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- Sonic Reportedly Set for PS4, Xbox One Debut in 2015
- Cityzen Smart Shirt Acts as a Health Tracker, Recharges by Washing
- Snorkel Allows To Breathe Underwater Through Your Nose
- Samsung Opens Pre-Orders for Widescreen NotePRO and TabPRO
- Red Nexus 5 Leaks as the End of the Nexus Program is Rumored
- LuMini Uses Bluetooth LE to Customize Home Lighting
| Sonic Reportedly Set for PS4, Xbox One Debut in 2015 Posted: 04 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST  Despite seemingly being a Nintendo only franchise, new reports suggest that SEGA's speedy echidna, Sonic, will be released on PS4 and Xbox One in 2015.
There are two widely believed (albeit, relatively false) assumptions about Sonic the Hedgehog. For one, our favourite neon blue mammal isn't a hedgehog at all and has been confirmed to be an echidna (essentially a hedgehog but less spellcheck friendly). Secondly, it's also widely believed that Sonic is tied to Nintendo consoles like a family friendly anchor (Sonic only has a 3 game exclusivity deal with the Wii U and 3DS, but all other games past that are potentially off the table), given that Sonic's gold ring platforming and his tales of teaming up with friends and defeating a cartoonish enemy are well suited to Nintendo's key 8 years old and under demographic. However, as the series looks to expand, Sonic (and presumably Tails, Knuckles and Doctor Robotnik) are reportedly set to arrive on PS4 and Xbox in a new game rumoured to be released in 2015. The reports around the Internet are being circulated after a display at the Nuremburg International Toy Fair seemed to list a 'New 2015 title TBA' along with the logos for the Wii U, PS4 and the Xbox One. The poster listed this along with several other confirmed Sonic products, including 3DS and Wii U title, Sonic: Lost World, Sonic's Winter Olympics game, as well as Sonic's upcoming animated series. The suggestion is lent credence by the fact that not only was the poster not put together by a enthusiastic PS4-owning Sonic fan with a pencil and some crayons, toy vendors are also a prime group of people who would be privy to information such as upcoming video game releases. Furthermore, Sonic has long been a big hit in the toy and licensed merchandise space, giving SEGA (the publisher of the Sonic games) a good reason to let toy vendors in on the news of a new Sonic game before the media ,as the profit could benefit them both. It's bad news, however, for Nintendo, whose systems have long been judged on the their third party titles (third party games indicate support for a console outside of the console maker's sphere) and as Sonic is a somewhat formidable brand (whose popularity hasn't even diminished that much in the face of atrocious games), it gives plenty of players a reason to trump up the money for the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS, two consoles whose sales would suggest that they'd need as much help as they can get to increase popularity. Sega have yet to confirm the game but the reports could see them do so soon. We'll keep you posted once we know more. Source: Forbes Read more on walyou, Sonic The Hedgehog Invades The Streets Of Paris, LG, Panasonic and Sharp Team Up to Make Hi-Tech Houses         |
| Cityzen Smart Shirt Acts as a Health Tracker, Recharges by Washing Posted: 04 Feb 2014 05:30 AM PST  France, the homeland of haute couture, has yet one more reason to be proud of its creative minds, who have developed a fabric embedded with health tracking sensors. Smart clothes are definitely not something new, as we’ve seen smart socks and even mood sweaters that give an visual interpretation of your feelings. Still, Cityzen’s approach is truly innovative, as it packs sensors within the fabric. With the help of these sensors, such aspects as body heat, heart rate, motion and location can be easily monitored. Initially presented at CES, last month, the Smart Sensing fabric brought Cityzen the Inclusive Innovation in Everyday Health award, a sign that cutting edge technology gets its deserved recognition. Since there is no way such a shirt could pack a display (regardless of how advanced it is), all the data collected by the sensors is transmitted to a smartphone via Bluetooth, as seen in the above image. Gilbert Reveillon, Cityzen’s international managing director, pointed out that the Smart Sensing textile could have many applications: “The fabric can be made into any clothing: gloves, shirts, pants, you name it. It is the first time ever that we managed to mix these two industries, embedding sensors into textile.” According to Reveillon, the Cityzen smart shirt could revolutionize detection of serious health problems: “You can’t prevent a heart attack from happening, but you could definitely detect it hours, or even days, ahead of it taking place.” Moreover, the smart fabric could also be used for athletic apparel and sports clothing, as Reveillon explains “On the field, a coach could tell when a member of the team has been running over capacity and put in a fresh player.” To accomplish this, Cityzen Sciences worked together with major French sports teams, in conjunction with members of the health industry. Reveillon also revealed that while at CES, one of his company’s employees went for an hour-long walk on the Las Vegas strip wearing a t-shirt made from the smart fabric. The vital signs were displayed all the time on a smartphone screen and “The Las Vegas street definitely increases the heartbeat. The vibes are very positive.”
While the fabric can be ironed and washed without any problems, charging it simply by washing is a work in progress, but Reveillon promised that “In two years’ time, by washing it, you will recharge the batteries.” Now that’s a feature I’d like to see in person! Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories such as this one about smart pajamas that talk children into sleeping or the smart socks that track workouts.    |
| Snorkel Allows To Breathe Underwater Through Your Nose Posted: 04 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST  This is a little gizmo for those of us that would rather use our noses to breathe, even when underwater: don’t let technicalities stop you from scuba-diving! This contraption is called the Easybreath Snorkeling Mask, and it’s easy indeed! Basically, it’s a snorkel that eliminates the awkward breathing through your mouth only and lets you enjoy life under the water breathing just as you do in the surface. We bet it’s still a bit weird, though. Now, off you go, mermaid hunter! Bring us presents from the coral reefs! Source: Geekologie Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories at Cyclodrone Warns Cyclists of Upcoming Dangers and Pulse Wallet Could Eradicate Passwords, Make Your Data Safer.    |
| Samsung Opens Pre-Orders for Widescreen NotePRO and TabPRO Posted: 04 Feb 2014 04:30 AM PST  Why stick to 7 and 10-inch tablets when you can diversify the market even more? Apparently that’s what Samsung thinks, since its current offer includes tablets of 7, 12.2 inches, and everything in-between. Samsung’s new range of high-end tablets have quite a few selling points. The NotePRO, for example, features a Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 9,500 mAh battery that should get everyone through a day of work. Since this is a member of the Note family, it will come with an S Pen that will make note taking a breeze. TabPRO 12.2 lacks the stylus, but other than that, the specs don’t differ at all. Further down the list, the TabPRO 10.1 and 8.4 only have 2GB of RAM, while keeping the same CPU and the incredible WQXGA (2560 x 1600) resolution. In other words, the smaller is the screen, the higher is the pixel density with these Samsung tablets. Nanda Ramachandran, VP of emerging business at Samsung Telecommunications America, claims that “The Note Pro and Tab Pro create a more meaningful user experience at the intersection of work and play. With four completely revamped models featuring unique software innovations and impressive displays, these tablets offer users a premium Galaxy experience.” Travis Merrill, VP of tablet marketing at Samsung Electronics America, emphasized just how great these new tablets really are: “The Galaxy Note Pro and Tab Pro series deliver an unparalleled tablet experience. As mobile usage habits have evolved, so have our tablet offerings. This Pro series is designed to meet the distinctive needs of today’s mobile consumer, whether at home, on-the-go or at work.” Now, you didn’t expect all this goodness to come cheap, did you? Depending on the size and internal storage, they are priced as follows:
To make the whole thing look less like a massive hole in your wallet, Samsung threw in some gifts in the form of a $25 Play Store gift card, 50GB of Dropbox space for 24 months and subscriptions to business publications, cause play aside, these tablets are meant for business users. Yeah, thanks a bunch, Samsung! Below is a video of the Samsung Galaxy NotePRO 12.2 shot by Android Authority at CES, last month:
If somehow, despite the exorbitant prices, you fancy these tablets, the manufacturer takes pre-orders now and will start shipping on February 13. “An unlucky date,” I hear you say? Well, not so much by South Korean standards. Besides Samsung.com, other retailers that will include the Wi-Fi version of these tablets in their offer include Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Tiger Direct, PC Richard and Sons, Fry’s, and Newegg. Bear in mind that the Wi-FI TabPRO 12.2 will only be available in March, while the LTE version will come to Verizon sometime in spring. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories such as the Foxconn Firefox OS tablet showcased at Computex 2013 and the top 5 best tablets at CES 2013.    |
| Red Nexus 5 Leaks as the End of the Nexus Program is Rumored Posted: 04 Feb 2014 04:00 AM PST  Google may be on the brink of adding a touch of color to a historically black and white monochromatic lineup. The recent leak of an internal Sprint document has all but confirmed the appearance of a red Nexus 5 to appear in the Google Play Store on February 4th. This comes after several weeks of rumor surrounding new color availability for Google's current flagship. The leak only confirms a red Nexus, though, with no word on the other rumored colors (orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and red). Additional colors (even if it's only red) will go a long way to making Google's Nexus brand more appealing. While the low price points and timely—direct from Google—updates have been a big selling point among Android enthusiasts, there hasn't been much draw to the rest of the geek crowd that just like flashy gadgets. The addition of more colors would put the Nexus 5 back in the discussion alongside the other devices in the Play Store as it will be the only device sold directly by Google available in with 3 or more colors without additional accessories such as a case or replacement back. If this rumor is true, hopefully we will see more color selections coming to all the devices in the play store. HTC already manufactures the HTC One in multiple colors, but only the silver model is available through the Play Store. I bet a brightly colored Nexus 7 tablet would also get quite a few takers. However, this news all does come under the looming shadow of rumors that Google will be discontinuing the Nexus program in 2015 in favor of various "Google Play Edition" devices direct from several popular Android manufacturers—such as the devices from LG, Motorola, HTC, Sony, and Samsung—that can be found in the Google Play Store already. The end of the Nexus program could be a good thing if it means Google is able to convince more Android manufacturers to embrace their vision for Android such as they were able to accomplish with their recent patent deal with Samsung, but of course there are enough hardcore fans that not everyone will be happy to see Nexus go. Fortunately, we still have some time—and several new Nexus announcements—before they pack up shop, if this rumor is true. In the meantime, hopefully, everyone will have some colorful Nexus phones to keep them satisfied. Sources: Android Police, Digital Trends, BGR Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter Read more on walyou, How Lenovo's Purchase of Motorola Changes the Android Scene, FCC Encourages Exploration of VoIP Networks
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| LuMini Uses Bluetooth LE to Customize Home Lighting Posted: 03 Feb 2014 12:32 PM PST  A home wouldn’t be smart enough if lighting couldn’t be controlled remotely, both in terms of colors and intensity. LuMini is a new generation of energy efficient smart bulbs that can be easily adjusted via smartphones. Touted as “a smart bulb that fits your lamps and budget,” LuMini differs from other smart bulbs in more than one way. In terms of energy efficiency, LED light bulbs are great, but they often seem bulky, which results in not every lamp out there being able to accommodate them. Even Lumen, the first smart bulb developed by TABU Design – the Hong Kong shop behind LuMini, was fairly big, not to mention that it costs $69. Yet another aspect that sets LuMini apart from its counterparts is the long lifespan – up to 30,000 hours, according to the manufacturer. Some say that LuMini fits a lot of situations, but is particularly great for parties. That’s because the color of the light bulb can be easily adjusted via a smartphone to match the mood of the event. Regarding the smartphone, which is only hardware requirement of this smart bulb, it can be any make or model, as long as it packs Bluetooth 4.0 LE connectivity. In terms of software requirements, LuMini requires the proprietary app initially developed for the Lumen light bulb. Supposedly, TABU will release an app specifically for this product if it hits the market. “Why Bluetooth and not Wi-Fi?” you might ask. Well, this technology, despite having a shorter range, offers a direct connection between LuMini and the smartphone, whereas the signal transmitted to a Wi-Fi enabled light bulb would have to go through a router. TABU Design looks for funding on Kickstarter, where it set a goal of $50,000 which should be reached within the next 29 days. At $25 for early birds and $30 for the others, LuMini represents a truly affordable smart bulb. As you can see, this is not TABU’s first Kickstarter campaign, and considering the tremendous success of the previous ones, it definitely looks like this company knows how to conduct business and how to design successful products. I only hope that LuMini will be yet another victory for these creative minds. Should the company raise the funds in this timeframe, it will start shipping in April. As a side note, I wonder if any of the members of TABU Design speaks Romanian, as “lumini” literally means lights in this language. If you liked this post, please check these smartphone controlled Wi-Fi enabled light bulbs or the Paperclip and PizzaKobra lamps that put contortionists to shame.    |
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