytro-illum-camera/
Back in 2012, Lytro's first camera introduced folks to its light-field imaging tech -- letting users tweak focus, perspective and depth of field after a photo is taken. However, that first-gen camera's peculiar body and low-res output limited its appeal. Now, with the $1,599 Illum, Lytro's back, looking to elevate its unique approach from mere curiosity to a legitimate photographic tool. I spent some time with the beefy new model to see how far the company's come.
First up, here's a quick and very basic primer on Lytro's approach. In traditional photography, you (or your camera) pick a spot to be in focus, compose the frame and snap a shot. Generally speaking, after the shot is taken, whatever was out of focus stays out of focus; there's not much you can do to make a blurry background object tack-sharp after the fact. You're better off just reshooting and adjusting the focal point or depth of field. With Lytro's tech, though, the camera sensor doesn't capture just the one focal plane you selected; it gathers light info from a wide range of potential focal points, allowing you to tweak the depth of field and have more control over what is and isn't sharp in post-processing.
Want a rough, musical analogy? Imagine capturing a photo is like making an audio recording of a piano chord. The traditional method would be to select a set of keys before pressing those specific notes down. Lytro's approach would be like mashing down 20 or so adjacent keys and then letting custom software help you sort out the notes you want later. (I did say it was a rough analogy.)
On the hardware side, the new camera looks nothing like its predecessor. Whereas the first-gen device resembled a square, aluminum cigarette, the Illum's designers went for a futuristic, wind-swept SLR aesthetic. From the rubberized control rings to the articulated touchscreen, the Illum feels impressively modern. The menus are finger-friendly and easy to navigate and the onboard Snapdragon 800 does an admirable job keeping up as I swipe from screen to screen.
Still, I have some complaints: The left-side panel covering the SD card and USB 3.0 ports can be tricky to pry open. Viewing angles on the 800 x 480 screen could also be better. And then there's the lens hood, which eschews the traditional bayonet-style attachment common to SLRs. Instead, it uses a sort of compression collar and spring-loaded locking pins to stay in place. On my particular unit, the hood's grip was so secure that removing it required an alarming amount of force. Of note, I did experience a few hard crashes that required removing the battery and resetting, but updating to the most recent firmware seems to have fixed those issues.
Despite its form factor, the Illum certainly isn't as quick as an SLR. Focusing by selecting a point on the live view screen can be sluggish and the 30-250mm (equivalent) f/2.0 lens takes its time going from one focal length extreme to the other. Still, in using the Illum, it sort of feels like it's meant to be more deliberate than traditional camera gear. After all, it does its best work when you put a bit more thought into the composition of each frame -- as opposed to the spray-and-pray approach that digital photography has made so feasible.
Lytro eschews megapixels in rating its sensors, instead opting for "megarays." In the Illum's case, we're dealing with 40 megarays -- four times what the first-gen unit had. Representatives hinted that the company hopes to quadruple resolution with every generation. That's ambitious, certainly, but I'm hoping overall speed is a priority as well.
Speed issues occur elsewhere, unfortunately. While the desktop client and mobile apps are well-polished, the software workflow -- from importing to final rendering -- is a time-consuming affair. Using the included USB 3.0 cable, it took nearly 40 minutes to fully transfer about a hundred photos from the Illum to my desktop PC. Exporting a Vine-length, 1080p clip at the highest settings took 13 minutes on my PC's Core i7-4770. Though a 720p clip at lower-quality settings generally took less than a few seconds.
The desktop client offers the standard image-editing controls like exposure and white balance. Beyond those, you also have access to Lytro-specific tweaks, like choosing a different focal point in the image or adjusting the aperture (and resulting depth of field) from f/1 to f/16. A newly added "Focus Spread" option lets you manually select where the focal points start and stop, allowing you to have the blurry background of, say, an f/2 shot with a foreground that looks like it was shot with a narrower aperture. It's a bit like traditional compositing using multiple exposures at different apertures, except it's all done from a single shot. Export options include short animated movies that showcase the Illum's focus magic (focus pocus?). You can also export images to standard 4-megapixel stills, though the quality there certainly doesn't rival a DSLR of equivalent price.
Both the desktop and mobile apps let you upload images to a personal gallery on Lytro's site. You can also view what others have been doing on the public gallery -- especially handy for inspiration if you're stuck in the "What do I do with this?" phase. One neat trick: Lytro images I viewed on the iPhone app responded to the phone's movement, allowing for parallax-style perspective shifts similar to the Perspective Zoom option for iOS wallpapers.
Overall image quality is much-improved over Lytro's first-gen effort. Still, the Illum performs best in good lighting conditions, and it can't compete with modern DSLRs when photons are scarce (though the built-in hot shoe allows for numerous lighting options). And while still images and short movie clips are more common formats, Lytro's interactive photo viewer remains the best way to show off what the camera can do.
You can check out a gallery of shots from the Illum via Lytro's interactive photo viewer here.
As an everyday tool, Lytro's second-gen effort is still a bit too cumbersome for me to dedicate space in my main camera bag. As a statement of intent, though, the Illum succeeds in demonstrating Lytro's aim of leapfrogging its past efforts. This is a much more useful photographic tool than its predecessor, but it could certainly benefit from faster performance both before and after a photo is taken. Generation three should be pretty intriguing.
Filed under: Cameras
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/11/asus-zenwatch-review/
The war for your wrist isn't going to wind down any time soon: We've already seen the industry's biggest players take a stab (in some cases, multiple ones) at perfecting their wearables. ASUS isn't quite as prominent as other names on that list, but that just makes its $200 ZenWatch all the more interesting The Taiwanese company -- probably best known for its quirky phone-tablet hybrids -- has put together am inaugural smartwatch that's dripping with style. In fact, it's the first smartwatch I've worn that's ever attracted random compliments from passersby (in two countries, no less), not to mention the first one that didn't make me feel like a complete nerd while wearing it. Alas, it takes more than just a sweet face to make a smartwatch worth owning.
A sense of style and personality is crucial for wearables; it's the difference between tossing something in the drawer after it's technically obsolete and wearing it anyway just because you like it. The ZenWatch falls squarely into that latter category, at least as far as I'm concerned. ASUS has put together a handsome, understated piece of kit that many people will feel proud wearing. So what's so nice about it? Well, for starters, the simple, curvy chassis is hewn from two layers of stainless steel sandwiching a rosy gold, steel midsection that helps to break up what otherwise would've been a monotonous, 75-gram silver slab. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think the rounded "2.5D" body and two-tone trim were smart decisions -- they make the watch feel understated and classy in a market that all too easily forgets what those words mean. In that respect, the ZenWatch lands somewhere in between the first, utilitarian batch of Android Wear watches and newer, flashier models like the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R. Definitely not a bad niche to camp out in.
You might not agree with ASUS' design choices, but you can't blame the company for shooting for style when it has the same dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 and 512 of RAM that've popped up in nearly every other Android Wear watch to date. There's also 4GB of flash storage under the hood in case you want to listen to music on the run without having to lug around a phone while you're at it, though that's hardly novel either.
My review unit came with a caramel-colored, stitched leather wristband that's both fetching and comfortable, a proposition that's tougher to nail than you might think. I'm no watch maven, but I've come across plenty of pretty leather straps that are too stiff and creaky until they're properly broken in. Not so here. The ZenWatch's band felt supple on my wrist from the get-go. And hey, you can swap out that stock leather band with any other 22mm strap you've got lying around. That's probably for the best too, especially if you're the sort to wear snug shirts: At its biggest, the metallic clasp that lashes one end of the band to the other is even thicker than the watch itself, making it sometimes troublesome to pull a sleeve over. On the plus side, the ZenWatch's body is water-resistant, so it'll survive bathroom splashes and other accidents (just try to keep the water away from all that leather).
Right, that's enough fawning -- let's get to the disappointing stuff. Sitting right up top is the square, 1.63-inch AMOLED screen swathed in a de rigueur panel of Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 to keep it from getting banged up. Unfortunately, there's quite a bit of bezel separating the ring of steel trim from the screen itself, and it's probably the most disappointing thing about the ZenWatch's looks. All that unused space makes the screen seem smaller than it actually is, and it doesn't help that the bezel has a slightly textured look as if it's just begging to be noticed. Some better button placement would've helped a lot, too. We'll dig into the software in a bit, but here's a quick spoiler: The folks at ASUS seem to be huge fans of the analog clock aesthetic, so a crown wouldn't look too out of place on the ZenWatch. Frankly, it'd make a much better power button than the one we actually got; it's a tiny little thing that sits flush with the rest of the body, so it's tough to find by feel alone.
Let's just get this out of the way now: The ZenWatch's 1.63-inch AMOLED screen isn't eye-catchingly round like some others out there, but that's no reason to write it off. After all, didn't a wise bard note ages ago that it's hip to be square?
Painfully dated jokes aside, the screen's generally a pleasure to cast your eyes on, even if those peepers have been spoiled by the smartphone the watch is connected to. It runs at 320 x 320 (that's a pixel density of 278 ppi, if you're keeping count), making it marginally crisper than the G Watch R, though Sony's SmartWatch 3 still beats it by a hair. Your eyes almost certainly won't notice a few extra pixels per linear inch, though, so there's not much point in getting too worked up over pixel density -- the ZenWatch's display is more than crisp enough to please all but the most scrutinous screen snobs. Oh, and since you'll be glancing down at an AMOLED screen, the bold colors Google likes are lively and vibrant with deep, sumptuous blacks to match. We're still a ways off from the holy grail -- a digital watch face that's as crisp and substantial as a physical one -- but this generation of wearables hasn't exactly left us wanting either.
Then again, there's the matter of all that stuff around the screen. I've already mentioned the expanses of bezel surrounding the screen, and man -- I can't ever not notice it. Maybe it's because the rest of the watch is so clean, so elegant that the bezel just seems like filler. At the very least, it would've been nice if ASUS fitted an ambient light sensor tucked away in there, but no dice. You'll have to choose from one of five brightness levels manually, a process that takes a total of four to five swipes and taps to get where you'd need to go. My time with the ZenWatch has mostly been spent with screen brightness dialed up halfway and I never had trouble seeing who was furiously texting me, even under the light of the harsh winter sun. By default, you can smack your palm down on the screen to shut it off, though 99 percent of the time I just waited the few seconds for the screen to do it on its own.
Go ahead, pick up any Android Wear watch and start poking around. I'll wait. It won't take you long to realize that beyond all the cosmetic niceties -- the chassis, the bands, the different watch faces -- they're all basically the same. The incessant flow of information in the form of Google Now cards and notifications? Mostly impeccable voice recognition for taking notes, issuing responses and launching apps? Tap-and-swipe-friendly navigation? All of the core bits are here on the ZenWatch and work just the way they always have, so forgive me for not dwelling on them much. It's a testament to Google's grip on the platform, but it puts the onus on smartwatch makers to turn something so uniform and consistent into something special.
In the case of the ZenWatch, most of those special bits lean on a separate Android app called ZenWatch Manager. From there, you can customize the colors of the seven included non-Googly watch faces, and fire up extra features like a proximity warning to alert you when you've wandered away from your phone and the option to mute your phone's ringer by clamping your hand over your watch. Useful, though not exactly thrilling. Just beware the occasionally spotty English that pops up now and again -- whenever I modify a watch face, a dialog box cheerfully confirms that my changes have been saved and says, "You could select the watch face on your watch to use it." I could, but should I?
ASUS also crafted a handful of apps for your phone that hook into the ZenWatch hardware, though you'll probably wonder why anyone thought they needed to exist. Consider Remote Camera for instance, an app that turns your watch into a combination viewfinder/remote shutter. It sounds nifty, but it's mostly silly in practice since you'll rarely find yourself in a situation when it isn't easier to just tap your phone's shutter button instead. Group selfies, maybe? You could feasibly use your phone as some sort of GoPro-esque action camera with the ZenWatch as a second screen, but you'd have to remain within Bluetooth range of the phone the entire time.
Since every wearable is concerned with your state of being, there's a heart rate monitor baked into the metal frame to help you keep tabs on your ticker. Unlike the heart sensors built into watches like the Moto 360, though, you'll have to place two fingers on that stretch of metal to get your reading. Problem is, the results are wildly inconsistent. While lounging in an uncomfortable airplane seat, the ZenWatch thought resting my heart rate leapt from 49 beats per minute to 65 to a whopping 172 within the span of about three minutes. If that was at all accurate, I should've asked a flight attendant to find a doctor on board stat, but I survived that flight just fine, thanks very much. An additional Wellness app for your connected phone keeps tabs on your movement and heart rate data (sketchy though the latter may be) and plots it all on a daily timeline for you to skim.
Curiously, the app also lets you view your heart rate in terms of relaxation in case you didn't know how stressed you were at any given moment. Yeah, really. I'd just as soon stick to the Jawbone Up app that comes preloaded on the watch. It's a worthy supplement to Google's own Fit heath-tracking platform. Over the years, I've burned through no less than three Jawbone Ups/Up24s thanks to seemingly shoddy quality control, a bummer considering Jawbone's mobile app is one of the more pleasant on-the-go fitness apps you'll find; it's heartening to be able to use it again with hardware that I'm not constantly fretting over.
If anything, it's the little disappointments that seem to sting the most. I'd occasionally miss a notification (or even worse, an alarm early in the morning) just because the vibration motor thrumming on my wrist was too weak to catch my attention. Oh, and the accelerometer very rarely had trouble keeping up when I brought the watch up to my face, so I occasionally had to crank my wrist like I was revving a motorcycle to bring up the full display.
The ZenWatch has the same innards as several other Android Wear devices, like the G Watch R, right down to the 4GB of internal storage for your tunes. Naturally, that means the ZenWatch performs just as well as the rest of its rivals: Swiping through app and notification cards is usually pretty snappy, though you might spot some slowdown when you're trying to dismiss loads of them one after the other. It's still a little tricky to quantify how well these things perform in the real world, but hey -- even at its slowest, the ZenWatch managed never to be outright irritating. Considering all the bits of code and silicon needed to keep a smartwatch running smoothly, that's still a notable feat.
Now we're getting to the part you're probably most interested in: battery life. I used the ZenWatch every day over the course of two weeks, and those days were spent triaging a pretty steady stream of Hangouts messages, emails and Google Now info blasts. Throw in plenty of wrist-talking and you've got a situation that skews more toward the power-user end of the spectrum. On those heavier days, the watch's 369mAh battery would keep ticking for about 13 or 14 straight hours before giving up the ghost. That's about on par with what people are getting out of a post-update Moto 360, and just a hair better than what we saw with Samsung's Gear Live. Here's the thing, though: Your mileage is almost definitely going to vary from mine, depending on how frenzied your average day is. With any luck, your wrist won't be blowing up constantly, so you can enjoy the simple pleasure of looking at the time for longer.
Speaking of, what happens when you just want to use it as a watch, no smarts involved? Well, with Airplane Mode and the always-on display enabled, the ZenWatch generally stuck around for closer to 20 hours or so before it needed a spin in the awkward, little charging dock that comes with it. Naturally, once you shut off the always-on feature, the watch lasts quite a bit longer; I could usually use the thing for nearly two whole working days.
The number of Android Wear watches out there is starting to swell, and that leaves us with one weighty question to ponder: How does the $200 ZenWatch compare to everything else on the market? Well, its looks and build quality alone are enough to warrant a purchase over the first-gen Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch, especially considering the latter still somehow costs an extra $30 over the others. The remainder of the ZenWatch's rivals are a bit more style-conscious, and at that point it all comes down to which approach you prefer.
Both LG's G Watch R and the Moto 360 come with those handsome round displays, and they score points for having heart rate monitors that you don't need to mash your fingers onto. Those little advancements are going to cost you though: The new G Watch R will set you back a cool $299 (honestly a little ludicrous for an Android Wear device), while the Moto 360 is a bit easier on your wallet, at $250. To be honest, I swooned hard when the 360 was first unveiled -- and so did many of our readers -- so it just might be worth the $50 premium. Oh, and if you don't mind its purely utilitarian looks and need something that doubles as a workout partner, Sony's $250 SmartWatch 3 might also be a good fit. We're still waiting to officially put that guy through its paces, though early reviews seem plenty promising.
There's still no such thing as a perfect Android Wear watch, but ASUS' first offering sadly doesn't do much to stand above the crowd. The ZenWatch's design is the biggest reason to own one -- it's subtly stylish and comfortable in a way that other players' efforts just aren't. All things considered, ASUS has a solid grasp on the smartwatch basics, but I spent my weeks with the thing hoping to be pleasantly surprised by more than how good it looks. Performance is on par with the rest of the pack. Battery life is better than middle of the road, but only just. Needless to say, that pleasant surprise never came.
Thing is, it's not entirely the company's fault: We're still watching Android Wear take its baby steps, and not a single company totally understands what features need to be added to the mix. On the flip side, the ZenWatch will only set you back $200 -- a fair bit less than what you'd pay for the Moto 360 or G Watch R. If you absolutely have to own an Android Wear device, then, you could do a lot worse than this, especially if you're tired of smartwatches that look super-masculine or like sports accoutrements. Sadly, months after Android Wear's launch, that'll still be a big "if" for most of you.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, ASUS
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