Gadgets

In recent years, Sony's state of the union report has made for wince-inducing reading, but one year into Kaz Hirai's "One Sony" strategy we seem to be seeing hints of a turnaround. The company is trumpeting its return to profitability af...
In recent years, Sony's state of the union report has made for wince-inducing reading, but one year into Kaz Hirai's "One Sony" strategy we seem to be seeing hints of a turnaround. The company is trumpeting its return to profitability after several loss-making quarters, thanks to boosts in its film and financial services units -- not to mention some aggressive asset sales. Unfortunately, Sony still has the weak heart of its consumer electronics business to nurse, but promises that aggressive cost-cutting in its TV department will see it back in the black shortly. Sony has also announced plans to "significantly expand" its business model around the PlayStation 4 and promises to speed up smartphone development to incorporate the company's hardware and imaging know-how. With one eye on those dwindling PC market figures, Sony will look to make profitable machines rather than chasing market share. The company has also said that, aside from its successful Mirrorless ILC division, will shift focus on its imaging business from consumer electronics to medical and security. With all of this change, let's just hope that no-one forgets to buy someone in the PR department a wider camera lens. Filed under: Sony Comments Source: Sony
14 minutes ago
One of the early pioneers in the Quantified Self movement has quietly gone out of business. Zeo, a leading maker of hardware and software used by consumers to track sleep and improve their health, has not been operating since the end of...
One of the early pioneers in the Quantified Self movement has quietly gone out of business. Zeo, a leading maker of hardware and software used by consumers to track sleep and improve their health, has not been operating since the end of last year. A trustee has nearly completed the sale of all company assets. Zeo has been very quiet about the news up until now. In fact, Zeo’s website is still up and doesn’t mention the news. Zeo was founded by three students at Brown University who had a passion for using the science of sleep and technology to improve people’s lives. The company introduced its first product, the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach in June 2009. The following week, the first article mentioning the term “Quantified Self” was published in Wired magazine. While the article didn’t mention Zeo, it did claim “a new culture of personal data was taking shape.” And that every facet of life from sleep to mood to pain was becoming trackable. “Even sleep – a challenge to self-track, obviously, since you’re unconscious – is yielding to the skill of the widget maker.” In 2011, the widget maker Zeo introduced a mobile version to its Sleep Manager product line. By wearing a special headband, with sensors to measure electrical current, the Zeo could track different phases of sleep, such as Light, Deep and REM sleep, in addition to awake time. This data was then sent to an iPhone, iPod, or Android phone, and could be automatically uploaded to a personal and private online sleep database. This data along with some analytical tools could then be used to help improve your sleep and health. What Went Wrong Former CEO, Dave Dickinson, who lead the company for the past 5 years, tells TechCrunch the problem was not the brand or the product. In fact, the company was growing before it shut down. Dickinson says the problem was the business model. “The business model is more important than the brand. Consumer health devices are a very capital intensive business. You have to find enough money to address the consumer, funds to address the physicians, and also the retailers, and that’s up and above the device business having to fund inventory.” Zeo had two business model options on the revenue side. Become a SAAS-like business with subscriptions and recurring revenue or make enough money from a customer who bought just one unit. But that was very difficult when the company started pricing its mobile product at $99, with ‘sub-optimal’ profit margins. The Newton, Massachusetts-based company had raised more than $30 million over eight years. Dickinson says raising capital was not the problem either. Sleep Tracking As A Commodity Another problem for Zeo was that sleep tracking became a commodity. Devices like the FitBit, lark, and Jawbone Up use an accelerometer to determine sleep and awake cycles, using wrist actigraphy. These products brand their products as sleep trackers just like Zeo. Dickinson says Zeo had peer reviewed scientific studies, including one published in the Journal of Sleep Research, showing his technology was 7/8th as accurate as data from the a sleep lab, considered to be the gold standard for measuring sleep. The study also says data from wrist actigraphy to measure tiny motions in devices are much less accurate. But that didn’t seem to matter for enough consumers. The Competition Dickinson says he admires what the Fitbit and others like it have done. Those devices are not limited to one health issue like sleep, which was another problem for Zeo. Those other products work for different health and wellness areas, such as the well established desire to lose weight and become physically fit. Consumers already spend billions of dollars to achieve those goals. And they are already educated and motivated to improve their weight and fitness. Part of Zeo’s business model required it to educate the c
31 minutes ago
The latest release of Chrome, version 27, is 5 percent faster—and available to download now.Read more...
The latest release of Chrome, version 27, is 5 percent faster—and available to download now.Read more...
37 minutes ago
Pandora lets you create custom radio stations, but it is aiming to do more. Today it announced the launch of Pandora Premieres, a station which will be used to preview upcoming albums of well known and new artists before they are release...
Pandora lets you create custom radio stations, but it is aiming to do more. Today it announced the launch of Pandora Premieres, a station which will be used to preview upcoming albums of well known and new artists before they are released. (...)Original Story Pandora Premieres Station Will Preview Albums Before They Are Released © Geeky Gadgets, 2013. | Permalink | Unauthorized duplication and or distribution of our content is strictly forbidden © Geeky Gadgets, 2013 The post Pandora Premieres Station Will Preview Albums Before They Are Released appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.
41 minutes ago
Samsung's Exynos 5-based Chromebook may have been available since last October, but how about one equipped with WiMAX radio? Graced with the presence of Google and Samsung reps in Kuala Lumpur (including a video message from Google SVP S...
Samsung's Exynos 5-based Chromebook may have been available since last October, but how about one equipped with WiMAX radio? Graced with the presence of Google and Samsung reps in Kuala Lumpur (including a video message from Google SVP Sundar Pichai), today Malaysian carrier Yes 4G unveiled this rather special laptop for the local consumers. In fact, we should have seen this coming as Google's official blog did hint this last month, but we failed to catch that blurred "Yes 4G" logo on the laptop in the blog's photo. As Google mentioned, the ultimate goal here is to help transform Malaysia's education using the Chromebook. And now we know that this ambition will be backed by Yes 4G's rapidly growing WiMAX network -- from the initial 1,200 base stations in 2010 to today's 4,000, covering 85 percent of the peninsula; and the carrier will expand into the eastern side with 700 more sites by the end of this year. This is especially important for the rural areas, where many schools still lack access to water and electricity. As a partner of the Malaysian Ministry of Education's 1BestariNet project, Yes 4G's parent company YTL Communications has so far ensured that 7,000 local state schools are covered by its WiMAX network, with the remaining 3,000 to be connected over the next six months. Gallery: Malaysia's Yes 4G adds WiMAX to Samsung Chromebook, aims to transform local education Filed under: Laptops, Samsung Comments Source: Yes
43 minutes ago
We have been hearing more and more rumors about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 recently, and now it looks the Galaxy Note 3 has turned up in some benchmarks and the device seems to be running a yet to be announced version of Google’s An...
We have been hearing more and more rumors about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 recently, and now it looks the Galaxy Note 3 has turned up in some benchmarks and the device seems to be running a yet to be announced version of Google’s Android OS, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is rumored to feature a similar design to Samsung’s Galaxy S4 smartphone, the device will apparently feature a 5.9 inch full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. (...)Original Story Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Appears In Benchmarks © Geeky Gadgets, 2013. | Permalink | Unauthorized duplication and or distribution of our content is strictly forbidden © Geeky Gadgets, 2013 The post Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Appears In Benchmarks appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.
about 1 hour ago
The Lightning connector version of the Logitech Wired Keyboard will ship in August (click image to enlarge). (Credit: Logitech) We review a lot of wireless Bluetooth keyboards and keyboard cases for iPads and other tablets, but we've...
The Lightning connector version of the Logitech Wired Keyboard will ship in August (click image to enlarge). (Credit: Logitech) We review a lot of wireless Bluetooth keyboards and keyboard cases for iPads and other tablets, but we've yet to review a wired keyboard for the iPad. It comes as little surprise then that Logitech, which makes plenty of Bluetooth keyboards, has unveiled the Wired Keyboard for iPad, which it dubs "the first iPad keyboard made specially for the classroom environment." The keyboard will come in a Lightning connector or 30-pin connector versions and have an MSRP of $59.99. The Lightning version is due to ship in August; the 30-pin version will ship in October. Why go wired? Well, it makes the keyboard very easy to connect. Logitech says it's a challenge for teachers to simultaneously pair multiple iPads with multiple wireless Bluetooth keyboards in the classroom. With a wired keyboard, kids can connect without any help. Logitech says the keyboard is "spill-resistant" and has full-size keys along with iPad shortcut keys for such functions as copy and paste, Siri, app switching, and an integrated Home button. Hopefully, schools will get a nice discount if they buy multiple keyboards. ... [Read more]Related Links:Get a Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad for $39.99How to connect game controllers to your MacGoogle pushes Android tablets for the classroomBill Gates: iPad users frustrated, need the SurfaceGet a Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 convertible laptop for $549
about 1 hour ago
It's hard to avoid the increasing prevalence of drones, but in case you were in any doubt this artwork—Under the Shadow of the Drone—serves as a stark reminder that they're increasingly filling our skies.Read more...
It's hard to avoid the increasing prevalence of drones, but in case you were in any doubt this artwork—Under the Shadow of the Drone—serves as a stark reminder that they're increasingly filling our skies.Read more...
about 1 hour ago
Finis has significantly upgraded its SwiMP3 underwater audio player with the release of the new US$160 Neptune. Like the SwiMP3, which has been on the market for five years, the Neptune waterproof player uses bone conduction to deliver s...
Finis has significantly upgraded its SwiMP3 underwater audio player with the release of the new US$160 Neptune. Like the SwiMP3, which has been on the market for five years, the Neptune waterproof player uses bone conduction to deliver sound to the inner ear. Drawing on its experience, the company has redesigned almost all components for the new model, including the bone conduction speakers, and added greater memory, an OLED display and improved file transfer compatibility with iTunes... Continue Reading Finis releases Neptune bone conduction waterproof audio player Section: Sports Tags: Bone Conduction, Finis, MP3 Player, Neptune, Swimming Related Articles: Waterproof MP3 Player uses Bone Conduction Tech Waterproof iPod case features built-in speakers Waterfi gives iPod Shuffle the waterproofing treatment Bone-Conduction and Infrared FINIS AquaPulse Heart Rate Monitor for swimmers Take your iPod swimming, surfing or waterskiing Aftershokz headphones deliver sound through cheeks rather than your ears
about 1 hour ago
Microsoft’s new Xbox One is now official, the console appears to be much more than a games console, and Microsoft wants this device to be the center of our entertainment systems. The Xbox One is designed to be a gaming console, a h...
Microsoft’s new Xbox One is now official, the console appears to be much more than a games console, and Microsoft wants this device to be the center of our entertainment systems. The Xbox One is designed to be a gaming console, a hub for your cable or satellite TV, a Blu-Ray player, a new Kinect sensor, a new Xbox Live, Skype, The Internet and much more, have a look at the video below. (...)Original Story Microsoft Talks About The Xbox One (Video) © Geeky Gadgets, 2013. | Permalink | Unauthorized duplication and or distribution of our content is strictly forbidden © Geeky Gadgets, 2013 The post Microsoft Talks About The Xbox One (Video) appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.
about 1 hour ago