Google Smartwatch: Will it be an 'iPhone moment' for wearables?

Despite all the promises, smartwatches remain an acquired taste. Yes, there's a market but one that largely caters to the likes of health junkies and early adopters.

Fitness bands are cheap and light but too minimalist. Samsung's Galaxy Gear is all brawn but lacks device compatibility and email support. And the Pebble, one of the first true-blue smartwatches, is still trying to build an app ecosystem the way that Google and Apple did for their smartphones. It's an uphill battle for Pebble, the smartwatch darling, and it won't get any easier when those tech titans join the fray...

Read the full story here... Source: CNET

Apple TV Software Updated to Version 6.0.1

Apple released version 6.0.1 of the Apple TV software today, capping a week of new product updates. There is no indication yet about what has changed in the new release.

The last Apple TV update occurred back in September following the public release of iOS 7 for the iPhone and iPad. That release added support for iTunes Radio, AirPlay from iCloud and new podcast functionality...

Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours

My favorites in budget Bluetooth sound

I'm a proud member of the Bluetooth cyborg army. I'm the guy who always seems to be talking to himself in the car next to you at red lights, and I'm the dude at the gym working out to Spotify, podcasts, or Audible with a flashing thing in my ear. Since going wireless for almost all my audio needs, I've never looked back and have actually become a bit of a connoisseur, particularly when it comes to budget Bluetooth options...

Read the full story here... Source: CNET

Archos announces GamePad 2 gaming tablet

The original Archos GamePad didn't attract much attention, despite the fact that it offered what a lot of hardcore gamers seemingly wanted: built-in game controls in the form of dual control sticks and lots of buttons. It was, for all intents in purposes, an Android-powered Sony PSP, though with a bigger screen and a lot more games to choose from.

No doubt hoping for a better reception, Archos just unveiled the GamePad 2, which promises a host of improvements over the original...

Read the full story here... Source: CNET

Steve Jobs action figure sports youthful '70s mop top

It's been just over two years since Steve Jobs died, and it's probably not surprising that there's more than one action figure of the Apple icon.

Japan's Legend Toys has released its latest ultra-realistic 12-inch figure of Jobs, but this one is the young brash executive from the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Available with mop top and double-breasted suit, the mini-Jobs comes with an amazingly detailed 1:6-scale version of the Apple I as an accessory...

Read the full story here... Source: CNET

So How Do Fingerprint Scanners Really Work?

The launch of the new iPhone 5S has brought fingerprint scanning back to the forefront of security technology, but this isn’t the first time that we’ve talked about fingerprint security and smartphones. Remember that the fact that the Motorola Atrix shipped with a similar piece of technology all the way back in 2011.

Anyway, let’s take a look at how the technology works. There’s two main ways that you can digitally capture your fingerprints, either via an optical scanner or by using clever capacitor circuits...

Read the full story here... Source: Android Authority

Sharp Bringing OS X-Compatibility to New 32" 4K Touchscreen Monitor

Sharp has announced that its 32" 4K touchscreen monitor will eventually have drivers for full OS X touchscreen support, reports Japanese site Mac Otakara. The display, which is aimed at the retail/commercial applications (PDF), sports a 3840x2160 IGZO LCD panel and includes a capacitative touch interface and pen support. Sharp demonstrated the display running off a Apple notebook at the CEATEC Japan trade show earlier this month...

Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours

New Report Summarizes Display Rumors for Future Apple Devices

Apple is shaking up the display market with a multitude of upcoming product debuts and enhancements, according to Korean site ET News. The site summarizes several known product rumors that will impact display manufacturers, including larger iPhone and iPads, an OLED iWatch, and IGZO displays for its MacBook lineup...

Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours

Sennheiser CEO on fashion 'phones and battling Beats

Last year I had the chance to interview Luke Wood, the boss of Beats headphones, about the bass-heavy company's meteoric rise to prominence -- a fashion-focused bombardment that left traditional audio companies struggling to keep pace. This year, at the IFA trade show in Berlin, Daniel Sennheiser of German firm Sennheiser is having his say.

Sennheiser is one of the many manufacturers caught off guard by the popularity of Beats' celebrity-endorsed fashion 'phones. I wanted to know how the company was coping with the competition, and the challenges of selling headphones in a post-Beats world...

Read the full story here... Source: CNET

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 2 leaked pics hint at new design

What looks to be Amazon's next 7-inch tablet has been glimpsed, in a series of leaked snaps.

The pictures, which hint at a major redesign for the Kindle Fire HD tablet, appeared at BGR, and clearly show a more angular, Batmobile-esque look, complete with new buttons.

An 8.9-inch sequel is also in the works, and will look 'almost identical' to the 7-inch version, the report says, also mentioning that we'll likely see the mythical device revealed before the end of this month, according to 'trusted sources'...

Read the full story here... Source: CNET

Samsung Galaxy S4 shows off Tizen 3.0

Samsung wants to cut ties with Android by developing its own Tizen software -- and new leaked pictures show Tizen in action on the cutting edge Samsung Galaxy S4.

The pictures, appearing on Tizen Indonesia via UnwiredView, show Tizen 3.0.

The software appears to be somewhere between Android, iOS 7 and Windows Phone. The general look seems comfortably similar for anyone used to Android, the pastel colours evoke Apple's next generation of software for iPhone and iPad, and the coloured squares echo Windows Phone's live tiles...

Source: CNET

MyGlass app lets you control Google Glass from your phone

Like the idea of Google Glass, but don't fancy swiping the side of your specs the whole time? There's an app for that. It's called MyGlass, and it's just been updated to let you control your hi-tech spectacles from your Android-powered mobile.

I know, part of the appeal of Glass is that you don't have to fetch your phone out of your pocket, but endless swiping and speaking commands might get a little tiring. And that's where MyGlass comes in...

Read the full story here... Source: CNET