After a successful closed beta trial, mobile ticketing is now a reality for the multitude of mass transit riders in the Portland metropolitan area. The TriMet Tickets app is now available for iPhone and Android users, establishing TriMet as the nation’s first multimodal transit agency to offer smartphone-based ticketing across all of its operations — this includes the region’s commuter rail, light rail, streetcar and bus lines. The free app allows users to purchase either one or multiple tickets, which extend from 2-hour fares to 30-day passes. Tickets are verified with QR codes and on-screen animations, making it difficult for riders to game the system with simple screenshots. The mobile payment system is made possible by GlobeSherpa, a Portland-based company that also provides service alerts and backend fleet optimization for the TriMet system. BlackBerry and Windows Phone users can look forward to forthcoming versions of the TriMet Tickets app, and for a quick overview, you’ll find a tutorial video after the break.
Apple’s iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 (generational markers, likely not official names by the way) will probably arrive later this year, as has been reported previously, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Generally, analyst-sourced reports seem to be pretty hit-or-miss, but Kuo has a solid track record, including what appear to be accurate predictions around Apple’s forthcoming low-cost iPhone 5C and its color options.
Kuo says in an investor note today (via 9to5Mac) that the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 are entering initial production this month, with plans to ramp up to full-scale mass production in the fourth quarter of this year. This counters some reports that suggested we’d see next-generation tablets from Apple revealed at its September 10 event, which is taking place on the Apple Campus in Cupertino and is generally expected to cover new iPhone announcements.
More details by Kuo included in the note suggest that Apple was originally planning to not release updated iPad models until calendar year 2014, and that it will still wait until them to offer a lower-cost, non-Retina version of the iPad mini in the same way it offers the iPad 2 as a cheaper alternative to the current-generation Retina iPad device.
Another interesting tidbit from Kuo is the idea that Apple will continue to sell the iPad 2 and manufacture new devices even after it introduces new models. Apple typically sells two previous generation devices alongside new model with the iPhone, as a way of offering lower cost options. With the iPad, it has opted instead to keep the iPad 2 around as a sole backup option to the fourth generation iPad, and looks intent on continuing that trend. The iPad 2 currently uses a 30-pin connector, and might be the only shipping Apple device to do so after the September event, so we could see it get a minor revision to move to Lightning for data and charging.
The iPad 5′s rear case was shown off on video by Unbox Therapy earlier this week, and if those parts are real it means we should see an iPad mini inspired design when this does ship. Kuo says they’ll also boast new A7-generation processors, which would mean a big performance boost for the iPad mini, which currently runs an A5. The extra processing power would likely be needed to help support a Retina display, which would pack even more pixels into smaller a space compared to the Retina 9.7-inch iPad screen.
Don’t act like you don’t want one, because there’s a lot to love about a Tegra 4-powered Android gaming console, especially when it’s an NVIDIA Shield. Our pals at NewEgg were generous enough to dispense with two of its units merely for the pleasure of giving them out to our readers, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Head below to our Rafflecopter widget and enter today or tomorrow and you’ll be in the running!
At last, the LG G2 has a US release date: T-Mobile is shipping the Android flagship to stores on September 25th, with online availability starting September 18th. The 5.2-inch smartphone will require a $100 initial spend on a downpayment plan, and costs $630 outright. Both black and white colors will be available, although you’ll have to order the white version online; thankfully, you can pre-order either model today. Too expensive for your tastes? You can buy the newly available Optimus F6 instead. The 4.5-inch budget smartphone is now selling online for $50 on a downpayment plan, or $290 at full price. Those who’d prefer a walk-in purchase can pick up the F6 at a retail store on September 11th.
Update: Verizon has since provided its G2 launch details, and it’s beating T-Mobile to the punch. It will release its logo-laden variant on September 12th for $200 on a two-year contract.
Update 2: AT&T has chimed in as well: it will sell the G2 on September 13th for the same $200 on contract as Verizon, or $27 per month on Next.
As the quantified self movement continues to pick up momentum, the range of consumer devices tracking physiological signals is set to expand. But harvesting bio-signals requires specialist kit — which can be either expensive to buy or tricky to put together yourself for prototyping purposes, unless that’s your particular area of expertise. Well, here’s a device that wants to change that. BITalino is a simplified system for makers, app developers and researchers who want to quickly start capturing bio-signals.
The low cost (€149/$197 + shipping and taxes) kit of modular blocks includes a swathe of physiological sensors that can be broken out to use individually or linked together and used in whatever combination you’re after. BITalino’s approach is plug and play, to keep things as simple as possible. The sensors in the kit can interface with computing platforms such as Arduino (and derivatives) and Raspberry Pi, says project lead Hugo Silva. BITalino also includes Bluetooth connectivity so can be used in desktop and mobile environments.
“Currently there are several APIs for platforms including Android OS, Java or Python; BITalino is also cloud / web compatible through a software framework based on WebSockets, HTML5 and CSS3,” he tells TechCrunch.
Sensors included in the BITalino kit are:
an EMG (electromyography) to track muscle activation
an EDA (electrodermal Activity) to measure skin activity/moisture levels
a LUX light sensor to monitor ambient light or (used in conjunction with a light source) to track blood volume pulse data
an ECG (electrocardiogram) to track heart rate, monitor stress etc
an accelerometer to track limb movements
The board also includes an LED block for visual feedback, a microcontroller unit and a power management block to power the other units.
The kit is the result of a collaboration between Portuguese bio-sensor maker, PLUX – Wireless Biosignals (co-founded by Silva in 2007), and a not-for-profit research centre in the country, called Instituto de Telecomunicações, where Silva is currently doing his PhD. He isn’t aiming to make money off the BITalino kit itself — hence its low cost and bootstrapped status.
“BITalino by itself won’t be a money maker; it is more thought out as a community driver/motivator,” he says. ”BITalino is sold with everything needed for people to start developing. The hardware prices start at €149 (+ shipping and taxes) and includes all the sensors and parts to jump start their work. The APIs and software framework is provided free of cost as well.
“Our goal with BITalino is to empower the community with basic tools for rapid prototyping of biosignal-based projects. We are looking forward to lower the prices even more as the production scales up.”
As well as its low relative cost – ”BITalino makes technologies that usually cost several thousands of dollars readily available for anyone at very low pricing”, according to Silva — he says the platform’s other disruptive factor is its goal of “democratising” bio-signal acquisition technologies. The grand aim behind that being to help bring down the cost of developing affordable medical devices for developing and low-income countries.
While BITalino overlaps somewhat, in competitive terms, with Arduino and (the also not-for profit) Raspberry Pi, Silva says it is carving out a niche by specialising in bio-signal capture and processing. ”The Arduino and Raspberry Pi platforms can be seen as competitors, however, biosignals have specific requirements (e.g. tolerance to noise, sampling frequency) for which these platforms are not particularly tuned, and many projects end up heavily bounded by the high cost and limited access to suitable hardware materials,” he says.
“The closest platform that one can find in this segment is the Libellium e-Health sensor platform for Arduino and Raspberry Pi, however the price point for this platform is above $500 and it does not provide either the same sensors, or the same versatility in terms of hardware and software. BITalino provides a framework for very integrated (stamp-like) systems to be developed, and has a growing and wide range of APIs and software tools.”
BITalino went on sale in mid August 2013 and just over 100 of the modular kits have been pre-ordered or sold to-date. Research institutions are a strong initial customer base, as you’d expect — but BITalino is also being targeted more broadly at students, hobbyists and app developers, so there’s plenty of scope for that number to grow.
“We’ve sold to countries ranging from U.S., South Africa, Italy, Spain, UK. BITalinos are already being used by people from institutions such as the MIT, University of Florida, Zurich University, among many others,” Silva adds.
Here’s a video demonstrating some possible use-cases for BITalino:
If you’re an ooVoo user, you already know you can use it for four-way video chats, 12 simultaneous text conversations or simply catching up with your BFF one-on-one. Well, get ready for a whole lot more features, as ooVoo has just let loose a monster of an update for both iOS and Android that brings with it a fresh design as well. Arguably the most pertinent new feature to its core user group of millennials is the ability to send and receive video messages, or “ooVies” as the company likes to call them.
Additional features include video filters, a customizable user profile page, speed dialing for five of your best pals and a “tap-tap-go” UI for calling a bunch of your mates at once. The app is also now available in twelve languages that include English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portugese, Russian, Turkish, standard and traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese. We’ve barely scratched the surface of the app’s latest goodies, so feel free to peruse the release after the break or download it from the links below to see what else is new.
This week the folks at Lenovo have introduced the Vibe X smartphone, a next-generation solution that takes what they introduced with last year’s K900 and gives it a full 2013 makeover. This device works with top-tier specifications like a 5-inch “20/20 Vision” IPS LCD display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution – that’s Full HD […]
While Lenovo’s Snapdragon 800-powered phone has yet to make an official appearance, the Chinese company’s gone ahead and unveiled its other quad-core flagship device: the Vibe X aka IdeaPhone S960. Much like most of its recent siblings, this Android 4.2 slate is powered by a MediaTek SoC — the quad-core 1.5GHz MT6589T, specifically, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage. There’s also a 5-inch 1080p IPS display and a 2,000mAh internal battery, along with a 5-megapixel, 84-degree front-facing camera plus a 13-megapixel main imager on the back. As you’d expect, the camera app will come with face enhancement features for your bad skin days, and Lenovo also teases a “full-featured” photo app that lets you organize your photos (with tags and folders), as well as making puzzles with them.
Thanks to Gorilla Glass 3 and the “premium polycarbonate body” (with “fabric-like surface” and side chrome accents), the overall package weighs 121g only and is just 6.9mm thick — the same thickness as the slightly larger but metallic, Intel-powered K900. Also, while the Vivo X3 with the same MediaTek chip and battery capacity is way thinner at 5.75mm (sorry, Huawei!), do bear in mind that its 5-inch display only has a 720p resolution.
There’s no price nor a date just yet, but as with most Lenovo phones these days, we’ve been told that the Vibe X will not be entering either Europe or the US. As the Chinese saying goes: you can quench thirst by thinking of the plums. By “plums” we mean the press release and our first impressions after the break. %Gallery-slideshow79651% %Gallery-slideshow79657%
We heard about that 65-inch, award-winning Philips 4K set a while back, and earlier today, we finally got to see the thing trotted out on stage in all of its ultra high-def glory. Turns out it’s also got a bigger sibling, an 84-incher. We managed to get up close and personal with both of the sets on the floor, sitting side by side in Philips’ booth. The bezels on the 9000s are reasonably thin, though not nearly as svelte as we’ve seen on the sort of sets that Samsung and Sony like to trot out. Same goes for the profile — if you’re really interested in the thinnest 4K sets on the market, you’re going to want to look elsewhere — not shocking, of course, as the company is positioning these as budget sets. Ultra high-definition for the people.
The sets are available today in the UK and Russia, priced at €4,999 ($6,588)and and €14,999 ($19,768), respectively. You can get a bit of a closer look at them in the gallery below.%Gallery-slideshow79655%
BBC iPlayer viewers with Android devices have been left waiting for many features, and until today one of them was the ability to download shows for offline viewing. A fresh update is changing that, as the broadcaster is enabling it (as long as you’re on WiFi) on several devices running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean. A blog post claims it should cover about 70 percent of app users with compatible devices will be able to use the feature starting today, with more to be added in the future. Just like on iOS, users can download an episode and keep it for up to 30 days offline, with 7 days for viewing after they’ve pressed play.
A BBC blog post specifically lists 11 devices (included after the break) that will enjoy support once the update arrives on Google Play and the Amazon Appstore today. Unfortunately, two that aren’t on it for now are the Kindle Fire 7 and Kindle Fire HD 7. BBC says it’s working on those, and the FAQ claims if your device has ICS or higher there’s a “strong” chance support will arrive in the coming months. The update for iOS offline viewing launched just over a year ago, but the Android version will bring a trick it doesn’t have: background downloading without keeping the screen awake. Otherwise, the update adds support for Android 4.3, and “addresses some known issues.”
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