Health T-shirts and a mind-reading bar unveiled in Japan

Health T-shirts and a mind-reading bar unveiled in Japan

Harumi Ozawa

AFP

Glasses that tell you how to get home, adverts that know where you are looking and a T-shirt that knows how fast your heart is beating were on display at a huge tech gathering in Japan Tuesday.
The gadgets were all part of this year's Cutting-Edge IT & Electronics Comprehensive Exhibition (CEATEC), Asia's largest electronics fair, just outside Tokyo.

Leading the pack was a tiny projection device that can be attached to a pair of glasses to give the wearer an ever-visible screen.

The prototype -- dubbed Toshiba Glass and weighing 42 grammes (less than 1.5 oz) -- might offer directions or a simultaneous translation, or could assist factory workers who need both hands free while working, a Toshiba researcher said.
"We still don't know what wearable formats will be the most accepted in the future," said Toshiba senior research scientist Yoshiyuki Kokojima.

"Constantly seeing a small screen may get tiring to the eyes, but you could get information without even lifting a finger. It's less effort than consulting a wrist watch."
Leading mobile carrier NTT Docomo was showcasing a T-shirt that uses a special textile to keep track of the wearer's pulse.

The data is transmitted to a smartphone, which must run a specific app, the company said.
While Docomo's offering might have concentrated on health, Fujitsu unveiled something to encourage a bit more relaxation, in the form of a device that could help a barman read his customers' minds.
Small sensors in a bar track where a drinker is looking and automatically offer information on screens about that bottle of expensive wine he keeps gazing at -- such as where it comes from and what year it is.

"This could be one way of marketing in the future," said Fujitsu spokesman Naoki Mishiro.
NTT Docomo's Yubi Navi might prove useful for customers struggling to find their way home after a night at such an accommodating bar.

Billed as "just like holding someone's hand", the small rubber cuboid fits snugly in the palm and buzzes or vibrates to guide the user through unfamiliar streets.
The kit offers freedom from the tyranny of having to keep your eyes glued to a smartphone for directions, the company said.

After a user types in the intended address on their connected phone, the device takes over, nudging left or right until the destination hoves into view.

Its inventors say the Yubi Navi also offers a way to communicate with someone who is far away, effectively "squeezing" their hand by activating your own device.

"Touch sensation can create a new type of gadget for the future," an NTT Docomo presenter said.
Nearly 550 companies are taking part in the trade show, which has gathered foreign exhibitors from 24 countries and territories.
The show runs until Saturday.

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Steve Jobs Was a Low-Tech Parent

Steve Jobs Was a Low-Tech Parent

NICK BILTON

The New York Times

When Steve Jobs was running Apple, he was known to call journalists to either pat them on the back for a recent article or, more often than not, explain how they got it wrong. I was on the receiving end of a few of those calls. But nothing shocked me more than something Mr. Jobs said to me in late 2010 after he had finished chewing me out for something I had written about an iPad shortcoming.
“So, your kids must love the iPad?” I asked Mr. Jobs, trying to change the subject. The company’s first tablet was just hitting the shelves. “They haven’t used it,” he told me. “We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”

I’m sure I responded with a gasp and dumbfounded silence. I had imagined the Jobs’s household was like a nerd’s paradise: that the walls were giant touch screens, the dining table was made from tiles of iPads and that iPods were handed out to guests like chocolates on a pillow.
Nope, Mr. Jobs told me, not even close.
Since then, I’ve met a number of technology chief executives and venture capitalists who say similar things: they strictly limit their children’s screen time, often banning all gadgets on school nights, and allocating ascetic time limits on weekends.

I was perplexed by this parenting style. After all, most parents seem to take the opposite approach, letting their children bathe in the glow of tablets, smartphones and computers, day and night.
Yet these tech C.E.O.’s seem to know something that the rest of us don’t.

Chris Anderson, the former editor of Wired and now chief executive of 3D Robotics, a drone maker, has instituted time limits and parental controls on every device in his home. “My kids accuse me and my wife of being fascists and overly concerned about tech, and they say that none of their friends have the same rules,” he said of his five children, 6 to 17. “That’s because we have seen the dangers of technology firsthand. I’ve seen it in myself, I don’t want to see that happen to my kids.”

The dangers he is referring to include exposure to harmful content like pornography, bullying from other kids, and perhaps worse of all, becoming addicted to their devices, just like their parents.
Alex Constantinople, the chief executive of the OutCast Agency, a tech-focused communications and marketing firm, said her youngest son, who is 5, is never allowed to use gadgets during the week, and her older children, 10 to 13, are allowed only 30 minutes a day on school nights.

Evan Williams, a founder of Blogger, Twitter and Medium, and his wife, Sara Williams, said that in lieu of iPads, their two young boys have hundreds of books (yes, physical ones) that they can pick up and read anytime.
So how do tech moms and dads determine the proper boundary for their children? In general, it is set by age.

Children under 10 seem to be most susceptible to becoming addicted, so these parents draw the line at not allowing any gadgets during the week. On weekends, there are limits of 30 minutes to two hours on iPad and smartphone use. And 10- to 14-year-olds are allowed to use computers on school nights, but only for homework.

“We have a strict no screen time during the week rule for our kids,” said Lesley Gold, founder and chief executive of the SutherlandGold Group, a tech media relations and analytics company. “But you have to make allowances as they get older and need a computer for school.”
Some parents also forbid teenagers from using social networks, except for services like Snapchat, which deletes messages after they have been sent. This way they don’t have to worry about saying something online that will haunt them later in life, one executive told me.

Although some non-tech parents I know give smartphones to children as young as 8, many who work in tech wait until their child is 14. While these teenagers can make calls and text, they are not given a data plan until 16. But there is one rule that is universal among the tech parents I polled.
“This is rule No. 1: There are no screens in the bedroom. Period. Ever,” Mr. Anderson said.
While some tech parents assign limits based on time, others are much stricter about what their children are allowed to do with screens.

Ali Partovi, a founder of iLike and adviser to Facebook, Dropbox and Zappos, said there should be a strong distinction between time spent “consuming,” like watching YouTube or playing video games, and time spent “creating” on screens.

“Just as I wouldn’t dream of limiting how much time a kid can spend with her paintbrushes, or playing her piano, or writing, I think it’s absurd to limit her time spent creating computer art, editing video, or computer programming,” he said.

Others said that outright bans could backfire and create a digital monster.
Dick Costolo, chief executive of Twitter, told me he and his wife approved of unlimited gadget use as long as their two teenage children were in the living room. They believe that too many time limits could have adverse effects on their children.

“When I was at the University of Michigan, there was this guy who lived in the dorm next to me and he had cases and cases of Coca-Cola and other sodas in his room,” Mr. Costolo said. “I later found out that it was because his parents had never let him have soda when he was growing up. If you don’t let your kids have some exposure to this stuff, what problems does it cause later?”

I never asked Mr. Jobs what his children did instead of using the gadgets he built, so I reached out to Walter Isaacson, the author of “Steve Jobs,” who spent a lot of time at their home.

“Every evening Steve made a point of having dinner at the big long table in their kitchen, discussing books and history and a variety of things,” he said. “No one ever pulled out an iPad or computer. The kids did not seem addicted at all to devices.”

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Gadget Watch: PadFone novel as phone-tablet hybrid

Gadget Watch: PadFone novel as phone-tablet hybrid

ANICK JESDANUN

Associated Press 

NEW YORK — Companies often blend old products to give you something new.

This summer, AsusTek Computer Inc. claims you don't need both a phone and a tablet — as long as you get its new PadFone X. The PadFone works like any other phone and has a screen that measures 5 inches diagonally. When you want a tablet experience, you simply slip the phone into a slot on the back of the tablet display, which is included. All the apps on the phone now work on the 9-inch tablet. The phone is what runs the tablet. Asus is bringing this concept to the U.S. for the first time.

In some cases, apps switch to the tablet screen automatically, so you don't have to restart the video or reopen the mail app. In other cases, you'll have to close the app and reopen it after attaching the phone to the tablet screen.

For apps that have been optimized for tablets, the layout on the PadFone rearranges automatically to use the extra space. Yet it's fundamentally a phone. You can make calls in tablet mode, using earphones or the device's speakerphones.

— NICE PRICE: It's like buying a phone and getting a tablet for free. Available only through AT&T, the PadFone costs $550 without a contract, or about $100 cheaper than Apple's iPhone 5s and Samsung's Galaxy S5. With a two-year service contract, it's the usual $200 that most carriers charge for a high-end phone.

— ADVANTAGES: Because the two parts count as one device, you don't need a second data plan, which typically runs $10 a month for a tablet under AT&T's sharing plans. This setup also ensures that the tablet has cellular connectivity. Many other tablets work only with Wi-Fi.
In addition, you don't need to install apps twice. Whatever you get on your phone automatically appears on the tablet. You just pick up where you left off whenever you switch, with no need to sync data or settings.

— COMPROMISES: The phone on the back adds bulk to the tablet. It's about three-quarters of an inch at the center, where the phone slot is located. It's also heavy. The combination weighs nearly 1.5 pounds, compared with a pound for the iPad Air.

— DO YOU NEED IT? I'm typically a fan of having multiple devices for different circumstances. Here, you're getting extra thickness and weight in fusing the two gadgets.
There's a case for the PadFone, though, if you're someone who uses a tablet only at home. You can carry the phone with you during the day and attach it to the tablet screen when you get home. You don't have to worry about what apps and data are on which device.
Asus could have gone further, though, making a range of tablet screens available. You might want a 7-inch screen for reading, but a 12-inch screen for video. Why not offer choices to mix and match?

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Apple Patents A Way To Make All-Glass iPhones, iPads, Monitors And TVs

Apple Patents A Way To Make All-Glass iPhones, iPads, Monitors And TVs

Darrell Etherington

TechCrunch 

Apple has patented a method for building devices with all-glass outer casings (via AppleInsider), by fusing pieces together for a completely seamless final look. The all-glass device casings could be used to hold the internals of an iOS device, or to house a TV or monitor, too.

The all-glass structures are designed for maximum durability but also weight savings, with designs that fuse pieces together to avoid having to use a single heavy block of material, and internal structures like fused-on ribs and reinforcement points, also made of glass, placed at key points where structural integrity could be weaker.

Unlike the iPhone 4, which featured front and back glass panels, the patent would allow Apple to build completely glass-encased gadgets, which would allow for a completely different aesthetic vs. other gadget-maker’s designs. An all-glass Retina Cinema Display would certainly stand out from the crowd in terms of monitors, and an all-glass iPhone would definitely draw even more headlines than usual.

Of course, glass is still subject to impact damage and other potential pitfalls, and as with many of its other patents Apple may simply have experimented with the tech but then moved on to something else (like sapphire glass construction, for instance), but the patent does cite Apple SVP Jony Ive as one of its main inventors. Flat glass slabs are a staple of sci-fi TV and movies, after all, so maybe Apple wants to help usher that future into production

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LG Lifeband Touch: First Impressions

LG Lifeband Touch: First Impressions

Associated Press

Smart capabilities have become the latest marketing pitch to sell more wristwatches, TVs, eyeglasses, refrigerators, cars and even toothbrushes. But have we figured out why they need to be smart?

I asked myself that as I wore LG's Lifeband Touch day and night for a week.

The new computerized wristband tracks workouts and calories burned and syncs with the LG Fitness app on an iPhone, iPad or Android device. It can also control music on a phone and alerts incoming calls and emails, at least for Android users.

The Lifeband marks the entry of LG Electronics Inc. into the fledgling market of wearable gadgets and follows smartwatches from Samsung Electronics Co., Sony Corp. and others. LG started selling the Lifeband in the US last month for $150. It will be available in parts of Asia and Europe in coming weeks.

The screen

As a fitness tracker, the Lifeband is meant to be used a lot outdoors. But its finger-length touch screen is hard to see in direct sunlight. I was unable to adjust the brightness, and I needed to find shade to make out the characters. For just $50 more, you can get

 Samsung's Gear Fit (Review) with a curved screen capable of displaying clear and vibrant colors and which is readable in direct sunlight. The LG's screen offers only black and white.

Odd fit

The Lifeband doesn't have a strap that can be fastened and adjusted to the size of the wearer's wrist. Rather, it has a bendable plastic band, with a gap that widens to let the wrist slip in. The band then locks itself in place once on the wrist.

Although not having a strap to buckle on and off makes the Lifeband easy to wear and remove, it will dangle if the band is too big. The Lifeband comes in three sizes, and if your wrist is narrower, you might have to pull the wristband toward your forearm. By contrast, you can adjust the Gear's strap.

I often had to take off the gadget while writing or typing on a computer because it was too thick and heavy. I described it to friends as a digital handcuff because it squeezed my arm and kept moving between my wrist and my forearm.

Fitness tracking

You click the device's timer before beginning a workout, such as a run. Afterward, the phone or tablet app shows the route along with the distance, calories consumed and speed.

The Lifeband also counts the number of steps walked throughout the day. It can also measure heart rate with a $180 companion earphone.

Fitness coaching

The Lifeband vibrated as I got closer to the goal I set of one hour of walking each day. At a quarter of the way in, it vibrated and displayed: "25 percent achieved." It also vibrates at random moments and tells you to "Stretch stretch" or "Move move."

That was more distracting than motivating. It's one thing to have a personal trainer at a gym tell you what to do. It's another to have a wristband that doesn't understand how my day was going. It wanted me to stretch when I was busy typing on a keyboard. It wanted me to move when I was having a coffee with a friend. Instead, I simply ignored the device.

I would have been more likely to exercise had the wristband been mindful of my daily routines. My only option was to turn this feature off.

Notifications

The Lifeband alerts you to incoming calls, but it cannot receive or make calls. I got a vibration for a call I would have missed with my iPhone in silent mode. To answer it, however, I still scratched my head wondering where I had left the phone.The Lifeband also gives notifications for incoming emails but not when it's paired with an iPhone or an iPad. With Android, you get the sender's name and subject line, but none of the message itself. It's a common problem with the small screens on wrist devices, and it left me wondering why I would need one.

The bright side

Its battery lasted as long as promised - five days on a full charge. But other fitness trackers offer similar functions, often at lower prices.

The case for it?

Not compelling.

If it's meant to be an outdoor fitness device, then it needs a display that works outdoors. If it's meant to encourage you to work out, then it needs to avoid nagging and let you work exercise into your schedule.

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Five Linux home automation clicks

By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols for Linux and Open Source 

Google's Nest for your home

Google thinks its move into the home with the acquisition of Nest for a cool $3.2 billion is well worth the cash.

Why? Forrester Research analyst Frank Gillett stated, "Google's acquisition of Nest affirms the growing strategic importance of the idea of the connected home. It also shows that Google increasingly believes in hardware/software solutions, such as Nest has built, rather than just building operating systems for other manufacturers to implement in smartphones, Chromebooks, and TVs."

So what in terms of gadgets did Google get? Well, for now, not that much. At this time, Nest only offers a smart thermostat, the $249 Nest Learning Thermostat and a smart smoke and carbon monoxide detector, the $99 Nest Protect.

These devices may not sound that exciting, but with remote smartphone control and the Theromstat's ability to control "smart-grid heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) devices," Nextmarket expects Nest to sell 200,000 units a month in 2014. For the HVAC business, this is big business.

As for Nest Protect, I predict it's going to have a great future for one reason alone: No low-battery chirps. Hallelujah!

Google is also expected to add a lot more devices to Nest's Internet of Things (IoT) family

The Return of Chumby

Chumby, one of the first home IoT devices powered by Linux, or by any other operating system for that matter, appeared in 2008. This product went unsupported for over a year, but recentlyChumby, a cute touchscreen gadget that looks like an alarm clock, has risen from the grave.

During its hiatus, you could still use a Chumby as an Internet music player, and yes, an alarm clock. Today, the company promises that it has over a thousand applications. Some of theseapps — a San Diego Zoo Webcam? — are not really apps at all. Others, like a bandwidth monitor that lets you see what your internet connectivity looks like from your router, are more interesting.

Accessing these new apps wil run you $3 a month. The old Chumby models will work with the new services. If you want a new one, the Chumby One, which looks like the old model, will run you $79.99. The Chumby 8, which is more streamlined and comes in red and black costs $99.99.

Ivee: Talk-to-me home automations

The Ivee Sleek by itself doesn't look all that impressive. Looks aren't everything.

Once you connect the $200 Ivee to your wifi network, you can use it not only to tell time and listen to music, but to control other smart devices such as those from iControl; Staples Connect; Lowe's Iris ecosystems; Nest thermostats; Locktron and Goji locks; and Belkin and Philips Hue smart lights

Ivee's more than just a control center for your house. You can use voice commands to not only run your other devices — "Turn on the A/C." 

Ninja Blocks for DIY fans

Say you don't want a ready-made device — this is Linux after all — No worries! The $199 Ninja Blocks is built around a BeagleBone Single Board Computer (SBC). It includes an Arduino-compatible controller as well as sensor inputs for devices such motion detectors, locks, temperature and humidity sensors. The package also supports wifi and 3/4G

This package provides wifi control of sensor inputs like motion detectors, contact closures, temperature and humidity sensors, and pushbuttons. With the Ninja Blocks application programming interface (API), you can take readings from a variety of devices and send them orders either over a wifi connection or from a smartphone.

Make no mistake about it, Ninja Blocks is for someone who's both a programmer and knows his orher way around devices. If that's you, I think you may just love this gadget. If it's not, tryworking with a Raspberry Pi SBC first. If you have fun with that and you're ready for a challenge, check this device out.

The Linux-powered WeMo Crockpot

Yes, I said a crockpot, and that's what I meant! The $130 Linux-powered WeMo Crockpot makes a mean beef stew. Of course, this device is only part of Belkin's WeMo home automation family.

WeMo is the technology behind a family of devices, all of which can be controlled from any Android or iOS powered smartphone or tablet. Besides the crockpot, which has me hungry now, you can also use WeMo to control lights, cameras, and other electrical devices.

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Google I/O 2014 to unveil new Android version, wearables:

An Android update, wearable gadgets and so-called smart home devices are just some of the innovations Google is likely to show off at its two-day developer conference, which begins Wednesday in San Francisco.

In recent years, the conference has focused on smartphones and tablets, but this year Google's Android operating system is expected to stretch -into cars, homes and smartwatches.

Pacific Crest analyst Evan Wilson believes Google will unveil a new version of its Android operating system - possibly called Lollipop - with a "heavy focus" on extensions for smartwatches and smart home devices.

"We think Google will directly counter Apple's recent announcements of health products (Apple HealthKit) and home automation (Apple HomeKit)," Wilson wrote in a note to investors.

Google's I/O event comes at a time of transition for the company, which makes most of its money from advertising thanks to its status as the world's leader in online search. The company is trying to adjust to an ongoing shift to smartphones and tablet computers from desktop and laptop PCs. Though mobile advertising is growing rapidly, advertising aimed at PC users still generates more money.

At the same time, Google is angling to stay at the forefront of innovation by taking gambles on new, sometimes unproven technologies that take years to pay off -if at all. Driverless cars, Google Glass, smartwatches and thinking thermostats are just some of its more far-off bets.

On the home front, Google's Nest Labs -which makes network-connected thermostats and smoke detectors- announced earlier this week that it has created a program that allows outside developers, from tiny startups to large companies such as Whirlpool and Mercedes-Benz, to fashion software and "new experiences" for its products.

Integration with Mercedes-Benz, for example, might mean that a car can notify a Nest thermostat when it's getting close to home, so the device can have the home's temperature adjusted to the driver's liking before he or she arrives.

Nest's founder, Tony Fadell, is an Apple veteran who helped design the iPod and the iPhone. Google bought the company earlier this year for $3.2 billion.

Opening the Nest platform to outside developers will allow Google to move into the emerging market for connected, smart home devices. Experts expect that this so-called "Internet of Things" phenomenon will change the way people use technology in much the same way that smartphones have changed life since the introduction of Apple's iPhone seven years ago.

Google is also likely to unveil some advances in wearable technology.

 In March, Google released "Android Wear," a version of its operating system tailored to computerized wristwatches and other wearable devices. Although there are already several smartwatches on the market, the devices are more popular with gadget geeks and fitness fanatics than regular consumers. But Google could help change that with Android Wear. Android, after all, is already the world's most popular smartphone operating system.

Google may also have news about Glass, including when the company might launch a new and perhaps less expensive version of the $1,500 Internet-connected eyewear. Google will likely have to lower the price if it wants Glass to reach a broader audience. But that's just one hurdle. Convincing people that the gadget is useful, rather than creepy, is another one.

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