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Nike delivers new FuelBand and a developers program

October 15, 2013 by 3 Comments

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With the original introduction of the Nike + FuelBand last year users were presented with a tool that enabled them to track their activities and monitor their exercise of a daily, hourly or even by the second basis.

However active and inactive users learned that the system could be gamed and you could increase your ratings by doing such activities as punching the air. It also fell down on some activities that while strenuous, simply did not register, such as yoga.

Now Nike has come out with a new generation of FuelBands, the Nike + FuelBand SE that not only address the flaws in the first generation but have enhanced features that help you monitor additional activities and even count calories when you are inactive, such as when sleeping.

At a press event in New York that sometimes resembled a calisthenics class the company showed off the latest technology and ran it through its paces, with an assist from some of the more energetic members of the audience.

The company took all of the data that it had accumulated over the past year to fine tune its algorithms that are the heart of the monitoring program and to improve its measurement and tracking capabilities. The band uses Bluetooth 4 technology to connect to the related Nike+ FuelBand app.

The band comes with features that are designed to help motivate you to be active including one called “Win the Hour” that tracks each hour’s total movement that features built-in reminders. Then there is “Fuel Rate” that helps you see how much fuel is being earned. The bands have color coded signals to let you know where you rate. There are others such as “Milestones”, “Nike + Move” app and more.

Nike is also looking to expand the ecosystem of the FuelBand by teaming with developers that will use the NikeFuel APIs in a program called the Nike + Fuel Lab, an enhanced version of what it had been doing with its Nike + Accelerator program.

A downside to the band is there is no apparent Android support as of yet. Android users will have to go to the company’s web site for tracking and information purposes. It does support Apple’s operating system. iOS 7.

The Nike+ FuelBand SE is available for preorder now and will be available beginning Nov. 6 in the current Nike+ FuelBand countries of U.S., Canada, and the UK and for the first time in France, Germany and Japan. The Nike+ FuelBand SE will launch in Black and the Sport Pack colors of Volt, Pink Foil or Total Crimson priced at $149.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, iOS, iOS 7, Nike Tagged With: , , , , ,

LG ready to ship high-end G Pad tablet

October 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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The fall tablet rollout continues as LG delivers the details of its LG G Pad 8.3 as the company seeks to establish itself as a contender in the small to midsized tablet space with an offering that should start hitting stores later this month.

The tablet, originally shown at IFA in Berlin last month, has an 8.3-inch display with 1920 x 1200 resolution but LG worked hard to keep the bezel small enough so that the tablet could be easily used in one hand. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.7GHz quad-core processor.

It features 2GB of RAM as well as 16GB of storage that can be expanded to 64GB via a microSD card It has a 5MP rear facing camera and a 1.3MP front facing camera. It runs on the Android 4.2.2 operating system release.

The company plans to release the tablet in the U.S. in the upcoming weeks according to reports and then follow that up with a European launch. It is expected to be first available next week in Korea but pricing for the U.S. model has not yet been announced.

The release of the G Pad 8.3 puts the company directly in competition with the growing number of developers cashing in on the demand for the smaller than 10-inch tablets with high quality smaller form factor offerings.

One of the top complaints against the 10-inch and larger models is that they are too cumbersome to use with one hand and need steady support for use, something that is not an issue with the smaller models.

Apple’s new iPads are expected later this month, the actual date of introduction is still a point of speculation at this time. Others that have refreshed already include leaders such as Amazon and Google.

Then of course there are lower cost models, usually ones with a lower resolution screen, less storage and fewer other bells and whistles, which does not mean that they have no role in this market, just not in a heads-up competition with the top of the line offerings.

There is also the growing corporate space where much larger storage is seen as a must. It will be interesting to see how the market segment breaks out going forward and if one tablet will suffice to work in all spaces or if it will be broken down by both size and market segment, with different leaders in the differing areas.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, Dell, Google, iPad, Microsoft, Samsung, Surface, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Emetic latest with low cost tablet

October 2, 2013 by 1 Comment

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Ematic has joined the tablet fray with an 8-inch Android-based offering as the market continues to heat up in the short term and Android tablets overtake Apple’s iPad in market share, just prior to Apple’s expected revamping of its own tablet offerings.

The Ematic 8” Pro Series tablet is a low cost alternative to many of the rivals in this space be they running Apple, Android or Microsoft operating systems. The 8-inch tablet has a $130 price tag, putting it under almost all rivals in this space.

The tablet runs the Android 4.1 operating system (Jelly Bean) and features an 8-inch 1024 x 768 resolution display with 1GB RAM, an ARM 1.6GHz dual core processor with 8GB of storage that is expandable to 32GBs via a microSD card. It comes with 5GBs of cloud storage and there is also a 2MP back and 0.3 MP front facing cameras. For those that want to stream to a television it has HDMI output.

The competition in the tablet space has been fierce and is expected to stay that way, at last now that new platforms are here or on the way. Amazon and Google have both recently refreshed their offerings and Apple is expected to do so later this month.

Sales slowed in the last quarter, attributed to lack of new models from the major players, according to research firm IDC.

However once you have one tablet a second one often makes sense and I can see the low cost providers starting to surge as they offer a great deal of what the larger, better known players offer. Into this space developers such as Ematic should find a sweet spot.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: iPhone 5S Security, Office for Android?

September 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Monster, probably best known for its high quality audio technology, has moved into the tablet space with a colorful set of offerings in both the 7-inch and 10.1-inch form factors, the Monster M7 and the Monster M10.

The M7 will be the first available and the company said that it will start at $149 at Walmart. While Apple made a good deal of noise with its iPhones now available in several colors, Monster has gone one better and will offer the M7 in eight colors: Candy Blueberry, Candy Tangerine Orange, Candy Grape Purple, Candy Apple Red, Candy Lime Green, Cotton Candy Pink, Frost White and Midnight Black.

Apple Press Event for Oct. 15
There were a number of hardware products that had been rumored to be on the plate earlier this month when Apple introduced its new iPhones and iOS 7 operating system that did not see the light of day, and now the rumor is that they will be unveiled on Oct. 15.

Among the expected products are completely redesigned versions of the iPad and iPad Mini as well as the company refreshing both its computer offerings with new Macintoshes and the latest and greatest in Apple TV, something that seems to be rumored every six months.

A side by side look at Pebble vs. Samsung Galaxy Gear
Now that there is more than one smartwatch on the market consumers will want to make comparisons on the features and capabilities of the varied offerings in order to make an informed decision so that they do not end up with unmet expectations.

Gizmag has gone to the trouble of doing that with two of the first offerings in this space: Kickstarter hero Pebble and Samsung’s Galaxy Gear. The basic breakdown is Samsung=advanced, Pebble=basic. But then it all depends on what you need and how you will use it.

Good news on iPhone 5S security
One of the new features that will be included in the iPhone 5S, due today, is that it has a fingerprint sensor. First off this will make it easier to access the phone and secondly it should serve as a deterrent to thieves who will not be able to use and sell the phone.

Of course people have started to look at workarounds, including a child using their sleeping parents’ finger to open access. But one method will not work; according to the good people at Slash Gear, a severed finger will not be able to unlock the phone. Phew!

Microsoft Office to the iPad/Android?
Microsoft’s departing CEO Steve Ballmer has implied that the company has a version of Microsoft Office in the works that will operate on Apple’s iOS iPad as well as on tablets that run the Android operating system.

He did not come right out and say that it was a done deal but according to IT World Ballmer listed porting popular Microsoft products to non-Microsoft platforms was a potential growth area for the company going forward.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, iOS, iPad, Microsoft, Samsung, Tablets, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: NBA STATS, Pac-12 & U-verse

September 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The NBA has expanded a limited partnership with STATS to full time and will be installing motion tracking cameras in every arena this season. This will enable teams to amass a huge amount of data that can be used for in-game decisions as well as for other uses.

First used in 2009 for the NBA Finals, and now used by 15 teams, it allows for the analysis of player movement and a team can see how well or poorly its players fare in head to head matchups, among other uses.

Lenovo Enters the Phablet Phase
Lenovo has taken the wraps off of its 5-inch Vibe X Phablet. The smartphone features a 5-inch display that has 1920 x 1080 resolution and is powered by a 1,5GHz quad core processor. It has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. However it is not clear how wide of a distribution the device will have.

Panasonic teases with 20-inch tablet presentation
It looks like Panasonic is preparing a 20-inch tablet that could be for the mainstream market that is being touted as the thinnest and lightest. The company showed it a in a presentation at a pre-IFA event last week in Berlin.

The Panasonic 4K tablet is expected to have 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution and was shown as a concept offering, but the company has shown in the past that it is building a 20-inch device. Slash Gear reported that it could simply be a scaled down version of a previously shown model.

Pac-12 Networks inks deal with AT&T U-Verse
The Pac-12 now has an official wireless provider for all of its athletic venues in the form of AT&T and its U-Verse service. The deal, signed last week has already resulted in the broadcast of five football games last Saturday.

Going forward AT&T will deliver web and app access to the games but the timing for those was not announced. It will rebroadcast a number of Pac-12 Network broadcasts for the time being in both HD and SD.

NFL Teams with Sporting News for video
If you are always looking for NFL videos and highlights during the offseason then there is good news for you as the NFL has signed a deal with Sporting News Media to just that by bringing the 2013 NFL regular and postseason to the SN ePlayer platform.

Sporting News will have video on demand highlights from the NFL games as well as additional content and will make it available to fans year round so that they can relieve the highlights or lowlghts of the season over and over again.

Microsoft has big event Sept. 23
Press invites are making their way to the appropriate people inviting them to a major event that Microsoft will be hosting on Sept. 23 that will be held in New York City. The event, listed as a Surface event, is expected to bring the company’s second generation tablets to the public.

Intel to develop low cost chip for tablets
The annual Intel Developers Conference was in full swing last week with a huge outpouring of press releases and talking points, and one that is of particular interest is its pledge for a new processor targeted directly at Android tablet makers.

Intel said that it is making an as yet unnamed processor in the Atom family that will enable Android developers to offer tablets at sub-$100 rates. Of course since Apple makes its own processors don’t expect an iPad in this space anytime soon.

Filed Under: Android, Apps, AT&T, Lenovo, Live sports via mobile, Microsoft, NBA, NCAA Football, NFL, Pac-12, Surface, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , ,

LG Helps Kick off the Fall Rollout Season with LG G Pad 8.3

September 3, 2013 by 1 Comment

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The IFA show in Berlin is almost upon us and as usual a number of major tablet developers have indicated that it will be the venue for new product rollouts, but at least one, LG, has jumped the gun and taken the wraps off of its newest pad just prior to the show. Of course it will be displaying the device at the show later this week.

Designed to compete at the larger end of the mini tablet pace the LG Pad will be the company’s offering to go up against products such as Apple’s iPad Mini, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8.0 and Google’s Nexus 7.
Late last week the company admitted to the details of its G Pad 8.3 tablet. It will be powered by a quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor running at 1.7GHz, with 2GB of memory and 16GB of storage.

Operating with the Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 operating system it has a 1.3MP front facing camera as well as a 5 MP rear facing camera. The 8.3-inch display has a 1920 x 1200 pixel display. The final pricing on the tablet has not yet been announced and oit is expected to be available for the last quarter of this year.

The next few weeks should be chock full of new arrivals and product updates with a number coming from the IFA show that starts Sept. 6th in Berlin and we will try and profile as many as possible. If you see one that is interesting drop us a line.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, Google, Samsung, Tablets Tagged With: , ,
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