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2016: The Year of Good Looking Smartwatches

A collective of high-profile fashion brands are banding together in a big push for better-looking wearables.

Kate Spade New York, Emporio Armani, Chaps, Diesel, Michael Kors, Misfit, Skagen, and Fossil are all planning to push out more than a hundred new Internet-connected watches and trackers this year aimed at making wearable tech more fashion-friendly.

The announcement comes just as smartwatches are eclipsing Swiss watch sales for the first time ever.

The Fossil Group is powering the tech behind the new products, betting that 2016 is going to be the year fitness tracking goes high-fashion. To get things started, Fossil is launching several new operating systems and apps to support all the new baubles.

“Customers will be delighted with the sheer volume of styles and options available when shopping for a wearable that fits their personal style,” said Fossil Group chief strategy and digital officer Greg McKelvey, in a release this week.

 

Fossil thinks so.

A collective of high-profile fashion brands are banding together in a big push for better-looking wearables.

Kate Spade New York, Emporio Armani, Chaps, Diesel, Michael Kors, Misfit, Skagen, and Fossil are all planning to push out more than a hundred new Internet-connected watches and trackers this year aimed at making wearable tech more fashion-friendly.

The announcement comes just as smartwatches areeclipsing Swiss watch sales for the first time ever.

The Fossil Group is powering the tech behind the new products, betting that 2016 is going to be the year fitness tracking goes high-fashion. To get things started, Fossil is launching several new operating systems and apps to support all the new baubles.

“Customers will be delighted with the sheer volume of styles and options available when shopping for a wearable that fits their personal style,” said Fossil Group chief strategy and digital officer Greg McKelvey, in a release this week.

It’s the latest move in Fossil’s big bet on wearable tech. The group acquired Misfit in November of last year for $260 million in a bid to get the company back on track after slow earnings earlier in 2015. Some of the Misfit trackers don’t need to be charged, which could make them easier to integrate into jewelry or accessories.

Though the company’s earnings improved in the fourth quarter, analysts are cautious about whether or not wearable tech fashion is something Fossil can really pull off, as MarketWatch reports.

In contrast, timepiece maker Swatch is still largely waiting things out in the smartwatch market. The company has only rolled just a few smartwatch options while guarding its patents, and it is waiting to see if the tech really takes off.

Michael Kors announce android powered smartwatch

Michael Kors may not be thought of as a premium watch maker in the same league as of Rolex or Tag Heuer, as the company is more of an all-round fashion house or retail brand, but its range of male and female watches have becoming increasingly popular over the last few years. It now joins the likes of Nixon and Fossil in accepting that the future of the personal timepiece probably lies on the smarter end of the scale.

 

The Access range will be available this coming fall from Michael Kors stores, MichaelKors.com, and select department stores as well. Starting price of Access will be $395.

Closing iPhone apps won't save your battery life

Apps are not like browser tabs.


There has been a myth for quite some time that closing the open apps on your phone will save your battery life.

But an iPhone app isn’t like an unused open tab in Google Chrome that’s hogging precious processing power and memory. Take it directly from an Apple executive: Having 20 apps open isn’t going to hurt your battery.

The battery life boost for closing apps is negligible or nonexistent, since the phone only devotes resources to them only if a background process is in use, as in the case of uploading a file, playing audio, or utilizing GPS.

Wired reported this week that the same rules apply for Android users: Closing apps is actually worse for battery life. If you’re trying to limit battery usage, turning down screen brightness, background refresh, GPS, and going into “Doze” (Android) or “Low Power Mode” (iOS) are your best bets.

Steve Wozniak on Apple Watch: ‘This isn’t the company that Apple was originally’

Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak took part in an AMA session on Reddit yesterday, during which he conceded that Apple’s current approach to hardware and product fit isn’t what he and Steve Jobs intended necessarily.

The comments came in response to a query about the Apple Watch, with Woz’s specific concern being the company’s reduced focus on hardware. He also said that the launch moved the company into selling into the jewelry market, rather than tech.

“I worry a little bit about – I mean I love my Apple Watch, but – it’s taken us into a jewelry market where you’re going to buy a watch between $500 or $1100 based on how important you think you are as a person. The only difference is the band in all those watches. Twenty watches from $500 to $1100. The band’s the only difference?

Well this isn’t the company that Apple was originally, or the company that really changed the world a lot. So it might be moving, but you’ve got to follow, you know. You’ve got to follow the paths of where the markets are.”

Spotify has ended support for its Windows Phone app

The popular streaming music service Spotify has ended support for its Windows Phone version. The company has confirmed to one of its customers that the current app will no longer be updated.

Spotify launched a Windows Phone 7 version of its app in 2011 and a Windows Phone 8.x version was launched in 2013. Twitter user Alessandro S posted a support email he received from Spotify on the future of the Windows Phone version.

"We can confirm Windows Phone 8.x is no longer supported. You can still use our Spotify application on the associated devices, but it will no longer receive any further updates and download the application. We apologize for the inconvenience."

 



The app is still available in the Windows Store and it will also work on Windows 10 Mobile. Spotify would not comment on if will release a native app for Windows 10 for PC Mobile, saying only, "as there is something new, you will receive a notification on your device that an update is available and prompted to download it."

HTC One M10 To feature Super LCD5 Screen and 3000mAh Battery

The HTC 10 will feature a 3,000-mAh battery and a new generation of the same display technology that powered its predecessors.

The details come courtesy of @evleaks, the source that revealed many of the other specifics that surfaced about the new HTC flagship, including its commercial name, HTC 10.

HTC has adopted AMOLED technology for the One A9, and there was some hope that the 10 will follow suit, but it looks like that won’t be the case. According to @evleaks, the 10 will feature a Super LCD 5 panel – the leaker didn’t confirm the screen dimensions, but we know from an older report that we should expect a 5.15-inch Quad HD panel, a slight increase over the 5-inch panel of the M9.

 

 

As for the battery, we’re looking at a small increase in capacity over the 2,840-mAh unit inside the One M9. At 3,000-mAh, the HTC 10’s battery would match the Galaxy S7’s and be slightly larger than the LG G5’s 2,800-mAh unit. The latter does offer the benefit of a user-replaceable battery, an exceedingly rare luxury these days.

Chrome app launcher is no more

On Tuesday, Google announced it would retire the app launcher in the summer. First, in a few weeks, the launcher will no longer be enabled when users first install a Chrome app. Users who already have the launcher installed will get a notice telling them the launcher will soon be gone, and in July, it will be automatically removed from users' computers. 

The reasoning behind the move is quite simple: no one really used the launcher. 

"The app launcher makes Chrome apps easy to open outside the browser, but we’ve found that users on Windows, Mac, and Linux prefer to launch their apps from within Chrome," Google Chrome Engineering Director Marc Pawliger wrote in a blog post. 

The launcher will continue to exist on one platform, however: Google's Chrome OS. 

 

 

The few users that did in fact use the launcher to find their Chrome apps should switch to launching the apps from Chrome's bookmarks bar or by typing chrome://apps in Chrome's omnibox bar.

Why the iPhone Battery will never last more than a day

Every year Apple introduces a new iPhone, and every year we all get our hopes up that this will finally be the model that can go two or three days without needing to be recharged. But according to a lithium-ion battery expert, the odds of Apple adding a power source capable of boosting iPhone battery life like that are practically zero.

Dee Strand, chief scientific officer at battery research firm Wildcat Discovery Technology, says the throughput on smartphone batteries is rapidly improving every year. The problem is, new features are bogging them down.


“I love this question,” Strand said yesterday during a reddit AMA, when asked when we’ll get multi-day battery life. “The answer is never.”

That doesn’t sound good for most of us, we're always longing for a longer iPhone battery life.

“With every improvement in the battery, the cell phone company wants to add more features (and so do you),” Strand said. “Bigger screen, brighter display, more apps, touch screen features, etc. All those features are designed to work such that your phone can (hopefully) last a day with recharge overnight. The batteries will continue to get better, but the phone will continue to to get even better.”

DJI's New Phantom 4 Can Almost Fly Itself

Drone manufacturer DJI has announced its Phantom 4 drone. DJI's Phantom line is one of the go-tos for any consumer wanting to play with airborne camera-wielding robots, and now "the iPhone of drones" has something new to offer: the DJI Phantom 4 features built-in obstacle-avoidance features.

The degree of human skill required to pilot a drone without crashing it is beginning to decrease. What is usually a carefully coordinated mashing of buttons in order to keep one's drone aloft is increasingly looking like the casual button-pushing associated with playing a video game. Furthermore, the manufacturer claims to have added an extra five minutes to the device's flight time, making for a total of 28 minutes for the Phantom 4, 23 minutes for the Phantom 3.

 

In the press release formalizing the announcement, DJI CEO Frank Wang drops this line: "People have dreamed about one day having a drone collaborate creatively with them. That day has arrived." We don't know about a drone "creatively collaborating" with the pilot, but if nothing else, the machines are becoming a little more self-aware. And sure this is really a piece of gear aimed at professionals, but it's still pretty cool.

The Phantom 4 is now available to order from DJI's website for 1600 Euro
 

HTC Rumoured to be building Googles Nexus phones for the next three years

HTC and Google had a very close relationship when Android was introduced. HTC built the first prototype hardware for Android (Google Sooner), the first commercial Android phone (T-Mobile G1) , the first Android developer phone(Android Dev Phone 1) and the original Nexus One. This partnership helped HTC solidify its position as the top Android smartphone manufacturer. Google eventually turned to Samsung to build two Nexus devices and LG was selected to build three. While Nexus phones have never been popular among regular consumers, the manufacturers who have built the phones have benefited greatly through their close partnership with Google.

It’s been rumored for a while that HTC and Google are working on two Nexus phones for 2016, but a new rumor has surfaced which claims that we will be seeing even more HTC-built Nexus devices in the future. According to the report, HTC and Google have worked out a deal which puts HTC in line to build Nexus phones for three years. If we assume the deal start with the two 2016 Nexus phones, we should see additional HTC-build devices with a Nexus logo on the back in 2017 and 2018.

Google just hired the founder of 4Chan

The founder of 4Chan, Christopher 'moot' Poole, has been hired by Google. 

In a brief blog post, Poole described the move as "a new chapter" for him, and praised Google's "intelligence, passion and enthusiasm".

Moot's statement focused on his experience "building online communities", which hints at his future role within Google rebuilding the remains of its Google+ social network experiment.

"When meeting with current and former Googlers, I continually find myself drawn to their intelligence, passion, and enthusiasm," he wrote. "I’m also impressed by Google’s commitment to enabling these same talented people to tackle some of the world’s most interesting and important problems."

"I can’t wait to contribute my own experience from a dozen years of building online communities, and to begin the next chapter of my career at such an incredible company."

Although he hasn't confirmed what his new role will involve, Poole's appointment was quickly announced by Bradley Horowitz, head of Google+, leading to some speculation that he'll be joining the Google+ team. 

"You might have seen this post from Chris Poole. I'm thrilled he's joining our team here at Google. Welcome Chris!" Horowitz wrote on his own Google+ page. 

The perfect wearable for Arctic (or Irish) temperatures

YodelUP is a waterproof wireless wristband that not only controls music from your phone, but doubles as a walkie talkie for easy communication with your friends. The device connects over Bluetooth to work as a media player, walkie talkie, and even answer calls. It has its own speaker, fits over any glove, can be operated with your mittens on, and use your phone’s other functions uninterrupted.

The YodelUP technology is very simple. Basically, the device is an ergonomically shaped wireless controller that fits on a customizable elastic band. The controller pairs with the world’s number one walkie talkie app Zello, and connects to your phone via Bluetooth. This Bluetooth connection allows for multiple devices, so you can also hook up a Bluetooth headset or helmet, and it even has its own speaker in case you want to unplug completely.

 You can pre-order one at the YodelUP Kickstarter page right now.

This New Wearable Keeps You Energised All Day Long

Drinking coffee has become so common in our daily lives that it is impossible to imagine how life would be without this beloved elixir. However, some people suffer harsh effects caused by the frequent consumption of coffee: stained teeth and stomach pains become constant for those who cannot live without a good cup of coffee. The good news is that it is possible to solve this problem by quitting coffee, while still having your daily dose of caffeine.

What I'm talking about is the world’s first wearable caffeinated bracelet that releases caffeine directly into the blood stream of the user – kind of like nicotine patches. In addition to the basic version, which comes in black, blue or pink, Joule also comes as a watch, so you never forget coffee time.The wearable is currently seeking crowdfunding on Indiegogo, and the campaign was so successful that the makers have managed to earn four times their initial $15,000 goal.

The Joule claims to offer the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. The difference is that this amount is slowly administered over a period of four hours, maintaining you energized longer without causing side effects such as energy spikes and crashes. The invention promises to be especially useful for those who suffer from stomach pains or want a boost during sports practice.

Smartwatches now outsell Swiss watches

Anyone who doubted 2015 was the year of the smartwatch will be proven wrong by figures from Strategy Analytics, which showed in the first months of the year shipments of smartwatches just beat those of Swiss swatches.

The figures reveal that smartwatches sold 8.1 a heady million units, compared with 7.9 million units for Swiss watches. That’s quite an impressive feat for the smartwatch category, which has gone from zero to hero in little over a year.

What defines a smartwatch?

The term smartwatch is a fairly broad definition and the watches included thus changes depending on whose definition you take. Of course, a watch that has features above and beyond telling the time are generally considered smartwatches.

Strategy Analytics however defines a smartwatch as “a computerized wristwatch with a high-level or expandable operating system produced and shipped from any country worldwide”.

In most cases it’s pretty obvious whether a particular watch is a smartwatch, but by way of contrast, Swiss watches are considered “a wristwatch produced and shipped from Switzerland”.

The future of Smartwatches

Every month there’s a raft of new smartwatches released, updates to older models, and concept demos that hint at innovative new features just around the corner.

As far as Apple is concerned, the next Apple Watch might be announced later this month, although it’s more likely to be in the autumn. That would certainly be one of the biggest launches this year however and should likely help solidify Apple’s position as the top selling smartwatch maker.

Several other companies of note are also jumping on the bandwagon, such as Casio, which is reported to be releasing the traditional-looking CSD-F10 this month. Classed as a smart outdoor watch running Android, it will be interesting to see how the new device stacks up against its rivals.

3 Hot New Apps For Your Phone

Looking for new apps? You’ve come to the right place. Today we'll look at three hot apps; Hound, Roger and Plane.

Hound

 

SoundHound’s Hound app was finally released for iOS and Android earlier this week — and it’s definitely worth a download. The digital assistant app acts like Google Now, Siri, and Cortana; but it’s much less awkward to interact with, and you can chat with the app almost as naturally as you would with another human. Uber and Yelp, along with more than a 100 other partnerships, are integrated with the app, so you can order a ride just by talking to the Hound.

 

Roger

These days calling is way too much effort, and text-based messaging doesn’t always capture the right tone. Enter Roger, which made a splash when it first launched on iOS. Roger is a voice-messaging app that lets you send a voice message with anyone you have in your contacts by just tapping the mic button. You can see the city your contact’s in, their time, and weather. It will even tell you when your contact has listened to your message, which are stored for 48 hours. 

 

Plane

Plane is a text-based app — you can’t send images or see any, and that’s the point. It’s meant to foster a way to meet people, whether you’re in a new city or a local, looking for things to do. You can semi-anonymously send out a “signal,” which you can tailor to a particular city, and people will hopefully respond. These responses are private, and then you can expand them into full conversations that are also private. Signals and conversations disappear after 24 hours, so you better swap “social cards” quickly if you want to maintain contact with that person.