Microsoft Smartwatch Will Reportedly Have 11 Sensors

Details of an upcoming Microsoft smartwatch were uncovered in May, hinting at a summer release. However, a new source claims that the device will actually debut in October.

In addition to the update regarding the launch of the device, the source also offers a few more details about the device itself.

Previous reports have already mentioned that the wearable will monitor the wearer's heart rate, but a source in contact with Tom's Hardware claims that it will use 11 internal sensors to achieve this function.

The source also claims that, design-wise,the device will be very thin, like a "flatter version of the Nike Fuelband."

Another design point revealed in the report is that the device's screen will be on the inside of the wearer's wrist, which could make discreetly checking its screen at lot easier than the way in which you might view the screen of a device like Samsung's Galaxy Gear.

Of course, none of these details have been confirmed by the company itself, but if the updated launch window is accurate, we'll know for sure in just a few months. Unfortunately, if the timing is accurate, that would mean that Microsoft's smartwatch would debut around the same time as the iWatch, which is rumored to launch in October as well.

The report further claims that the device will contain chips from Texas Instruments and Atmel.

And while we've already heard that the device will be cross platform — compatible with Windows, Android and iOS — the latest report also claims that the company will include an open API upon the device's release.

Posted by : Gizmeon

Samsung's Galaxy S5 mini: Familiar Look, Weaker Specs

Samsung has announced the Galaxy S5 mini, a smaller, 4.5-inch version of its flagship smartphone, the 5.1-inch Galaxy S5.

Unfortunately for those who wanted the same specs in a smaller package, the 4.5-inch Galaxy S5 mini definitely does not pack the same power as its older brother. It has a quad-core, 1.4GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera, a 1280x720 pixel screen, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB of memory and a 2,100mAh battery.

Those specs are all a far cry from the S5's 2.1 or 2.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 16-megapixel camera, full HD screen and a 2,800mAh battery.

The good news is that the S5 mini keeps what makes Samsung's flagship interesting — it's waterproof, and features a heart rate monitor and a fingerprint scanner. Both devices also share a very similar design.

The Galaxy S5 mini will be available in Russia in "early July," after which it will expand globally. It will be available in four colors at launch: black, white, blue and gold.

Posted by : Gizmeon

At Long Last, Facebook Messenger Arrives on iPads

Facebook's dedicated chat app, Facebook Messenger, is finally available for the iPad.

The popular chatting app was previously only available on mobile for the iPhone, but the social network pushed out an update on Thursday that includes full native iPad support. In the past, users could use Facebook Messenger on the iPad, but only as an enlarged iPhone app.
Messenger allows users to contact their Facebook friends for free via the tool, forgoing text messaging. Updates to the app include bug fixes and the ability to save videos within the app directly to your phone's camera roll.
The news comes three years after Facebook acquired group messaging app Beluga and later built that technology into Messenger, which became its first mobile app launched beyond its official Facebook app.
Messenger's fate became unclear after Facebook purchased messaging service WhatsApp earlier this year for $16 billion. In April, Facebook confirmed it would force its mobile users to send messages only via the Messenger app, eliminating chat features from the iOS and Android versions of the Facebook app. This indicated that Messenger wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

Posted by : Gizmeon

Android Wear Apps Hit the Google Play Store

The Android Wear smartwatch apps are here.

A new update to Google Play services brings the first batch of apps that work with Android Wear capable smartwatches, such as the LG G and the Moto 360. Google Play 5.0 (up from 4.5) was first announced at the company's Google I/O Developer Conference in San Francisco last week, but the update is now available to everyone.

Users will first have to download the official Android Wear app to link smartphones with smartwatches and then update to Google Play Services 5.0 that works with Wear. You'll then be able to see apps with Wear support the platform, such as PayPal, Soundwave, Pinterest, Lyft, AlltheCooks and food delivery app Eat24.

Apps for Android Wear launching today! A collection of apps for Android Wear is now available on Google Play: http://t.co/EuLFOw1cqm

— Google Developers (@googledevs) July 3, 2014

The arrival comes just a week after the company announced that its software developer kit (SDK) was open and available to developers.

While the Android Wear smartwatches haven't shipped yet, Android users can get a head start by checking out the apps now.

The company has also added new APIs for Google Wallet, Google Drive and Google Cast. For a full rundown of what's new for developers.

Posted by : Gizmeon

Sunrise's Smart Calendar Lands on Mac

While there is no shortage of "smart" calendar apps to choose from, many are limited to only one platform.

Sunrise, which is available on iOS, Android and web, is one of the few exceptions. The app became available to even more users on Thursday when it added a native Mac app to its lineup.

The calendar syncs with your existing Google accounts, and changes made in the Mac app will automatically sync to the iOS and Android apps, if you have them installed. The Mac version of the app also includes an offline mode for when you don't have a Wi-Fi connection and support for OS X notifications and reminders.

As with the iOS and Android apps, which added support for third-party apps and services last month, you can connect the Mac app to a series of other social and productivity apps, including Facebook, Foursquare, Evernote, Exchange, Github and Asana to see relevant information displayed on your calendar. Adding Foursquare, for example, will display check-ins while Facebook will include events and birthdays.

Previously, desktop users were limited to Chrome or web versions of the app, which rolled out last month when the app launched on Android.

Posted by : Gizmeon

Smart Boxing Gloves Show the Power in Your Punch

We have seen every kind of fitness technology from smart bikes to web-connected bras that monitor eating. Now even boxing gloves are getting smarter.

iPunch — which is looking for funding via its Indiegogo — is what its founders are calling "the world's first smart combat gloves." The gloves connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth and tells you how fast and hard you're punching. The aim: take the guesswork out of boxing and training.

The concept comes from Stephen Cains, CEO and Founder of startup Responsive Sports, who has been practicing boxing, Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) for 16 years.

"I spent a lot of time in training, unable to improve, and I wanted to know why," Cains told  mashbable. " I put sensors in my boxing gloves and headed to the gym, and everyone there wanted to try it. I think that's the longest I have ever spent in the gym."

“It's very difficult to determine what is your strongest punch without the data," he added. "When you use data you can see when it’s your best punch."

Each glove has two sensors. One measures how hard the punch landed, and the other is a three-axis motion sensor, which tells you speed and strength. The gloves connect with an app that has other training features, including what Cain dubbs "the Guitar Hero of boxing."

"The iPunch trainer gives you audible directions," he says. "As you improve, the instructions progress too, so it will always be challenging. It's a fun way for new and experienced boxers to work on their skills."

Another feature called Test of Strength pits you against others using the app. Participants get three chances to punch as hard as they can, and the strongest one wins. The top players are then displayed on a leader board within the app.

The gloves' batteries last about 15 hours (or 300 3-minute rounds) and can be recharged by plugging them in with a USB port. Currently, the iPunch gloves are only designed for MMA training, but the company plans to develop boxing gloves in the near future.

The product is now available for pre-order from the company's Indiegogo page, which expires later this month. Since the campaign launched June 13, it has raised nearly $5,000 of its $75,000 goal. Early backers will receive gloves for $139, and after that the gloves cost you $149.

Posted by : Gizmeon

China Has the Fastest Supercomputer in the World — Again

Zipping along at 33.86 petaflops (quadrillions of calculations per second), China's Tianhe-2 is the world's fastest computer for the third year in a row, according to Top500, a twice yearly compilation of the fastest computers on Earth.

The results were announced on Monday at the International Supercomputing Conference in Leipzig, Germany.

The Tianhe-2 was developed by China's National University of Defense Technology. Its predecessor, the Tianhe-1A, held the top spot on the supercomputer list in 2010. Top500 organizers note that the top 10 supercomputers are mostly unchanged from the last list, with the exception of a Cray XC30 computer, which is "installed at an undisclosed U.S. government site," according to a release on the Top500.org site.

Overall, the United States has by far the most supercomputers out of the top 500 systems, with China in a distant second; the UK, France and Germany lag far behind.

Supercomputers are not like the computers you use at home or in the office; they're not even much like the servers you’ll find in the office basement. They’re comprised of thousands of nodes and designed for crunching data and solving very difficult problems — in other words, research and development. That's why you'll find them hidden away at military facilities and laboratories.

Top500 notes that the rate of performance growth for the entire list is slowing down. Performance at the low end of the list typically grew at 90% year-over-year, but has now dropped to a 55% growth rate. Part of this deceleration is attributed to the dearth of new systems at the top. Despite that lack of change, these supercomputers will get more super. Tianhe-2 is projected to reach 100 petaflops by 2018.

Of the 500 systems on the list, 37 offer performance above the 1 petaflops range, nearly all of them use multicore processors, and 85% of them are running Intel processors. As for the systems themselves, 36% are built by HP and 33% by IBM. Cray builds 10%.

This is the 21st year that organizers in Germany and the United States have compiled the list.

The computer scientists measure system performance with the Linpack Benchmark, which is used in each system to solve "a dense set of equations." The benchmark is not a measure of the system's overall performance, but rather its performance on that task. Top500 organizers insist that no single benchmark can effectively measure the overall performance of a given system.

Posted by : Gizmeon