Stationary bike MMO lets you race against the world without leaving home

Stationary bike MMO lets you race against the world without leaving home

Jon Fingas

Engadget

Indoor cycling normally isn't as fun as the outdoor variety, and it certainly isn't as social. Where's the thrill of blowing past a rival? That's what Zwift's upcoming massively multiplayer cycling game promises to solve. So long as you have a training bike with at least speed and cadence sensors, you can race people around the world in virtual environments -- think of it as an online role-playing game that builds up your real abilities. You can chat up other riders if you have a mic, and virtual reality support (through Oculus Rift headsets) might help you forget that you're still at home.
The game will cost $10 per month to play (much like other online games), and you'll naturally have to factor in the costs of both the indoor bike and sensors if you don't have them already. Right now, though, the real catch is simply getting to play. Zwift just launched its beta test with a mere 1,000 open slots, and you'll have to wait until the winter if you don't request an invitation in time. Having said this, it might be worth the wait if you've ever wanted to compete against other cyclists all year round.Source: Zwift, Wall Street Journal

Read More

Pavlok needs your money to shock more people into breaking bad habits

Pavlok needs your money to shock more people into breaking bad habits

Mariella Moon

Engadget

There's no way you'd use a shock collar to train your beloved dog, but you wouldn't mind using one on yourself if it means breaking your nastiest habits, eh? If that's the case, then your day has come: Pavlok (a wearable band that can zap you with electricity) is now up on Indiegogo, with its designer hoping to raise $50,000 to develop more features and to begin mass production. In order to train yourself to stay away from bad habits or continue doing good ones, you'll need to program the Pavlok app -- for instance, you can instruct it to zap you awake if you hit snooze twice on your alarm. The good news is that you can set the electricity the wristband zaps you with from 17 to 340 volts, so you can adjust it accordingly and make sure each it's not strong enough to actually hurt.
According to the device's Indiegogo page, its creator (Maneesh Sethi, a Stanford alumnus) is working on IFTTT integration and also opening up the Pavlok platform so anyone can make an app to go along with it. It even listed some possible software tie-ups, such as instructing the wristband via IFTTT to zap you if you send a message to an ex, to beep loudly and embarrass you whenever you step into a McD's with the help of a navigation app, or to remind you to walk more when paired up with an exercise app.
When we saw Pavlok earlier this year, the prototypes cost $250 each, but now you have the opportunity to grab one for $125 via Indiegogo if you can wait until it ships out by April 2015 at the earliest. By the way, Sethi's no stranger to the idea of receiving pain to break bad habits. Back in 2012, he hired a girl off Craigslist to, erm, slap him every time he went on Facebook -- something he claims quadrupled his productivity.
Source: Indiegogo

Read More

iPad, I choose you: 'Pokémon' officially hits the App Store

iPad, I choose you: 'Pokémon' officially hits the App Store

Timothy J. Seppala

Engadget

Remember that Pokémon iPad game that was teased not too long ago? Well, if the mere mention of it stoked a fire inside that made you want to abandon Blizzard's Hearthstone forever, Joystiq has spotted that the pocket monster trading card game is available on the App Store now. Pokémon TCG Online is free to download, but there are a few catches. As the name suggests, it requires an internet connection to play and your Apple-branded slate needs to be of the Retina-display variety -- your first- and second-gen iPads won't cut the mustard, according to iTunes. If you're already heavily invested in the game on OSX and Windows, Time points out that progress you've made in the last three years transfers over to the mobile version as well. Handy! And just like that, a Nintendo property is appearing somewhere other than on one of its own devices. Somewhere, an investor is probably smiling.
[Image Credit: Josh Wittenkeller]
Source: iTunes

Read More

Amazon gives UK customers early e-book access with Kindle First

Amazon gives UK customers early e-book access with Kindle First

Jamie Rigg

Engadget

While Amazon tends to release new e-reader and tablet hardware in the UK and US simultaneously these days, we're still not top priority when it comes to new services. That being said, the UK has caught up significantly in the past week with the launch of the all-you-can-read Kindle Unlimited subscription and now, Kindle First. Amazon runs a bunch of publishing houses, and what Kindle First offers is early access to new releases originating from them. Each month, Amazon editors will select four books scheduled for publication the following month, and let you buy one (and only one) of them in e-book form for 99 pence, or snag one for free if you're a Prime member. Once you've registered, it's basically as simple as that. You can head to the Kindle First page now to check out the selections for this month, and sign up for the newsletter if you'd like to know when other titles become available for pre-release reading.

Source: Amazon

Read More

Uber for Business now automatically expenses taxis in 45 countries

Uber for Business now automatically expenses taxis in 45 countries

Daniel Cooper

Engadget

The nice thing about traveling for work is that you can hop in a taxi without worrying about the cost since, after all, you're not picking up the tab. The downside of that privilege is that, about a week or two after that, you'll have to sit down and tediously justify your expenditure to your boss. That's not a problem, however, if your company has signed up with Uber for Business, which sends the bills straight to the firm instead of piling on your own credit card. Until now, however, that service was only available in the US and Canada, with a few trials taking place in the UK and France. As you might have guessed from the headline, today's the day that the company opens up Uber for Business to all of the 45 countries in which it operates. Now all we have to do is work out if we can pretend that our hand slipped and we hit the Uber Lux button by mistake.
Source: Uber

Read More

U.S. charges four with stealing $100 million in software, data

U.S. charges four with stealing $100 million in software, data

By Aruna Viswanatha

Reuters

WASHINGTON - Four members of an alleged international computer hacking ring were charged with stealing more than $100 million worth of software and data - some of it used to train military pilots and some related to Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) Xbox gaming console - the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday.

Two of the four - a 28-year-old New Jersey man and a 22-year-old Canadian man - pleaded guilty to charges contained in an indictment unsealed earlier in the day, the agency said.
Prosecutors said the ring gained unauthorized access to the computer networks of Microsoft and some of its partners between January 2011 and March 2014 to steal source code, technical specifications and other information.

Some of the intrusions were directed at the Xbox One gaming console before its November 2013 release. The hackers tried to build a counterfeit version of the console, according to the indictment.
The hackers also stole information about pre-release versions of the “Gears of War 3” and “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” video games, prosecutors said.

Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft declined to comment on the case.
The men were also accused of logging into a U.S. Army network to steal simulator software for the Boeing (BA.N) Apache attack helicopter, the Justice Department said.
Those attacks occurred after the ring hacked into the network of Zombie Studios, a Seattle-based video game developer contracted by the Army to make the training software, according to the indictment.

The men allegedly obtained access to the computer networks partly by using the stolen user names and passwords of employees at the partner firms.
Sanadodeh Nesheiwat of Washington, New Jersey and David Pokora of Mississauga, Ontario pleaded guilty to charges in Delaware federal court, the Justice Department said.

Nathan Leroux, 20, of Bowie, Maryland, and Austin Alcala, 18, of McCordsville, Indiana, were also charged in an 18-count superseding indictment. A fifth member of the ring who is an Australian citizen was charged under Australian law for his alleged role in the conspiracy, the agency said.
Tuesday's charges marked the second big hacking case announced by the Department of Justice this year.

In May, the agency charged five Chinese military officers and accused them of hacking into American nuclear, metal and solar companies to steal trade secrets.

Read More

Samsung rejects claims of Galaxy Note defect

Samsung rejects claims of Galaxy Note defect

Kim Dong-Hyun

AFP

Samsung on Wednesday rejected claims that its new oversized smartphone had a defect, after some customers posted pictures of a gap between the frame and display panel.

The South Korean electronics giant, which had poked fun at rival Apple over reports that its new iPhone model was susceptible to bending, said the "Gapgate" complaints concerning the Galaxy Note 4 were groundless.

After the "phablet" went on sale in China and South Korea on Friday, a number of South Korean users posted or tweeted pictures showing how a business card could be inserted between the display panel and the frame.

Some warned the gap would collect dirt and might even allow fluid into the device.
Samsung insisted the gap was a natural part of design that "does not impact the functionality or quality" of the phone.

"We assure our customers that all Galaxy Note 4 units meet our strict manufacturing and quality control standards," it said in a statement.

A company spokesman added that the model had passed rigorous tests for dirt protection and water resistance.

The Galaxy Note 4 is important for Samsung, which brought the launch forward, apparently with the aim of getting it into the China market before the new iPhone 6, and larger iPhone 6 Plus.

Samsung initially pioneered the market for the "phablet" devices sized between a smartphone and a tablet computer when it introduced the Galaxy Note series in 2011.

The two rivals have locked horns for years in their battle to dominate the global smartphone market, suing each other for alleged patent violations and using aggressive advertising.

In a recent ad for Galaxy Note, Samsung showed a bent phone bowing to a straight phone with a line "Bend to those who are worthy".

Read More

Apple Watch has a smaller screen in tweaked video

Apple Watch has a smaller screen in tweaked video

Steve Dent

Engadget

Apple has released a new version of its Apple Watch design video, and a perceptive viewer noticed a slightly different design from the original.
Most noticeable is a smaller sapphire screen and larger bezel on the Watch render, which appears to more closely match the prototype hardware we saw last month.
None of this too surprising -- Apple had no doubt prepared the video using 3D renders before the final design was locked, and the changes are small enough that most folks won't care.
Still, it does make us wonder if there may be more fine-tuning before production starts in January, especially given rumors of battery-life issues.
Source: Khaos Tian (Twitter)

Read More

Reddit To Give Bitcoin-Style Currency To Users

Reddit To Give Bitcoin-Style Currency To Users

Sky News 

The website - which describes itself as 'the front page of the internet' - has just finished a $50m (£30m) funding round.

All of the investors have agreed to set aside 10% of the round's proceeds to give back to the community.

Reddit chief executive Yishan Wong said the company was considering creating a cryptocurrency backed by the shares, which will be distributed based on a user's contribution to the site.

He said: "The investors have explicitly agreed to this in their investment terms."
The latest investors include PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, actor Jared Leto, hip-hop star Snoop Dogg, and Mr Wong.

In a blog post, Mr Wong said reddit - founded in 2005 - had always operated "on a shoestring budget".

He added: "We've long been trying to find a way for the community to own some of reddit, because it is your contributions that help to anchor the site and give it strength.

"We think we've come up with a way. Led by Sam, the investors in this round have proposed to give 10% of their shares back to the community, in recognition of the central role the community plays in reddit's ongoing success.

"We're going to need to figure out a bunch of details to make it work, but we're hopeful. We'll have more specifics to share about it soon, but in the meantime we wanted to mention it here."

Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies which are not backed by a nation or bank. Bitcoin is the best-known and most valuable.

Read More

Apple Said to Add Gold Option to IPad in Effort to Boost Sales

Apple Said to Add Gold Option to IPad in Effort to Boost Sales

Tim Culpan and Peter Burrows

Bloomberg

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. will add a gold color option for its full-size iPads in an effort to boost a category that’s posted declining shipments this year, according to people familiar with the plans.

New versions of the company’s 9.7-inch iPads, anticipated to be unveiled this month, will include gold as a choice of colors for the rear metal cover, adding to the silver and gray available for the lighter iPad Air, the people said, asking not to be identified ahead of an announcement. That brings the color palette into line with the iPhone 5s, which come with silver or gold backs for models with a white faceplate, and space gray for those with a black front.

Teresa Brewer, a spokeswoman for Cupertino, California- based Apple, declined to comment.

Sales of the iPad have declined for the past two quarters after soaring from $5 billion when the product was introduced in 2010 to $30 billion in 2012.

 Last year, iPad sales produced $32 billion.

Apple hasn’t introduced a new iPad since last October, and consumers have instead been shifting to iPhones with larger screens, such as Apple’s new iPhone 6 Plus, which has a 5.5 inch screen. 

Roughly half the consumers polled by RBC Capital Networks in the days after the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were announced on Sept. 9 opted for the 6 Plus, wrote RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani in a Sept. 17 note.

Apple has used color to goose sales of products many times in the past, starting with the introduction of candy-colored iMacs in 1999. The strategy has had varied levels of success. Sales of the iPhone 5c, a lower-end model introduced in 2013 that came in a range of bright colors, were disappointing, said Daryanani.

The more important milestone will be the introduction of a larger iPad, said Daryanani, because it would appeal to new types of customers, particularly business people. This device, which is set to have a 12.9-inch screen, won’t be introduced until next year, people with knowledge of the situation have said.

Read More

Samsung rejects claims of Galaxy Note defect

Samsung rejects claims of Galaxy Note defect

Kim Dong-Hyun

AFP

Samsung on Wednesday rejected claims that its new oversized smartphone had a defect, after some customers posted pictures of a gap between the frame and display panel.

The South Korean electronics giant, which had poked fun at rival Apple over reports that its new iPhone model was susceptible to bending, said the "Gapgate" complaints concerning the Galaxy Note 4 were groundless.

After the "phablet" went on sale in China and South Korea on Friday, a number of South Korean users posted or tweeted pictures showing how a business card could be inserted between the display panel and the frame.

Some warned the gap would collect dirt and might even allow fluid into the device.
Samsung insisted the gap was a natural part of design that "does not impact the functionality or quality" of the phone.

"We assure our customers that all Galaxy Note 4 units meet our strict manufacturing and quality control standards," it said in a statement.

A company spokesman added that the model had passed rigorous tests for dirt protection and water resistance.

The Galaxy Note 4 is important for Samsung, which brought the launch forward, apparently with the aim of getting it into the China market before the new iPhone 6, and larger iPhone 6 Plus.

Samsung initially pioneered the market for the "phablet" devices sized between a smartphone and a tablet computer when it introduced the Galaxy Note series in 2011.

The two rivals have locked horns for years in their battle to dominate the global smartphone market, suing each other for alleged patent violations and using aggressive advertising.
In a recent ad for Galaxy Note, Samsung showed a bent phone bowing to a straight phone with a line "Bend to those who are worthy".

Read More

A closer look at Windows 10

A closer look at Windows 10

Tom Warren

The Verge 

Microsoft officially unveiled Windows 10 this morning, and the company is planning to distribute a Technical Preview of the new operating system tomorrow. At Microsoft's event today there were a number of machines running the Windows 10 Technical Preview, and I got an opportunity to briefly explore the new OS. While Microsoft pushed hard with touch on Windows 8, Windows 10 is the complete opposite. If you mouse into the corners to find the tricky Charms Bar they no longer trigger and frustrate. Instead, you're greeted with the familiar Windows desktop and Start Menu from the moment you use Windows 10. It's Windows 7 right now and very early in its development, but it has some interesting improvements waiting inside.

The Start Menu returns to focus Windows on the desktop

The Start Menu is the most obvious addition. Just like in Windows 7 and other versions before it, the Start Menu largely acts in the same way. Microsoft has done a u-turn here, but it's also considered the way it can modernize its Start Menu and it appears to have paid off. It's customizable enough that you can resize it, pin traditional and modern apps, or simply have it match the color of your desktop wallpaper. These hints of Windows 8 shine through directly in the Windows 10 Start Menu, and although the overall interface feels like the Windows desktop, the Start Menu feels truly new and yet familiar at the same time.

An OS X-like Expose for Windows users

Another big new user interface feature is a new Task View button that sits on the taskbar. It looks fairly innocuous, but when you trigger it you're thrown into a multitasking view that's very similar to Apple's OS X Expose feature. Multiple desktops are available from here, and you can switch between them with ease to manage multiple apps across different workspaces. It's the feature Windows has always needed, and Microsoft has borrowed elements from rival operating systems like OS X and Linux / Unix to really introduce this in Windows 10. But instead of making it identical to the competition, Microsoft has added in its productivity-focused snap views into Task View. You can snap apps in the same way you do in Windows 7 or Windows 8, and a new prompt will suggest apps that can be snapped alongside each other or windowed in complex ways. It appears to work well, even if there's a slight learning curve you'll need to get over to make the most out of it. I did notice that if you have apps running in a separate desktop space then it can get confusing to bring them to a different active desktop space, but this is an early build of Windows 10 and there's a long way to go until it's ready late next year.

Hints show future UI changes are on the way

Elsewhere, there are hints that Microsoft will revamp the user interface more. There's subtle drop shadows around apps, and a new bar on the taskbar that indicates what apps are active. There's also new icons for File Explorer and Desktop, but you can imagine that Microsoft will overhaul all of its icons to be more modern with Windows 10. Another big change is the ability to run universal modern apps in windows on the desktop. Microsoft demonstrated this originally at Build, but using it in practice just feels totally natural, as if it should have always been this way. You can snap these apps alongside each other, and they also seem to resize fairly well to make them a lot more usable for mouse and keyboard users.

Windows 10 might be fairly basic right now, but the signs are there that Microsoft understands its audience of Windows users. Microsoft's Joe Belfiore took the time to demonstrate a command prompt refresh that finally brings the ability to copy and paste directories with the keyboard. It's the most minor and geeky feature you'd ever expect in a Microsoft keynote, but it demonstrates that the company appears to be serious about overhauling Windows fully with Windows 10. With regular updates planned over the coming months before release, expect to see Windows 10 change in unexpected and welcomed ways. It might look like Windows 10 is just another Windows 7, but hopefully once the company is done tidying up the Windows desktop it will look and feel like a lot more.

Read More