Hasta La Gadget!

Image credit – State University of New York

When it comes to monitoring solutions for diabetics, it usually involves invasive measures which some users might not necessarily appreciate, although right now for the most part it is the only way. However researchers at the State University of New York could have come up with something non-invasive.

This comes in the form of a paper-based patch that can be worn on the skin like you would a Band-Aid, as you can see in the photo above. What this does is that it monitors the glucose levels of the wearer by wicking away sweat into a reservoir which is then converted into electrical energy and used to power a biosensor. This biosensor can then monitor the wearer’s glucose levels without the need for an external power supply, meaning that it can be worn discreetly when working out.

This is actually not the first time that sweat-based measuring systems have been attempted, but in the past previous solutions have run into problems like difficulty of collecting enough sweat or sweat evaporation due to the long time required to collect samples, and this latest development supposedly solves some of those shortcomings.

It could still be a while before we see this patch become mainstream and offered commercially, but its development does hold promise as an effective and potentially inexpensive way of managing diabetes.

This Patch Can Monitor Glucose Levels During Exercise , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

With quite a few Nexus 6P owners reporting that their phones are being stuck in bootloops or experiencing sudden shutdowns due to battery issues, it did not really come as a surprise that there were reports that Google was offering customers a replacement for the Nexus 6P with a Pixel XL, or at least in some cases.

This was never officially confirmed or announced by Google, but rather it seemed to stem from user reports in which there were some who were lucky enough to replace Pixel XL handsets as replacements. Unfortunately it seems that Google has decided to put an end to this replacement program.

In a post on Reddit, a user by the name of Poryhack claims that when they tried to get a replacement for the Nexus 6P, they were told that Google has since changed their policies and will no longer be offering a replacement. The rep that Poryhack got in touch with was quoted as saying, “Since the device is out of warranty and hence we would not be able to replace the device for you. We had replaced some of the device earlier but the policies have changed now. We’ve re-evaluated our servicing policies and cannot provide a replacement for your issue.”

This is rather disappointing for Nexus 6P owners who are stuck with a faulty device. In fact earlier this year there was a class-action lawsuit filed against Google and Huawei over the Nexus 6P bootloop issues, and this change in policy is certainly not going to win them any fans.

Google No Longer Replacing Nexus 6Ps With Pixel XLs , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

At IFA 2017 late last month, Sony unveiled its second attempt at putting out a flagship for the second half of the year. And this time, Sony almost gets the formula right. Well, almost. The Xperia XZ1 is now ready for purchase in the US, unlocked and from Amazon, and it rightly doesn’t carry the high price of the Xperia … Continue reading

When I was in Seoul recently, I met with Mark Jaekwang Shin, the CEO of CUBROID, a startup that is working on a modular robot design based on cubes that can be assembled to form more complex mechanisms. CUBROID is taking an educational approach and its native compatibility with LEGO makes makes it stand out against competitors.

There are a few similar concepts out there, like Cubelets ($299) which is probably the closest one, but there are differences.

First, Cubroid is designed for younger kids aged 5-12. The user interface is extremely simple. Secondly, Cubroid is compatible with LEGO blocks out of the box, while Cubelets has accessories to make that work.

I haven’t used either long enough to draw any conclusions, but what’s important is to know that the two options are out there and that the concept in itself is interesting. Cubroid modular robots work like this: they have nine types of Cubes (or building-blocks).

1. 1x Master cube: the brain (computer)
2. 4x Sensor cubes: Proximity, Light, Touch, Knob
3. 4x Action cubes: DC motor, Serve Motor, Sound, LED Light
4. There is a “dumb” cube for structural purpose

These cubes don’t use physical electronic connectors, and all blocks talk to each other via Bluetooth (BT). Blocks are controlled over BT from a computer or mobile via an app. When the Master block is loaded with a program, the robot is able to execute an on-board program without being controlled actively by a computer.

The lack of electrical connectors is great, but has a downside: each cube must be charged individually, so be prepared to have quite a few micro-USB cables around.

The programmability of Cubroid is available mainly via the tablet and PC apps. Designed for kids, it allows simple sensing+reaction as the main programming events. At the moment, more complex forms of programming such as loops and branches are not available with the simple kid-UI, although it’s not off the table says its creator. Visual programming can quickly become complex if you start adding these things.

For developers and hackers, there may be a way to get a more complex software development kit (SDK), although Cubroid is focused on education right now, as it is the main way to reach a high volume. In turn, the volume could drive the cost down and the profits up. The DIY market is definitely of interest, but a small company needs to choose its battles.

I liked the fact that Cubroid cubes are designed elegantly with the native LEGO compatibility. The first user interface I have seen in Korea was simple and seems easy enough for kids to use. However, I would love to see one that can manage at least branching in addition to events. Loops would be great, some day.

First presented in January 2017, Cubroid has received a larger audience at MWC 2017. It has evolved and was being shown at MWCA. There will be a final round of demo at CES 2018, and the product should ship in Feburary 2018. So far, it has smashed its modest Kickstarter goal of $10,000 an went past $40,000 at publishing time. The basic kit starts with a pledge of $149. If you are not familiar with crowdfunding, learn about the basics first.

Cubroid Modular Robotics To Teach Coding , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Before putting down hard-earned money towards a new video game, we’re sure that there are many gamers out there who would prefer to check out a review first before deciding whether or not to purchase it. However sometimes due to issues like review bombing, it can unfairly affect a game’s success.

This is an issue that platforms like Yelp have experienced where people unhappy with a restaurant due to other non-food related factors can leave negative reviews and unfairly impact its rating, but this is a problem that Valve wants to avoid with Steam reviews which is why the company is introducing a histogram to its review section.

According to Valve, “Starting today, each game page now contains a histogram of the positive to negative ratio of reviews over the entire lifetime of the game, and by clicking on any part of the histogram you’re able to read a sample of the reviews from that time period. As a potential purchaser, it’s easy to spot temporary distortions in the reviews, to investigate why that distortion occurred, and decide for yourself whether it’s something you care about.”

Basically gamers get to see the reviews of a game over a period of time, where a sudden spike in negativity could be an anomaly for a game that has received positive reviews most of the time. It is an interesting solution and one that could work, but we guess we’ll have to give it time to see if it does.

Steam Reviews Now Have Histograms To Prevent Review Bombing , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.