U.S. Airforce's Secretive Space Plane X-37B Returns 2 Years Later

     "The primary objectives of the X-37B are twofold: reusable spacecraft technologies for America's future in space and operating experiments which can be returned to and examined, on Earth." Not exactly the most illuminating description on the Air Force's fact sheet but none the less we know that after two years this un-manned space plane has landed. This US Air Force space plane is just one of the two X-37B vehicles in the Pentagon's stock. It landed Friday morning in California a the Vandenberg Air Force Base at the 30th Space Wing after 22 months or 674 days in space.

     In the Air Force's statement they said "The mission is our longest to date and we're pleased with the incremental progress we've seen in our testing of the reusable space plane". This seems to be the most information that the Air Force will digress as they have only said very very little about the X-37B and its missions ever. 

     There are of course theories and speculations on what the space vehicle may be doing up there but these vary from study of extra terrestrials to satellite launching. So in short there is really no answer as to what this space plane might be up there doing. It could merely be long cruises to judge how a space plane with no human could be thrown into orbit to come back at a certain time. After all it is not easy to prefect algorithms for space plane maneuvering without testable information.

     It's nice to see either way that we still have an interest in space even since we have already gotten to the moon. Seems after that we have lost interest. Either way hopefully they are accomplishing something worthwhile up there whether they want to share that information or not.

Sources: Space
                CNet

All of Apples new Announcements from Big Event

     There were four announcements that caught attention at Apple's event yesterday. These consist of two new iPads both mini and air, a new 5k iMac and the two new software offerings in OS X Yosemite and iOS 8.1. This event was not as large as the massive media event that Apple held for the announcement of the new iPhones, but still had information that many Apple fans can appreciate.

Josh Valacrel / Wired

The software news regarding OS X Yosemite is already available for a free download and the mobile operating system in iOS 8.1 will be available for download on Monday. The 8.1 system will add Apple Pay and a beta of iCloud photo libraries. It will also include Camera Roll, for those who have been missing the feature. The company has also re-worked it iWork suite in an update which is available for download today. Finally, for developers the company announced WatchKit which is an SDK which will allow apps to start being created for the AppleWatch before it is released.
     Now lets cover the new thinner, lighter more golden iPads. Apple has cut off 18% of the thickness from the iPad air (which already was brought down 20% in thickness from the its previous counterpart). Measuring in at 6.1mm thick, makes it the thinnest tablet on the market currently. In order to accomplish this Apple had to eliminate all of the micro thin layers of air between the layers of display, this was accomplished by optically bonding them together. In addition they also reduced the internal reflection and added and anti-reflective coating that supposedly will reduce reflections by up to 56%. As for the inside, the iPad air comes with a 64-bit A8x processor which offers 40% faster CPU performance and 2.5% faster GPU performance which makes it up to 180 times faster than the original iPad. It also gets 10 hours of battery life per charge.

Josh Valcarcel / Wired

     As cameras have become one of the most important features in mobile devices today, the iPad has updated its camera which is now 8 megapixels, with f/2.4 aperture. Enabling it to shoot 1080p video, take panoramas, burst mode, slo-mo and time lapse. The front camera also has been improved for FaceTime HD with a f/2.2 aperture. They also improved connectivity for the iPad with faster LTE bands and a new faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Finally the iPads also come with TouchID which will make it easy for users to take advantage of ApplePay and TouchID app extensions.
     The iPad Air 2 is available for pre-order now starting at $499 for a 16GB, $599 for the 32GB and $699 for the 128GB. They have also added Gold to the colors of Silver and Space Gray.

Josh Valarcel / Wired

     The iPad Mini 3 is also available and has been upgraded to a Touch ID. It starts at $399 for 16GB, $499 for 64GB and $599 for 128GB. In addition Apple also dropped the price of the iPad Air and iPad mini 2 by $100, so you can now grab them at an all-time low price.

     Now that we have covered the iPads and new software lets talk about the new iMac which has gotten a huge resolution boost. Apple introduced the iMac with Retina Display, having a 27-inch display with a 5120 x 2880 pixel resolution (14.7 million pixels). Apple is calling it a "Retina 5k" display. This iMac will sport a 3.5Ghz i5 processor which is available to be upgraded to 4Ghz, Radeon graphics, 8GB of memory (not impressive) and a 1 TB fusion drive. This iMac will start at $2,499 but is customizeable up to $5,000.

Their final announcement in the Mac Mini has a 4th-generation Intel processor, Iris and HD graphics 5000 and a 802.11ac WiFi. Complete with 2 Thunderbolt USB ports. The small Mac Mini is energy efficient and starts at $499.
Although Apple has continued to give us new product with upgraded software/hardware there were no real jaw droppers at this unveiling, but improvements are improvements and it will keep the competition on their toes for the rest of the year for sure.

Sources: Wired

Doctors report Google Glass Addiction

Google glass is finally out and being used in everyday life, but what exactly is happening to those who have these glasses on all day long. Google Glass owners have been reported as not being able to put the wearable device down, and now there is at least one report of genuinely addictive behavior reported by Doctors at Naval Medical Center in San Diego. They are claiming that a 31-year-old Navy serviceman is the first person to be diagnosed with a Google Glass-related addiction.
     The user reportedly wore the device for up to 18 hours a day and even when not wearing the device consistently reached for his right temple to use and activate his Google Glass and this was almost anytime he was asked a question. Apparently after 35 days of on-site treatment he has been getting better; the reflexive movement to the temple is not as often and he is much less irritable and more focused.

This raises concerns as a wearable device is meant to be worn all day in everyday life to assist you. However, if this is causing problems of addiction this serious it may be a risk that not many are ready to take. Of course there is no guarantee that you will get addicted, but those with addictive personalities will be more subject to this problem. This is still only one incident and a little bit of research shows that the patient was prone to compulsive activities in the past, so take this into consideration as well.

Sources: Engadget

Google Fiber to be Unleashed in Austin this December

     So it seems that AT&T's new gigabit internet is going to gain some competition this December in Austin, Texas. Google Fiber in a recent planning meeting in Mountain View detailed how it will finally roll out the service. The company's gigabit internet service is up to 100 times faster than what most ISPs can currently offer throughout the US. With these greater speeds it will also bring major opportunities to the area itself.

David Anthony program manager at the event stated: "Launching a fiber network is really three parts: planning, permitting, and construction,". He also explained that the Fiber service will begin in the southeast areas of the city and requires permits to build the infrastructure. So this will not be happening overnight in other words. "Not every part of Austin will get Fiber. But every area of Austin will have an opportunity to get it," according to Google Fiber head Mark Strama.

     As the USA has some of the lowest internet speeds in the world compared to our European friends it is about time that we receive speeds that reflect our work ethic, fast, reliable and constant. This coming from Google will most certainly add tons of opportunities to the areas it moves to and also cause competitors to get their speeds up to snuff with the competition. We may slowly be moving into the era of internet speeds that will blow our minds.

Sources: VentureBeat

               Engadget

Apple Leaks iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3

     Apple has made an uncharacteristic mistake prior to the press event later today and has accidentally revealed both of the new iPads it plans to release. Apparently an offical user guide for iOS 8 in the iTunes Store had screenshots that were updated ahead of schedule; both new iPads are pictured and plenty is revealed. From the looks of it both iPads will come with Touch ID fingerprint sensor, vbut other than that it does seem that these products will look identical to their past counterparts.

     Although we will not have the specs on these devices til later in the day, we expect that Apple will greatly improve the performance of each iPad with a more powerful A8X processor and an updated chipset. However, it is not yet clear if both iPads will match each other spec for spec. Their is some information in the user guide which suggests that burst photography mode will be on the iPad Air 2 but no mention of the mini 3 having this feature.

Either way if you were hoping for a major overhaul with design changes it seems you will be disappointed this year.  We are excited to hear what Apple has to say about these products later in the day and of course are hoping for some real improvements to the software and speeds of the iPad. In addition in a funny coincidence that this Apple leak came on the same day that Google announced its brand new tablet in the Nexus 9. Competition continues in the world of tablets!

























Sources: TheVerge

Snapchat Videos and Pictures Stored on Snapsave third-party website released.

     Pictures and videos of up to 200,000 people posted on snap-chat and stored on Snapsaved.com have been put online, supposedly posted by the same people who were behind the nude celebrity photos being released in August. These photos and videos were accessed after users of snapchat created a site that allowed users to save their photos and use the snapchat service from their desktop computers. This site is snapsave.com which allows users to upload photos and communicate with other snapchat users without having to be on their mobile device. This site seems to have been created maliciously as it has supposedly been saving and stealing snapchat users login information both username and password.

engadget.com

     By obtaining usernames and passwords through the site they could then become authorized to access Snapchat's servers and send or receive the pictures the user viewed through it and also store the information without knowledge of the user or Snapchat.
     Snapchat stated: "We can confirm that Snapchat's servers were never breached and were not the sources of these leaks. Snapchatters were victimised by their use of third-party apps to send receive Snaps, a practice that we explicitly prohibit in our terms of use precisely because they compromise our users' security."
     Even though Snapchat states that they are secure in this scenario, it was hacked last year when over 4.6 million usernames and phone numbers were stored by a site called SnapchatDB which had a hacking weakness that used to exist in the program.
     It is unclear who is behind it, but these pictures and videos have been posted up onto the web due to the information collected by this third-party site. There is no site that has all of the leaks on it, but according to one reddit user "The Snappening" was "13GB of low resolution garbage. Mundane, boring shit like "check out my new hat!" or "heehee my shoes are so silly!" Although we are not aware of what site all of these images may be posted to they are being circulated throughout the web and people are finding them.

Sources: Engadget
              TheGuardian

New August Smart Lock for Homes

     The new August Smart Lock is a lock designed with not only smart capabilities but with safety in mind as well. This era of technology has quickly put a damper on what we used to consider safe in this day and age. People are now able to create keys that unlock doors and even snap pictures of your key simply to have a copy made. Regardless one thing is for certain we are all becoming more and more comfortable with smart apps and controlling our lives with these apps. August has taken that idea and put it into effect with a new smart lock that is not so easily penetrable.

A lock that fits on any common deadbolt and eliminates the use for keys. That's what we see here and this lock will remained locked until the user unlocks it with their smart phone. We are constantly losing things as a society and one of those main things are our keys. This lock looks to put an end to that. With bluetooth technology this lock pairs with your smartphone currently only available on iPhones and Android and allows you to control when your door locks and unlocks, allowing you to customize and calibrate your settings to meet your preferences.


     There is the problem however of your smart phone dying, but August has though of an answer to that in that there will be a key that you could have with you to unlock the smart lock or if you were to borrow a friends phone, download the app and insert your password you could unlock it in this manner. This does however mean that this lock is not as safe as we thought. With the ability to simply steal someones password you could easily enter there house, this could be beneficial as you could allow multiple people to have a key to the house without having to get 10 keys made to the house. At the same time however that password could be intercepted or one of the phones lost with the app on it. However, this could apply in the same way to having multiple sets of keys as they can be easily lost and found by someone else and used.
     The August smart lock does however let you reset your password to keep people guessing so if a phone is lost or password is given out you can quickly change your information to keep your home secure. This is obviously preferred over replacing your deadbolt because someone else may have the key.

     The system still has some minor bugs that are being worked out, but they are only on the app side of things and not problems with the lock itself. Things like the app not working, crashing or not unlocking the door. As these locks are currently on the shelves already in Apple stores though we are sure that they will deal with these bugs extremely soon if not already.
     The system is extremely easy to install as all you need is the august smart lock, screwdriver and other pieces that are bundled with the smart lock. You simply take off your old deadbolt and replace it with this. The smart lock also will continue to run if the electricity goes out or WiFi disconnects as the device does not need the WiFi only bluetooth and you always have the key to manually open the lock. As their have been many attempts at creating smart locks from number codes, to finger prints this is the easiest as it's on your phone like everything else and will even unlock the door automatically when you are near the handle and lock once again when you leave. This is not simply a better lock, it is a smart lock.
     With technology on the rise it is important to not only keep ourselves up with the times, but our security as well and this lock looks to improve that for all.

Sources: August.com
             

Ambi Climate Makes Your Air Conditioner Smart

Many people all over the world struggle with keeping their homes or workplaces at an optimal temperature, not to cold and not to hot is the goal. This typically requires multiple walks to change the AC unit temperature and essentially constantly having to micro-manage the thermostat. Ambi Labs is looking to solve this issue with their new smart sensors.

This small hub/sensor utilizes local weather data, temperature, air flow, humidity and even movement detection to adjust the air conditioner quickly and accordingly with its infrared transmitter. Allowing the room to keep a more constant temperature, less thermostat micromanaging and also helps to save energy.
As shown to the left the Ambi Climate also comes with a companion app which will sync with iOS or Android devices allowing people to control room temperature and humidity from anywhere even if you are not at home. In addition the hub will use your current location and movement to automatically detect if you're home or not and even what room you are in to turn on and off air conditioners without you having to think about it. Of course you can set your own personal preferences to the ambi climate, such as preferred temperature, humidity and off/on times. If you have multiple ambi climate units you may also monitor and apply conditions throughout all the units at once.

     As it is on kickstarter with already over 250 backers pledging the early bird November units are already sold out. So the next shipment will take place in June 2015, just in time for summer. For more information you can visit their Kickstarter Page.

Sources: Engadget

Mercedes Making a Self-Driving Tractor Trailer could Change the Future of Shipping

     Mercedes has recently unveiled images of a new self-driving semi which they believe will change the future of shipping as we know it. From looking at it, you may think that this truck is just fancy with all of it's LED lights instead of headlights and cameras instead of mirrors, but this is the design that makes this truck self-driving. These are minor cosmetic changes as the true amazement is "Future Truck 2025" drives itself. Although these images are just of the prototype Mercedes is intent on perfecting and getting this truck ready for commercial use in the next 10 years.
     We have all seen the self-driving cars and trucks that are in development but this is the first of tractor trailers we are seeing. Many might think that a vehicle with such weight and importance should not be allowed to be automated because of the risks involved. However, in 2012, according to NHTSA 333,000 large trucks were in accidents in the U.S. alone. Of these accidents nearly 4,000 people have been killed the majority riding in passenger vehicles. In addition there has been difficulty implementing regulations to ensure that truckers get enough rest during their travels. What is going to solve this problem? Seems like Mercedes might have an answer.

The future truck complete with the "Highway Pilot" automated system. Dr.Wolfgang Bernhard, the Daimler board member for trucks and buses states: "It never gets tired. It's always 100% and sharp. It's never angry; it's never distracted. So this is a much safer system."
Of course this automated system will truly only shine on long stretches of road where speeds are steady, with no pedestrians and minimal turning is necessary. Their are enough sensors fitted all over the truck to cover the surroundings at all time so local driving and navigating cities is possible just not as easily performed.


     The new idea of vehicle-to-vehicle communication will truly help make this automated driving much simple by being able to collect data from cars around the truck, but it will be a long time until this type of communication is on most vehicles on the road, so even without this communication the truck uses its many cameras to keep an eye on every inch of the road around it.

     With technology like this emerging in the technology industry it is only a matter of time before our cars and trucks will be communicating with each other and making decisions on the road for us getting us from point A to point B.
     "The challenge now," Bernhard states, "is to leverage this momentum and to continue our open dialogue with all parties involved, so that in ten years' time the autonomously driving truck will indeed have become an accepted feature on our roads."



Sources: Wired

3D Printed Heart Helps to Save Child's Life

      A young 2 week old baby required a complicated heart surgery. Surgeons at New York hospital have given credit to 3D printing which helped them to better understand the child's heart problem. After scanning the heart using MRI's Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital was able to create a 3D copy of the child's heart; holes and all.

     Although this surgery is extremely complicated and dangerous, this 3D printed heart allowed surgeons to gain a better understanding of the child's heart and created a more possible opportunity to help the child. "The baby's heart had holes, which are not uncommon with CHD, but the heart chambers were also in an unusual formation, rather like a maze" said Dr. Emile Bacha, who actually performed the surgery when she reported to Connecticut media. She went on to say "In the past we had to stop the heart and look inside to decide what to do. With this technique, its was like we had a road map to guide us. We were able to repair the baby's heart with one operation."
     In a world where health problems are always more and more complex 3D printing technology has already proven to be something that could greatly benefit us in the future even in areas outside of the world of health. It is rumored that they are printing more 3D hearts containing common problems and will help doctors to better understand the heart and how to approach certain issues. As most doctors only get to look at hearts when someone chest is open, this is a huge deal and will help further studies of heart related issues.
     This surgery and project was funded by Matthew's Hearts of Hope which is based in Connecticut, they will be funding the next 3D printed hearts as well. The founder of the foundation Marie Hatcher stated: "This is a game changer for CHD babies with complicated heart anatomy."
     Technology certainly has gotten a foothold in with every type of industry and now that we have 3D printers as our new form of technology, it's exciting to think what life they could save next or what big project they could be building soon.

Sources: Independent
   

3D Printable Solar Panels Coming Soon!

     We all know that 3D printers are evolving on a daily basis to print everything from small items to houses. Australian scientists have begun printing solar panels with 3D printers and although they are still in testing they claim that very soon we will see them in the mainstream marketplace.
     Why would we want to print something that we are already manufacturing though that work properly? Australian researches say that it will revolutionize what solar panels are able to be used for, from iPad covers to skyscrapers all over the world by printing solar panels not only is it quicker, but more cost effective and more customizable. With the ability to print a solar panel in any size it makes it so that taking the time to manufacture a panel this small isn't a waste of time.

     The best part about all of this is that the 3D printers can print these solar panels on to just about any surface from plastic to metal and they are so far equally effective. They have even come up with a solar panel that can be printed on the size of a coin without losing effectiveness.
     Before they release this to the public however they are researching ways to make solar panels even more effective at capturing sunlight.  Fiona Scholes, senior research scientist at Australia's national science agency CSIRO stated"We would like to improve the efficiency of solar panels - we need to develop solar inks to generate more energy from sunlight... We are confident we can push technology further in the years to come.

The potential for alternative uses is endless, she told Mashable. "They could potentially be used in a whole range of applications such as consumer product packaging, windows and window furnishings, temporary structures remote locations and developing communities."

5 Million Gmail Passwords Published, Cause for Worry?

 

     You may be getting prompted to update your Google password in the near future as they over 5 million were published to the web just the other day. A Russian Bitcoin forum member has been posting over 5 million passwords and up to 60% of them are still in use. Although there is not a clear answer as to how these passwords were obtained, Google stated to Cnews that it is coming from a long period of hacking and phishing. None of the Gmail servers were breached and most of the information that was posted was older which is a somewhat comforting feeling, but in the next few weeks it is advised that Google users be aware of any suspicious activity on their accounts and to change their password as a safety precaution.

New Exoskeleton Could Increase Work Productivity 20 Times

Lockheed Martin as developed anew exoskeleton designed to help individuals who perform demanding physical labor work not only faster but easier. Typically when people are working on ships, buildings or roads they are required to handle heavy equipment and perform physically tolling tasks. This new exoskeleton is designed with manual labor in mind by helping to support various machinery and tools taking a lot of the pressure off of the user.

 Currently most physical laborers have to take brief breaks between their work to not exhaust their body to quickly and this exoskeleton is supposed to help decrease the frequency of these breaks by taking stress off of the human body itself. The exoskeleton is able to support tools up to 36 pounds making it so that the load is transferred from the worker's hands and arms to the device which transports that weight to the ground through its design. The overall goal is to lighten the amount that workers have to carry while making them more productive and allow them to focus on quality more effectively.
     In the past there have been other exoskeletons such as TALOS (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit) which essentially was a computer driven exoskeleton but it focused more on turning a normal individual into a sort of Iron Man. This on the other hand is purely hardware that has been designed optimally to help all sort of physcial laborers. The Navy has already purchased two exoskeletons and will begin testing them over the next several months.

     That being said this exoskeleton is a wearable technology with no computers or software involved. Simple equip the exoskeleton and attach the machine you want to use. The design takes pressure off your knees, arms, legs and even back to allow your stamina to raise greatly during physically exhausting tasks. It is also designed with everyday movements in mind. Allowing you to squat, bend and even walk stairs while hardly noticing you have it on.

     In a world where efficiency is valued among businesses it is important for the worker to get every benefit necessary to help improve speed and quality this exoskeleton solves both for the physical industries in the world. The question is with a device such as this will we start seeing construction workers and many other jobs take on this new exoskeleton or will it just be meant for our armed forces. Wait and see!

Sources: Wired

Apple Unveils 3 Big Devices

     Today in CUPERTINO, California Apple announced a trifecta of devices, which are certainly grabbing their competitors attention and showing their dominance in the tech world.
     In Flint Center for Performing Arts, Apple announced a new mobile payment platform, advanced touchscreen smartwatch and 2 large-screen iPhones. The audience was very impressed with standing ovations and many outbreaks of applause. The press, VIPs from the technology, fashion, entertainment industries and Apple employees all in attendance showing support.
   

The New iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

    Photographer: Alex Washburn/Wired
     
     After an always gripping introductory video, Phil Schiller Apple's senior vice president announce two new iPhone models today, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Both getting a beautiful re-style with smooth, brushed aluminum rear curving gently into the front screen almost, resembling small iPads.
     The iPhone 6 includes a 1334x750 pixel resolution on a 4.7-inch display. iPhone6 Plus brings a 1920x1080 display on a 5.5-inch screen. The phones however are exactly the same except for the size.

 On the back side they placed an 8-megapixel shooter with an f/2.2 aperture 8-megapixel camera. Including a new sensor with speedier autofocus. The iPhone 6 comes with digital image stabilization, but the 6 Plus makes use of its gyroscope and the M8 coprocessor to cancel out any extra shakiness providing optical image stabilization.
     The new A8 processor is promised to be 87% more efficient than its predecessor, while offering 25% more power to the CPU and up to 50% faster GPU speeds than the iPhone 5s' A7 chip. With the M8 motion coprocessor working in addition to aiding image stabilization, you can now tell when you're walking, cycling or running and can track if you're traversing up and down stairs with a new barometer that detects changes in air pressure.
     These devices each feature Touch ID home buttons and NFC. The iPhone 6 will go on sale Friday, September 19th. The starting contract at $200 for 16GB, $300 for 64GB, and $400 for 128GB. The 6 Plus starts at $100 more.

The Apple Watch, Apple's Wearable Technology

    Photographer: Alex Washburn/Wired

      The must unknown topic of the day was if Apple was in fact going to unveil the long-rumored wearable tech product. The company did more than just unveil but amazed. The Apple Watch has arrived!
     Cook stated "Apple watch is the most personal device we've ever created," followed by a standing ovation and round of wild applause. Apple's CEO calls it "a new intimate way to connect and communicate direction from your wrist."
     This smartwatch which is accurate within 50 milliseconds is not only technologically impressive but also is quite styling. You have a fair amount of choices in both hardware and faces allowing you to customize and stylize your watch to meet you personal groove.

     Apple watch is offered in three editions: Apple Watch, Watch Sport, and Watch Edition. Apple Watch being the most basic, Watch Sport with increased durability and Watch Edition has a more exotic look and made of gold. You can then change the straps with a choice of 6 different bands allowing you to mix and match. The bands include a quilted leather strap with a magnetic clasping band, a stainless steel link bracelet with magnetic clasping band, a mesh chain loop and traditional leather buckle. The bands and watch faces come in two different sizes to suit not only all wrists but all body types.
     Cook stated "With every breakthrough, Apple has also had to have a breakthrough in user interface,". What they made sure we knew however was that they didn't simply take the iPhone interface and shrink it to a watch size, and believe that their new interface will make for a fantastic experience.
     With a menu composed of small bubble shaped app icons you can arrange wherever you like and may even group them together with other related apps. By twisting the crown you zoom in and out on the group of apps and then to open up an app you would simply tap it. They have a new feature called Glances which lets you swipe upwards from the bottom of the screen to cycle through customizable screens. Apple even decided to include Siri in the advice so now we will in fact see people talking with their smart watches, we are all the new James Bond.
      The Apple Watch will launch with a apps such as Maps, customizable watch faces and third-party apps. Third party apps from businesses like W Hotels and American Airlines. It also includes several health and fitness apps which use information gathered by both your iPhone and Apple Watch. The Apple sensors will even give you a view of your daily activities, essentially being both a smartwatch and fitness tracker in one.
     The Apple Watch certainly impressed but lets hope it can deliver. It will start at $350 and go on sale in early 2015.

Apple's Mobile Payment System: ApplePay

                                Photographer: Alex Washburn/Wired
   
     "Payments is a huge business. Every day between credit and debit, we spend $12 billion, and that's just in the United States," cook stated in his introduction to what a huge business payments is and a space that have yet to be digitally cracked.
     Apple has been working with MasterCard, American Express and Visa to design their new ApplePay system which is already working with over 220,000 merchants at launch. These merchants include Whole Foods, Macy's, Target and Walgreens. Using your NFC you simply tap your phone to the pay terminal and the security code is given. You start by adding a snapshot of the your card which then must receive verification from your bank. After that it's simply swipe your phone payments. Apple has stated that Apple will not collect your purchasing data in other words what you purchase is between you and the merchant.
      Another new technology that Apple is trying out and only time will tell whether it is user accepted or not. ApplePay will launch in the U.S. in October with an update to iOS8.

     Apple has yet again proven their ability to not only create new technologies but also shown that they are one of the best at doing it. With these three new products we will certainly see more Apple products on a daily basis and that's saying something.

   

Apple Live Stream Currently Available

     Time to learn all about what Apple is unveiling with the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch. Follow the link to view the live stream or simply follow its live tweet style blog.

Apple Live Stream

The New Apple Watch.

             iPhone 6 Unveiled.

New Apply iPay System.

Twitter Developing New 'Buy' Button, Turning Itself Into Online Shopping Mall

    Twitter recently has begun developing a new "Buy" button which would make Twitter an online marketplace that would allow its users to do business through tweeting. Creating a social networking site that also is conducting business, easy as clicking on a tweet and hitting the buy button.

     According to Twitter a "small percentage" of users will start to see the "Buy" button in their tweets and they will continue to release slowly to more and more users as time goes on. This will be the first large scale social networking site that convert into a sort of e-commerce engine. Although Facebook has begun development with a "Buy" button no public version of it has been seen yet. I wonder how effective  it will be or if it will turn these social networking sites into pure ad-agencies. Businesses will clearly flock to it and we will be getting flooding with ads not only on our side bars around the body of our page but now also in the body as well. Doesn't that sounds fun?
   
     However, there will be countless benefits if local businesses can effectively use the program and make it even easier to simply buy everything you see in just a few clicks. Twitter stated in a blog post "in our building functionality into Twitter to make shopping from mobile devices convenient and easy, hopefully even fun." so at least twitter has good intentions for the change but hopefully it is seen that way by its users.

When you click Twitter's Buy button, you are asked to enter your payment and shipping information. Once this is confirmed the merchant will start getting your purchase ready for mailing. The key is that you will be able to do this in a couple taps once you complete your first purchase as your information will be stored on Twitter servers making purchases extremely simple.
Now it's just time to see how the users view this change and that is all that will matter in the end.
  





Sources: Wired

Nike Helps Design a Swag New Plane for Traveling Sports Teams

     In our everyday lives we see jets that are designed to cram as many people in as possible, but when sports team travels there is usually only 20-40 players where as a normal plane usually holds between 100-400 passengers. So Nike designed a plane that looks amazing and has functionality to fit smaller amounts of people to provide more comfort and luxury.

     As you can see this plane is designed with style and space in mind. "Most airplane design projects are about packaging individuals as efficiently as possible," says Phillip Steiner the creative direction. "We're usually really concerned with the average traveler, but these athletes are far beyond average, and designing for extreme sports users provides a really interesting perspective." This plane even has dedicated seating areas for different actions: socialization, sleep and recovery/nutrition. Almost as if they simply have no wants while flying to their next away game. The rows are even separated enough to fit a 7 foot passenger fully reclined.
   
     Now of course this plane has cool lighting effects and is designed for professional athletes which means its loaded with new technology like wearable sensors in the seating keeping track on the player's physiology and then send it to an on-board computer. With intelligent lighting the team trainers can set the cabin atmosphere to relax or pump up the team . "It's a little bit shocking that the meal service hasn't changed very much to give passenger's more control," says Industrial designer Annaliese Chapa and went on to say "Self-serve meal zones allow for customized meal plans." this means that not only the plane itself is being re-designed here but the services that come with it as well.

 Innovations like this may help many sports teams perform better on the road with better rest, less stress and fewer needs when traveling everyone is going to feel as rested as if they just slept the whole night through on this jet. The design is attractive and fits the players multi-million dollar pay scales with styles that would make anyone want to hang out there almost like a flying night club/hotel in the sky with all the fixings.
     Although this may not be the most necessary plane as it won't be used on a public level I'm sure that athletes will be loving the new updates to this plane specifically designed with them in mind.

Sources: Wired

Garmin's New Fitness Tracker

     In an increasingly health-conscious world we are seeing more technology come out on a daily basis to help track our fitness goals, maintain our fitness levels and even track ourselves during daily exercise. These fitness trackers include products like Jawbone Up, Nike Fuelband and Garmin VivoFit which are small wearable gadgets that rack your fitness but have been limited to doing much more besides that. Until now where Garmin has combined the smart watch world with the fitness tracking world in their new product Garmin VivoSmart.

     Garmin has introduced a new general purpose wear smart band combined with the VivoFit to introduce the VivoSmart. This product will of course track your steps, heartrate (with a separate heartrate monitor), calories burned and share the time and date but now does even more. The new features include an activity reminder to remind you to get off your butt and move around from time to time and now pairs with your smartphone giving you vibration alerts for texts, calls, e-mails and even calendar events. Each of these even is paired with a preview of the notifications on the LED screen.

     Unlike their past design for VivoFit which had an always on display LED screen the VivoSmart has a hidden OLED that you wake up with a double finger tap and you can navigate your different customizable display pages by swiping the screen.

     The VivoSmart is water-proof up to 50-meters and is supposed to get up to 7 days of battery life per charge. It also includes a sleep tracker to give you daily reports on you're sleep quality such as tossing and turning vs. lying still. Garmin even has a Garmin Connect app that translates all this data into easy to read graphs and charts to more accurately track yourself overtime.

     After seeing all of the new additions Garmin has made to their fitness tracker it is clearly not just for fitness anymore but more of a smart-watch with fitness additions. With their new sleek design it is easy to see how wearing one of these would not be any real issue at all like clunkier alternatives. It is the perfect accessory for someone who is active in both fitness and work and wants to simplify life on a daily basis.

     VivoSmart is set to release in mid-September with 5 different colors (black, slate, berry, purple and blue) with a price point of $170 for just the band or $200 for the band paired with heartrate monitor.

Earbuds Designed to Be Worn All Day Like a Necklace

     We all have had that issue of trying to wear our earbuds while performing other everyday tasks and often times it ends in lost earbuds, constant tangling or trying to get them in and out of your pocket or fit them into a bulky carrying case. Steven Lamar's new earbuds are designed to change all of that with his new product Ropes from the new start-up audio company Roam.

These high-end ear buds are created for a more hands-free, comfortable and simpler listening experience compared to the average earbuds. The earbuds simply can be worn around your neck all day and to put them in your ears you simple just grab your necklace and boom you're in business. Ropes has a bluetooth transmitter located on it so that you simply pair to your smart device once and you never again have to shuffle to plug in your headset when you get a sudden phone call or you want to listen to music every thing will simply be around your neck for immediate use.

     Ropes are going to have a pre-order price point of $299 which is high for a pair of ear buds but Lamar states "We've been programmed to accept the audio quality in these earbuds we get with our phones," and that they tend to compete with the Shures of the world more than Apple's chintzy EarPods. There will also be a new app that is included with Ropes so that they can tune the ear buds to sound how they desire. "Whether it be on a phone call, or listening to music, or watching a movie, we all hear things differently," says Lamar and "We heard things differently out of each ear. We're going to give you a tool that communicates directly with the drivers in the earphones to adjust the sounds dynamics however you want."

     Suddenly these don't seem like your everyday earbuds that you can pick up for $20 and not care if you lose them, but I guess that's why you can keep them around your neck! Obviously this is not a product that everyone will appreciate but again it is technology in wearable form and this is meant to be worn as if it were part of your everyday wardrobe. These earbuds are definitely not meant to be worn to look cool, but rather are to be worn because its more practical than digging around in your pocket for your headphones or untangling them out of the carrying case. In a world where our lives are becoming more saturated with digital audio it may become more practical to have a pair of earbuds on your person at all times. Until you realize they need to be charged with a micro USB after six hours of use to keep the wireless working.
     Yet if we look forward wearable technology is becoming more common on a daily basis with new technologies or existing ones being re-formatted to fit into our daily lives products like Ropes are going to be in demand because they won't be just a set of headphones used to stream Pandora and Spotify but rather a needed daily accessory.

Sources: ROAM
               Engadget
               Wired

Toshiba Unveils $330 Chromebook2 That Will Make You Re-think That MacBook Air

     In today's world of computers we are used to thinking that a computer needs an Operating System (OS) like Windows, but the Chromebook 2 is changing this way of thinking with a fully browser reliant system that utilizes the Google Drive system and all of the web based applications that Google offers such as Google Docs for a fraction of the price of what you would pay for a full OS laptop of any other brand.

     As you can see the $330 Chromebook 2 sports a sleek, slim and familiar design with chiclet-style keyboard and silver matte finish is bears a remarkable resemblance to the MacBook Air. The Chromebook 2 comes with a 13-inch 1080p IPS display, Skullcandy-branded stereo speakers, 2.5GHz Intel Celeron Processor with 4GB of RAM and a 0.76-inch-thick chassis. Weighing less than 3 pounds and offering many I/O features  for it's price: USB 2.0 port, USB 3.0 port, HDMI out and and SD card reader. They even included a 720p webcam built in and all of this for $330 when fully loaded.
     The most high end configuration will come with a 16GB solid-state drive and 100GB of Google Drive storage, which you may utilize for 2 years for free. Also contains a 4.0 bluetooth connectivity system in addition to the 802.11ac Wi-Fi and 9+ hours of battery life per charge.
     If you are someone who is on the run needs their documents to always be accessible with ease this Toshiba Chromebook may be for you. The Chromebook with a light-weight sleek design combined with the Google Chrome Store and the many applications that come out for browsers on a daily basis points us to a new future for computers. The Toshiba Chromebook 2 is set to release October 5, 2014 with the fully loaded sporting a cost-effective $330 price tag or for a step down you can purchase one for $250. The future of computers is just beginning.

Sources: Wired
               Toshiba

Recording Athletes in a Whole New Way

     When we think of technology we think of computers, social networks, websites and essentially complications. However, when you combine technology with things like the environment, sports and everyday life you can do so much more than just create a new program or build a computer.
     Catapult Sports is one of the companies combining technology with the everyday of sports. With their newest product OPTIMEYE G5, S5 and X4 models a device used to track the movements, activity and overall workload of soccer players. These products are working to revolutionize the way professional soccer players train and the algorithms in these products are designed to track dives, leaps, sprints and quick recoveries tracking essentially every move of the individual wearing the device.

     To the left is an image of the G5 model and it is meant to work strictly with goal keepers as it is a bit larger than the other models because it has a lot more required of it. This tracks every motion of the goalie and allows for coaches, doctors and even players to review the statistics to see not only how they are performing but also let them see what they may need to practice more.
     As these products are still only in testing in Europe with various soccer teams they are still working out any problems that may arise however, they have already started to make various improvements and discoveries. For example they added a function that not only tracks when you jump or dive but also how high you jumped, what your air time was and even run speeds. This will help individuals compare themselves to one another but also allow teams to compare themselves to one another.
     Products like this are just small steps into what is to come and with this technology we are only going to see the world of sports improve as the training of individuals will improve as well. In my opinion we may even see future FIFA, Madden and NFL games utilize this device to get exact readings on players individual stats such as acceleration and speed. Just another form of wearable technology which we will see utilized in the years to come.

Sources: Wired