GOOGLE AND AMAZON ARE IN THE PICTURE, TOO

Apple and Samsung are making pushes into the smart home for obvious reasons: the smart home — and, more broadly, the Internet of Things — is a huge business opportunity, especially if they're at the center of it. And neither has to worry about immediately profiting off of their work, since there are bigger stakes in the long run: Apple can further entrench the iPhone in people's lives; and eventually, Samsung intends to offer paid services through SmartThings — it's already starting to do this with security monitoring.

Apple and Samsung may be the first of our current tech giants to try this approach, but they aren't the only ones. Google is working on a smart home language called Weave, which should eventually do for Android what HomeKit is doing for iOS. And Amazon is quietly building up its own smart home ecosystem using its voice assistant Alexa, which has been learning to talk to more and more products (and making its way inside of other companies' products, too).

That may sound like a new version of our current mess — too much going on in the smart home for any of it to make sense — but it's easy to see the issue being mitigated if two or three platforms become dominant. Just like most app developers support both iOS and Android, it wouldn't be a surprise if all companies in the smart home market supported both HomeKit and SmartThings, or SmartThings and Weave, or Weave and Alexa. That would also mean leaving consumers with options should one company make some disagreeable changes.

The nice thing about all of these companies taking on the smart home is that they can make it very easy for us. And, because they're so huge, they can get a rich ecosystem of companies to line up and listen, making compatible products that integrate with each other. But it's worth questioning whether, in the long run, it's ideal for the companies already ruling over mobile — and much more — to control yet another facet of our lives. That's already starting to happen. And if they continue to make building a smart home easy enough for everyone, it likely will.

A perfect companion for a phone with no headphone jack

 

Truly wireless earbuds are finally coming into their own here at CES 2016, but it might not be long before tech's biggest company reveals its own pair. The oft-reliable 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple is working on a premium set of entirely wireless earbuds — under the Beats brand — that could debut alongside the iPhone 7 later this year.

Apple's earbuds are said to include "a noise-cancelling microphone system" that will allow users to interact with the iPhone and control Siri completely wirelessly. 9to5Mac's report says that Apple's current concept resembles what we've seen (and been impressed by) from Bragi at CES this week. And they're recharged when placed inside a carrying case, similar to the Motorola Hint.

It's believed that these premium headphones will be an optional purchase and won't come bundled with the iPhone 7; instead, a revamped pair of EarPods are in development for inclusion in the box. Presumably those will plug into the Lightning port, because yes, Apple really is (probably) getting rid of the headphone jack. Numerous rumors have pointed to a future of Bluetooth headphones and others powered by Apple's Lightning jack, and 9to5Mac's latest report is yet more confirmation of that plan. Apple is likely to introduce the iPhone 7 this fall, months after a mid-cycle introduction for the smaller-sized "iPhone 6C" rumored for release this March. However, Apple's said to be considering several designs for the new flagship, with one option that "substantially" resembles the iPhone 6 / 6S.

Reducing the carbon footprint

If you are a small business and looking to cut down on power bills, and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time, Lucy might be just the lady you need to see. Lucy is an ultra-portable, eco-friendly illumination system originally designed by Diva Tommei, CEO of Solenia Inc, to combat her own Seasonal Affective Disorder. While the Italian designed robot is highly effective for SAD, the solar-powered device can also help lower power bills and reduce your carbon footprint by keeping lightbulbs turned off throughout daylight hours.

Bends natural light

So, you ask. How does she work? What does she do? Lucy harvests sunlight from the outdoors, bends it, and reflects that light anywhere you direct it. All you have to do is place Lucy in a sunny spot (even outdoors), point her “nose” toward the ceiling of the room you want to illuminate with light, and the reflected sunlight will hit the ceiling and scatter around the room evenly. Lucy doesn’t concentrate sunlight, but actually spreads it out.

Buy one, or multiple

Because Lucy weighs just 5.5 pounds, she is easily portable and can be carried from room to room at home. However, you could also purchase several for the office building and have them left permanently in specific conference rooms or certain offices with large windows where you leave the lights turned off to save energy.

More features in development

Because Lucy is spherical, she comes with a flat, horizontal resting post on which to rest. Tommei and Solenica Inc are currently creating go-go gadget add-ons like multidirectional arms so that Lucy can be placed on more than horizontal surfaces. They are also working on an app that will be able to tell you about you house or office’s illumination needs.

Solenica is developing a Brightness Index to grade how well or poorly your home is lit, and what you can do to improve the situation. In addition, Lucy and the app will tell you how much energy you have been saving by using less electricity and relying more and more on your own solar-powered robot.

Pre-order and get on the list

The entire first pre-order batch of the Lucy adaptive lighting is already completely sold through, so the company is currently taking email addresses for the next shipment of illumination systems.
Don't think and head over to their Website.

Vegas gets the world’s first Droneport

Drones need homes. The FAA put a bevy of new restrictions on the previously unregulated aircraft, putting heavy restrictions on where they can fly, and just how high. But now at the Aerodrome in Boulder City, Nevada, the little craft will be free to soar to their little electronic hearts’ content.

At the Aerodrome commercial operators of drones will be able to receive training and education on unmanned aerial systems, filling a void in the drone pilot market. The minds behind the droneport claim that the industry will experience a massive $82.1 billion growth between 2015 and 2025, creating 103,000 jobs that will need as yet untrained applicants to fill.

America and Rwanda building out drone worlds

Although the Aerodrome is technically the first droneport since it has become partially operational, the facility took that crown from a multi-stage development planned for in Rwanda. British architecture firm Foster + Partners have plans to build three droneports in the country over the next four years. Instead of drone racing, this droneport will provide a hub for the transportation of vital medical supplies and parts to remote and inaccessible parts of the country.

Amazon has long had plans for drone delivery, but the budding Rwanda infrastructure shows the massive potential a drone delivery network offers. In places like Rwanda, where it is difficult to bring goods to the population in remote areas, drones offer a solution. Mountains, lakes, rivers, and other geographical barriers hinder drones far less than wheeled vehicles and require no infrastructure.

Although the Aerodrome droneport is the first of its kind, there is little doubt that there will be many more like it in the future. Droneports will become centers for new sports like drone racing, as well as act as hubs for commercial activities and cargo delivery. Whether those drones are delivering a fresh order from Amazon or a package of life-saving medicine, these drone ports will be revolutionary.

Windows 10 is so familiar and easy to use, you’ll feel like an expert. The Start Menu is back in an expanded form, plus we’ll bring over your pinned apps and favorites so they’re ready and waiting for you.

It starts up and resumes fast, has more built-in security to help keep you safe, and is designed to work with software and hardware you already have.

The web that works the way you do

Windows 10 comes with Microsoft Edge, an all-new browser that’s built to give you a better web experience. Write or type notes directly on webpages and share them with others, read online articles free of distraction, and save your favorite reads for later access. And with Cortana2 enabled, you get instant access to key actions—like making reservations or reading reviews—without leaving the page you’re on.

Meet Cortana, your truly personal digital assistant

Cortana works across your day and your devices to help you get things done. By learning more over time, Cortana becomes more personal and useful to you. Cortana’s also best at reminders, delivering them at the right time and place so you forget less and can do more.

Multi-doing helps you get to “done“ faster

Easily snap up to four apps in place and see all open tasks in a single view. You can even create virtual desktops when you need more space or want to group things by project.

Windows Store is your one-stop shop

Introducing the new Windows Store, a unified shopping experience across every Windows 10 device. Browse the store on your PC, tablet, or phone and easily purchase great digital content including apps, games, music, movies and TV shows.

Google just announced the Android M Developer Preview and thanks to this image that was put up at the I/O keynote, we can see almost all of the new features included.

Things like better text selection, custom Chrome tabs, USB Type-C support for phones, crazy improved power management, fingerprint support, Android Pay, revamped volume controls, and direct sharing with contacts are all now included.

The M preview will be available on the Nexus 5, 6, 9, and Player.

But still we don't know what actually that 'M' mean? Write down your ideas in the comment section below.

Rohildev from Kerala, is the creator of this unique invention called Fin and it could revolutionize the way we interact with technology. His crowd funding  initiative for his project was an overwhelming success and managed to raise over $200,000 USD from over 2000 people to fine tune and develop this amazing invention.

What is Fin ?

Fin is a real life buddy for every individual to do their digital interactions as natural as possible. Fin is a trendy gadget you can wear on the thumb and make your whole palm as a digital touch interface. 

You can pre-order it from their official website at Wearfin.

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The Cybathlon is a championship for racing pilots with disabilities (i.e. parathletes) who are using advanced assistive devices including robotic technologies. The competitions are comprised by different disciplines that apply the most modern powered knee prostheses, wearable arm prostheses, powered exoskeletons, powered wheelchairs, electrically stimulated muscles and novel brain-computer interfaces. The assistive devices can include commercially available products provided by companies, but also prototypes developed by research labs. There will be two medals for each competition, one for the pilot, who is driving the device, and one for the provider of the device. The event is organized on behalf of the Swiss National Competence Center of Research in Robotics (NCCR Robotics).

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, and according to the CDC, clogged arteries from coronary heart disease kill more than 385,000 people annually. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology havedeveloped a tiny device they hope will lower that statistic — it's a 1.4-millimeter silicon chip that takes real-time, 3D images from inside the heart, coronary arteries, and surrounding blood vessels. Using volumetric imaging, it could better guide doctors through heart surgery and allow them to unclog some patients' arteries without major surgery.

The chip is a catheter-based device made with CMOS technology, an active pixel sensor that's common in cell phone cameras and webcams. It uses ultrasound transducers to process signals directly on the device, allowing data from more than a hundred elements on the device to be transmitted using 13 tiny cables. This lets the chip travel through the blood vessels easily and provide 3D images along the way.

Termites may be among the most repellent and invasive insects on the planet, but they've also provided the inspiration for a set of swarm-based construction robots designed by a group of Harvard researchers. The TERMES robot project is based on the behavior of actual termites: while the insects may be known for infesting homes, they also are skilled builders, making impressive, elaborate, and huge structures many times their size with little to no centralized guidance.