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Nest Uses Its Data To Turn Electric Utilities Into Cash Cows
When Google acquired smart thermostat maker Nest for $3.2 billion, the startup quickly stated that it would never share its user data with other Google services and outside companies. But according to a recent report by Forbes, the company is taking advantage of its data to create a lucrative revenue stream from electric utilities. “Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer… Read More
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The Xbox One Still Lags Behind The PS4
Titanfall was supposed to change it all, but it didn’t work. So far, Microsoft announced that it has shipped 5 million Xbox One units to retailers. In comparison, Sony has sold 7 million PS4 units to customers. It doesn’t look good for Microsoft as the company doesn’t even say how many people actually bought an Xbox One. Microsoft’s announcement fits well with NPD’s… Read More
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The Rufus Cuff’s Size And Features Lord Over Puny Smartwatches
With its three-inch screen, the Rufus Cuff thumbs its nose at smartwatches with their tiny faces and dainty wristbands. The wearable device, which bills itself as a “wrist communicator” and runs on Android, has access to the full Google Play store; a built-in mic, speaker, and camera; a full Web browser; accelerometer and gyroscope; touchscreen keyboard; and attaches to a switchable… Read More
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Chromebooks Could Soon Be Unlocked Automatically When Your Smartphone Is Near
Passwords, geez those things suck. You may not need them to login to your computer in the future, and Chromebooks might be the first PC device to offer that feature natively, according to some hints found in the developer preview channel of Chrome OS by Android Police (via 9to5Google). Early code included in the latest build suggests there will one day be a way to unlock your Chromebook just by… Read More
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Google Launches Home Try-On Program For Glass
Interested in owning Google Glass, but not sure how it will look on your face? Google now has an in-home try-on program that lets prospective buyers try all four colors of Glass and the entire Titanium Collection in different colors, for free. Read More
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Tactus Taps Wistron To Bring Its Magical Physical Touchscreen Buttons To The Masses
Tactus makes keyboards that appear out of seemingly flat glass touchscreen surfaces, thanks a fluid-based layer that reacts to electrical signals to create rises and bumps that serve as keys and buttons. It’s a magical technology, and one that you can see demoed on video in the clip below from CES this year. Soon, you’ll be able to get that tech on a range of devices thanks to a new… Read More
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MIT’s FingerReader Helps The Blind Read With A Swipe Of A Digit
At MIT’s Media Labs, researchers Roy Shilkrot, Jochen Huber and others are working on the “FingerReader,” a ring-like device that straps itself around your finger and reads printed text out loud with a synthesized voice, thanks to a mounted camera and heavily modified open source software. The FingerReader’s voice is clipped and metallic – what one might liken to… Read More
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Google’s Project Tango Includes Tech Apple-Acquired 3D Imaging Company PrimeSense
If you want a hint of what might be on the horizon at Apple, look to Google – or at least look to its Project Tango experimental 3D depth-sensing smartphone. Tango got a teardown just the other day, and later on iFixit determined that one of its key components comes from what is now an Apple subsidiary (via 9to5Google), thanks to a deal that wrapped up last November. PrimeSense, which is the… Read More
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Created For Imogen Heap, Mi.Mu Turns Hand Gestures Into Music
First made for British singer-songwriter Imogen Heap, the Mi.Mu glove turns the arms and hands of performers into musical instruments. Eventually, Heap and Mi.Mu's developers hope the glove and it software, which will be made open source, will reach a wide range of users. Read More
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Google Camera App Brings Lens Blur Background Defocus To Any KitKat Android Devices
Google has a new standalone camera app available in the Google Play app store, and it can be installed on any smartphones or tablets running KitKat 4.4 or higher. The new app will also be rolling out to other devices in the future according to Google, so that might expand beyond just KitKat to those on other versions of Android. The app offers a 100 percent viewfinder to show you exactly what… Read More
Gadget Writers
TCTV
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ShopLocket And PCH Launch Blueprint, A Media And Resource Site For Hardware Startups
When ShopLocket was undergoing its transformation from an ecommerce provider to a platform designed to support hardware startups from concept to consumer launch, it had a lot of learning to do. Key to making that transition was gathering resources and talking to industry experts to find out best practices and find examples of hardware startups that have successfully made the journey themselves. Read More
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Google’s Environment Sensing Project Tango Gets A Teardown
Google’s Project Tango prototype smartphone is armed with four cameras to allow it to take stock of its environment and record and use 3D depth-sensing info, and it’s basically just a bunch of cameras and sensor glommed onto a fairly impressive Android smartphone with a quad-core processor and 2GBs of RAM to crunch all that environment data. iFixit got to tear it down and have a look… Read More
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Google’s Modular Ara Smartphone To Launch For The Public In January 2015
Google has been showing off its Project Ara modular smartphone in a lot more detail over the past few days, likely because it’s also hosting a developer conference for the device this week. Ara uses interchangeable modules to deliver a smartphone that can be whatever a user wants it to be, complete with first- and third-party components including sensors, cameras, radio antennas and more. Read More
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Me-Mover Step-Powered Stand-Up Bike Gets Funded On Kickstarter
Move over Segway, there's a new stand-up personal transporter in town. Or there will be come August when the first machines are scheduled to ship to Kickstarter backers. More than 200 users of the crowdfunding website have pledged funds to Me-Mover, a Danish project to rethink the bike as a stand-up exerciser on wheels. Read More
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Google Actually Sells Out Of A Google Glass Model
Apparently some people still want Google Glass. The white model sold out several hours after Google allowed anyone to purchase the product. Models of the other colors are still available -- at least until Google stops selling the product tonight. For today only, Google made Glass available to anyone. This is the first time since the product's announcement that Google has allowed the general… Read More
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Hands On With The Xperia Z2 Smartphone And Z2 Tablet, Sony’s Waterproof Wonders
Both Samsung and HTC have new flagship Android phones out in the U.S., but Sony isn’t just sitting back and doing nothing. The company has its new 5.2-inch Z2 smartphone launching soon in select markets, including in Canada in May. The waterproof glass-encased handset has a lot in common with last year’s Z1, but goes the extra mile with new imaging options, noise cancellation features… Read More
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Amazon’s Smartphone Gets Its First Spy Shots Along With Rumored Specs
Amazon’s smartphone leaks are starting to pile up quickly, and today our own report about some of its 3D features and Android-based FireOS operating system was followed quickly by an extensive report about the phone’s supposed specs, complete with pics of the gadget housed in a case designed to keep its final look a secret. The pics and specs come from BGR, which reports that Amazon is… Read More
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Mixed Dimensions Raises ~$1M To Make 3D-Design Tools For The Masses
Mixed Dimensions (MXD), a Jordanian startup now relocated to Silicon Valley, is aiming to simplify the 3D design process by building browser-based 3D design tools designed for the mainstream and for touchscreen usage, along with a cloud platform for sharing and browsing 3D objects, and locating related 3D print services. Read More
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Amazon’s Smartphone To Feature Unique But Limited 3D Effects
TechCrunch has learned that Amazon's upcoming flagship smartphone, running a forked version of Android, will have head-tracking capabilities offering up limited 3D effects. This key feature will be reserved to just a few built-in gestures, according to a source with first-hand experience of the company's mobile ambitions. Read More
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‘Political Siri’, Big Data Startups Rise Amid Indian Elections
With nearly 814 million people set to vote over the next few weeks in India’s general elections, the biggest democratic exercise on the planet, political parties are scrambling to out-innovate each other. Amid all this, some technology startups are finding a killer app for their products, especially given the massive outreach programs required by political leaders for wooing their… Read More
