There’s a smart watch out there called Moto 360, made by Motorola. From a distance, it may look like a cheap watch you had in childhood, but don’t let the look fool you.
That look is done intentionally. The intention is comfort. It fits on very smoothly, easy to put on, and feels like you’re wearing air. The pictures I’ve seen of it are great. Imagine being at the airport and your watch telling you what time your flight leaves and out of what gate. The up/down and right/left commands are easy, fast and smooth. It’s simple to read, navigate and handle.
But there are a few things that bother me abut Motorola’s Moto 360. There’s so much we don’t know about. We don’t know how much this will cost. We don’t know what’s on the back of the watch; they won’t let us know. It’s been speculated it’s a heart rate monitor. It needs to be if they want to compete in this smart watch game. But I like what I see so far. I like how the Moto 360 makes technology look simple. When some people think smart watch they think hard steel, expensive prices, and complicated technologies. I hope the Moto 360 proves people wrong. How much do you think this smart watch will cost?
Remember last November, when Apple’s iPad Air was released? It was thinner and lighter than any tablet yet. You know Apple’s rivals like Samsung was going to play catch up.
This is where Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S comes up. It will be out in July 2014. It’s even thinner, lighter and has a larger screen than the iPad Air. A Wi-Fi 16GB model will run you around $500. They also offer an 8.4 inch model for $400. More expensive models should be out later. The battery life is about 12.5 hours, a little less than iPad Air, but good battery life nonetheless. The camera has 8 megapixels with LED flash in back and a 2.1 megapixel camera up front. I do praise Galaxy Tab S for it’s wide variety of screenshots.? Did I mention this tablet offers free magazines?
So if I had to choose between a Galaxy Tab S and iPad Air, which would I choose? Because I’ve been an Apple guy for so long (with the exception of a Mac; that’s another story), I would choose the iPad Air. I would equally be sold on the slightly higher battery life. But I respect Galaxy Tab S for what they’re doing. It’s going to make the competition fierce, and it should. What I’d like to see is more advertising of this Samusng Galaxy Tab S. If they want to beat Apple, or even come close, they need to be more aggressive in their promotion. How can anyone buy it if no one knows about it? But I think the freebies, like the magazines, will be a huge selling point. Will you be standing in line for the new Galaxy Tab S?
I’ve talked quite a bit about the upcoming Apple Smartwatch and some of it’s benefits, especially dealing with health and fitness issues. But we’re learning there’s more to this smartwatch than medical health.
According to multiple news sources, it’s starting it’s mass production in July 2014, thanks to Quanta Computer Inc.. They’re based in Taiwan. It’s speculated the iWatch will be available to the public in October 2014. It will have ten other sensors or more, including health/wellness. As many as 15 million Apple watches are expected to be shipped by the end of 2014. The screen will probably be about 2.5 inches and will have a touch interface and wireless charging abilities. Sorry, but I can’t find anything on a potential price for this ‘iWatch’.
Keep in mind it’s been four years since Apple came up with it’s last technological revolutionary product. That was the iPad. So in other words, they haven’t come up with a new product since Steve Jobs passed away. I think Tim Cook is under a lot of pressure with this smartwatch. If I were Mr. Cook, I’d want to get this thing out as quickly as possible while making it as flawless as possible. Many experts say we’re heading toward the age of wearable technology. Nike Fuel Brand and other gadgets are quickly becoming darlings of the tech community. It would be nice if Apple would be more specific about these 10+ sensors. I wish they would give us a clue about prices. Do you think Apple’s iWatch is going to be Apple’s next boom or Apple’s embarrassment?
This is where Fatdoor comes in. Their goal is to combine social media and robots. For example, you throw a house party. Instead of taking pictures of it with your smartphone, you can call a drone/robot to take pictures for you. Or you can have this robot deliver your food. The robot is called Bot Appetit. It walks among our streets. It’s connected to Fatdoor and controlled by your smartphone device. Think of it as bike without a biker. Also connected to Fatdoor is Skytedoor. That’s the drone with two cameras to stream videos on Fatdoor’s network. I forgot: They don’t want you to call it drone. They prefer to call it a skateboard.
The makers of Fatdoor hope to have Bot Appetit running in Silicon Valley before the end of 2014. I’m sure it will catch on with many. This is what I’m cool with. I have great reservations about Skytedoor. It’s creepy enough someone can take a picture with their device and place it on social media, whether you approve or not. Now we’ve got drones…I meant skateboards with two cameras snapping away? And what if there’s a malfunction? Are we giving robots too much power, or have I been watching too much 80s science fiction movies?
Fitness trackers are becoming all the rage, mostly for adults. Now, kids as young as four can get in on the latest technological craze.
Leap Frog, a leader in child education technology, is releasing Leap Band in August 2014, and is the first Kid Fitness Tracker. This wristband will run you $40, and this health tracker is for children ages 4 to 7. It gives children exercise and dance commands, and rewards their totaled physical activity by giving them virtual pets. Parents can monitor their kid’s activity through an app or website. This comes at a time when wearable technology may or may not be the next big thing.
The word ‘tracking’ is the concerning word for me, especially when it comes to children this age. They should not be subjected to having their private info handed over to advertisers, corporations, government agencies or anybody else. Thankfully, there are laws virtually forbidding data collection for anyone under 13. So the only ones doing the tracking will be the parent/guardian. But Leap Frog isn’t the only tracking device for kids. Flip is a device where parents can track their kids every move. I have mixed feelings about Flip. I understand why this would be appealing to parents. But to put tracking devices on kids just to see where they are is just creepy to me and borderline infringes on right to privacy. At least Leap Band encourages physical activity and tracking is very limited. Do you think kid tracking devices will be of help or of hindrance?
Many technological experts said the tablet and iPad were going to be the greatest thing to the computer world since the Internet. How’s that working out?
According to charts I’ve seen, iPad revenue has been stagnant since late 2011, while iPhone revenue continues to soar. The selling price of iPads have dwindled to around $500 on average. That average was $650 four years ago. Their quarterly sales have been considerably lower than? iPhones are. It’s not just iPads. All across the board, from Amazon to Motorola, tablet sales are lower than they were a year ago. So what’s going on here?
I think the tablet/iPad is caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, one can go to their PC and surf the net. While going out, one can take their laptop for use. I see it in coffee houses everywhere, and other public facilities. On the other hand, look at how big smartphones have gotten (I mean that in popularity). You can just easily reach in your pocket for your phone (I have an iPod touch) and it will serve you even better than a tablet will. It’s not easy being a tablet. Would you buy one?
