Hasta La Gadget!

Withings users not satisfied with only being able to share their weight with the world can now add blood pressure and heart rate to the mix. This iPhone-connected blood pressure monitor made its first appearance at CES, but you’ll finally be able to order one of your own today. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, the $129 accessory costs three to four times as much as off-the-shelf blood pressure monitors, but integrates well if you’re looking to pair it with your Withings scale for a complete vitals management solution. Results can be sent to health sites like Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault, or directly to your doctor. Care to see how it works? Join us past the break for a hands-on look at the monitor, including a video comparison with the in-store vitals machine at our neighborhood Kmart.

Update: Withings wrote in to let us know that the blood pressure readings in the video below were likely inflated because we were talking, though we do appreciate the concern you’ve already expressed in the comments.

Continue reading Withings Blood Pressure Monitor for iOS hands-on (video)

Withings Blood Pressure Monitor for iOS hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

It’s just one week after Nintendo unveiled dual-screen gaming on the Wii U at E3, but Apple’s iOS 5 beta is already bringing a very similar experience to the living room — many months before Nintendo’s latest console is expected to ship. We installed iOS 5 on an iPad 2 and Apple TV, and took the latest version of Real Racing 2 HD for a test-drive, which enables dual-screen gameplay over AirPlay without the need for Apple’s $39 AV adapter. Other games, like Angry Birds, simply mirror the iPad’s display (and aspect ratio) on your HDTV, but Real Racing streams 16:9 HD video.

For this game (and we imagine many more to come), you use the iPad as the controller — both while navigating through menus and in race mode — while the game appears only on your TV (though the tablet does display some vitals, and a map of the track). There’s noticeable lag between the iPad and Apple TV when using AirPlay, which may be an issue for games where timing is important, such as Rock Band, but didn’t seem to set us back while playing Firemint’s racing game. Overall, AirPlay offered a seamless gaming experience without a single hiccup — surprising, considering iOS 5 just hit beta last week. It’s difficult to do this hands-on justice without a video demo, so jump past the break for an exclusive look at wireless, dual-screen gaming on the iPad and Apple TV.

Continue reading Real Racing 2 HD wireless, dual-screen gaming with iOS 5 on iPad 2 hands-on (video)

Real Racing 2 HD wireless, dual-screen gaming with iOS 5 on iPad 2 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Firemint  | Email this | Comments

The i-FlashDrive works as a thumb drive for both computers and iPhones

The i-FlashDrive is a curious device, although it looks as if it may be obsoleted by Apple’s upcoming iCloud service. The i-FlashDrive is a dongle with a USB plug on one side, a dock-connector on the other and a chunk of flash memory in between. The idea is that you load it up with files from a computer and then transfer them to your iPhone or iPad.

If you name a folder on the drive “DCIM” and filled it with pictures, you should be able to open them directly into the iOS Photos app, just like with the camera connection kit. But the i-FlashDrive also works with a companion app of the same name. This lets you transfer files to and — crucially — from the iDevice, something that can’t otherwise be done. You can also transfer files between iDevices.

You can also view these files on the device, but it is unclear whether you can then open them in other apps via the standard “open in” method. If so, then this is very cool indeed. If not, it is pretty pointless.

The i-FlashDrive comes in three sizes. 8GB for $82, 16GB for $100 and 32GB for $161. Considering these crazy prices, the fact that the i-FlashDrive app is another $10 seems rather cheeky. The i-FlashDrive app is available now, and the dongles ship in July.

PhotoFast i-FlashDrive [PhotoFast via Oh Gizmo!]

See Also:

• IPad Camera Connection Kit Supports External Hard Drives
• iPad Camera Connection Kit Delivered, Un-Boxed
• iPad USB Camera Connector Works With Keyboards, Audio In-Out …
• Chinese Knock-Off: Two-in-One iPad Connection Kit

It’s a common problem, really. You crack open your app haven of choice, stumble around for a few moments, and back out in frustration — it’s yet another round of Angry Birds instead of toying with something new. If Yahoo has its way, said scenario will no longer be a part of your routine, with the company’s App Search wizardry aiming to nix the guesswork so often associated with finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. It’ll be available on the PC (and momentarily, for iPhone and Android platforms), and will differ from those other app search alternatives by providing an all-in-one place that combines description, price, overall star rating from users, and screenshots. It’ll also pester you with daily, personalized recommendations of the iPhone and Android apps you should consider based on the apps you’ve downloaded, but only if you’re into that kind of thing. Head on past the break for the full spill, and feel free to Ctrl+F for the good stuff.

Continue reading Yahoo App Search, AppSpot make sense of App Store and Android Market

Yahoo App Search, AppSpot make sense of App Store and Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Sphero, the robotic brainchild of the Orbotix robotics company, has been on my mind for quite some time now. The robotic ball fits in the palm of your hand and is controlled completely by your smartphone or tablet. These Android- and iOS-friendly balls have been seen floating around tech events for about a year now, […]