Fitbug Orb offers great value for money for an activity tracker

fitbug-orbThere’s an app for just about everything these days, so when we talk about a device like the Fitbug Orb, it would certainly be quite an interesting topic. While there are dime a dozen of activity trackers that are already available in the market, the Fitbug Orb might stand out from the rest of the crowd in terms of value, wearability and personalized content. It is said to retail for less than half of what the likes of the Jawbone Up, Nike FuelBand SE and Fitbit Flex would cost, and yet offers some pretty decent performance that accompanies it.

We are talking about a $49.95 price tag for the Fitbug Orb, making it the most affordable, feature and service-rich tracker that is available at the moment. Specially designed to expand the health tracking trend without breaking the bank, the Fitbug Orb would be able to advise folks when it comes to achieving their fitness or weight loss goals by merging technology which tracks movement as well as sleep patterns, alongside KiK, a proprietary digital coach which will enable one to set, monitor and where necessary, actually prompt the wearer to act (mostly in a physical manner) to achieve their intended goals.

It will be different from wrist-bound activity trackers, as this discreet button-sized Fitbug Orb can be worn in a variety of ways to suit your existing style or social settings that you are involved in. It does not matter whether it is placed on a belt, wrist, or lanyard, or clipped on or beneath clothing, the Fitbug Orb is small and sophisticated enough to track a wealth of information that range from steps to aerobic steps/time, distance, calories burned, speed and even sleep.

Apart from that, there is also the Bluetooth Smart Orb which will synchronize such information to compatible mobile devices and the KiK digital coach platform. The free Fitbug app will play nice with iOS-powered and select Android-powered handsets, so you know what to do if you are running on Windows Phone or BlackBerry OS!

Company Page
[ Fitbug Orb offers great value for money for an activity tracker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Orb Audio celebrates 10 year anniversary with Mod1X speaker, subOne and subMini subwoofers

DNP Orb Audio

Orb Audio clearly subscribes to the “do it right the first time” school of thought: Since 2003 it has released exactly one product, the Mod1 speaker. That changes today, because the funky modular audio system is getting both a refresh, and pair of subwoofers to celebrate the firm’s 10-year anniversary. The Mod1X satellites sport a new aluminum driver the company says can handle higher power and has improved midrange and high frequency performance. For aesthetics, they’re available in black, white, “hammered Earth,” polished steel and antiqued copper and bronze finishes.

If you like your bass down low, Orb has you covered here too. The subONE is a 200-watt subwoofer squeezed into a cabinet measuring less than 12 inches on each side, and it features anti-clipping and thermal overload circuits as well as auto voltage-sensing tech — just in case you use it abroad. A small room doesn’t mean you don’t need big sound, so it’s nice to see Orb address that with the 100-watt subMINI that’s tucked into a dual ported 9-inch cabinet. Sure, an $889 starting price for surround sound is a little pricey, but, unlike other aspects of your home theater, good speakers can last a lifetime.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: Orb Audio

Streaming outfit Orb Networks acquired, winding down operations

Streaming outfit Orb Networks acquired, winding down operations

Orb has long kept busy making its media streaming solutions compatible with everything from Android to the Wii, but now the business as we know it is trotting off into the sunset. Joe Costello, founder and CEO of Orb Networks, quietly announced on the firm’s website that the team and technology have been acquired by one of its “large strategic partners who completely shared the Orb vision for building a standard platform for media solutions and beyond.” Costello didn’t divulge the buyer’s identity, but noted that their new owners had been “investing aggressively in this technology,” and Orb will lead their streaming media charge.

Although the company stopped selling its products in May, it will continue to honor the one year replacement warranty for Orb Music and TV. The hardware and Orb BR should continue to work, but changes made by streaming services could throw a spanner in the works, as bug fixes and updates are off the table. Orb Live apps, on the other hand, rely on the firm’s cloud servers that are slated to shut down by the end of the year. Mycast, the outfit’s free service, is expected to work through August, but won’t see life past 2013. Hit the source links below for Orb’s parting words.

[Thanks, Tom]

Filed under:

Comments

Source: Orb (1), (2)

Personal Energy Orb Makes You Exercise to Power up Your Mouse

It’s hard to get into the habit of exercising unless you’ve got some sweet incentives waiting for you at the finish line. That’s probably what Janko Hofmann and Fabian Pammer were thinking when they came up with the Arduino-powered Personal Energy Orb. It’s basically a device that measures your ‘virtual energy level,’ which gauges how much time you spend in front of your computer versus other activities that will actually require you to move.

Personal Energy OrbThis energy level goes down with every minute you spend using your computer, but you can push it back up by going out for a ride on your bike. Aside from turning red when your virtual energy is dangerously low, the orb works in conjunction with an app that’ll decrease your cursor speed until it barely cross across your screen.

So if you want to keep using your computer, you can’t really do anything except go for a ride so your cursor will go back to its normal speed.

[via The Verge]


Nexus Q starts shipping in earnest from Google Play, social streaming reaches our doors in five days

Nexus Q review - cables

The Nexus Q media streamer might not have generated the same kind of mania as the Nexus 7 tablet, but it’s still good news that Google is now shipping its mysteriously social orb. Google Play has the Q in stock and expects new US orders to arrive on doorsteps within the next three to five days. We’re not expecting the kind of runaway sales of the $299 hub that have made the more utilitarian Nexus 7 hard to find, but anyone who spends a lot of their leisure time in the Google media ecosystem might appreciate the integration. Alas, that made-in-the-USA design still isn’t available outside of the USA, so those in other countries will have to make do with alternatives.

Filed under:

Nexus Q starts shipping in earnest from Google Play, social streaming reaches our doors in five days originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 18:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phandroid  |  sourceGoogle Play  | Email this | Comments

Google Nexus Q Review: Who Is This Orb For? [Video]

Google unveiled its media-streaming glowing orb to many oohs and ahhs, followed by head-scratches. The thing looks cool. And it sounds good, both in concept and fidelity. But two major questions remain: Who is it for, and how well does it work? More »