The Apple Watch Series 2 is the first real Apple Watch. It delivers on the promise of a mostly passive device that can accomplish simple tasks in 1-3 seconds. There is now built-in GPS which allows for exercising without having to lug along a comparatively heavy iPhone just to get accurate tracking. And it’s completely waterproof, as any decent sport watch should be. Read More
A new wearable generator creates electricity from body heat
Now your sweaty body can power your phone. Like Neo in the Matrix, a new system created by researchers at North Carolina State University lets you generate electricity with a wearable device. Previous systems used massive, rigid heat sinks. This system uses a body-conforming patch that can generate 20 μW per centimeter squared. Previous systems generated only 1 microwatt or less. The… Read More
Review: Apple tees up the future with iPhone 7
With the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Apple is going through a splitting-atoms phase with the iPhone. The company knows that the future is a camera that can see the world in 3D. It knows that the future is one without wires because wires are awful. It knows that the iPhone may be our primary computer, but its screen won’t be the primary way we interact with that computer. Read More
Toyota’s VR drive through a Syd Mead-created world is a near-future trip
How do you convince a potential car buyer your vehicle is a future-focused choice? One way is to get one of the most iconic creators of cinematic futurescapes to help you build a virtual world that people can drive the car through themselves. Toyota enlisted Syd Mead, the creative visionary behind Blade Runner and Tron‘s vehicles, architecture and more. Mead provided concept art and… Read More
Camorama records 360-degree 4K video for your VR pleasure
While the Camorama promo video is a bit, shall we say, racy I think the product is pretty solid. It’s basically a 4K action cam that doubles as a 360-degree camera. This means you can record 360-degree videos for a mere $239 for early birds.
Who would want such witchcraft? 360-degree video is pretty cool stuff and it could mean that we can expect more VR video on Youtube and other services. Read More
Judge a book through its cover with this terahertz camera setup
What do you do if you want to peek inside a book, but you’re pretty sure it’ll crumble into dust if you even crack the cover a little bit? Well, nothing: Opening a book is a critical step in finding out what’s inside. Or at least it was until someone at MIT decided that shouldn’t be the case. Read More
Every single part of this camera is 3D printed
We’ve seen 3D printed cameras before, but they always include some prefabricated part: a hinge, a spring, or more complicated bits like shutters and iris mechanisms. But designer Amos Dudley has done what I’ve always hoped someone would do: make a camera entirely out of 3D printed parts — yes, including the lens. Read More
FAA warns not to check your Galaxy Note 7 or fly with it on
An exploding phone is by no means a good thing, but if it has to explode, it’s hard to think of a worse place for it to do so than on a plane. Well, not that hard, but it’s definitely a bad one. In wake of the occasional combusting Galaxy Note 7 and the its subsequent recall, the FAA has advised passengers to exercise caution when flying with the device. Read More
The Swiss watch industry is doomed
There was one slide in Tim Cook’s keynote that probably made the watch industry potentates choke on their oysters St Jacques. It was a simply a clear comparison between Apple Watch sales and sales of traditional watch brands, both high and low. And it wasn’t good. At the bottom of the barrel was Japan’s Casio, makers of heavy-duty watches designed to take on tank treads and… Read More
Apple also doubles storage on old iPads and makes high-end iPad Pro models cheaper
Apple hasn’t mentioned the iPad during its press conference, but it doesn’t mean that the company has no news for the device. The iPhone 7 finally starts with 32GB of storage, and the iPad is also receiving a storage bump. The 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros already start at 32GB, so only old iPad models are getting more gigs. In particular, the $399 iPad Air 2 now has 32GB instead… Read More