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Walabot wall sensor calls for help if you fall down
Many people injure themselves from falls in the home, but most people unsurprisingly don't want to wear a watch, pendant or another device just to get help in case there's an injury. You might not have to make that sacrifice in the future. Vayyar Imaging has launched Walabot Home, a wall-mountable gadget that uses low-power radio waves to detect falls without the hassle of a wearable. You just have to place it in a location where you think you might fall, such as the bathroom -- if there's a tumble, it can call an emergency contact all on its own.
Windows 10 Fall Creators Update may arrive on October 17th
We've known that Microsoft planned to release a large Windows 10 update this fall, but the company has been mum on the exact date. The Fall Creators Update is slated to feature some big changes, too, including built-in AI to fight malware, new Cortana features and handwriting recognition. While many expected bi-annual updates for Windows 10 starting in September, PC World reports that hardware partner Lenovo leaked a Windows 10 ship date of October 17th on a since-deleted product page for its upcoming two-in-one PC, the Miix 520.
This is what a 12-story fall will do to your iPhone 6
Aside from the first week torture test videos that always accompany the release of a new iPhone, it's rare that we get to see one of Apple's smartphones undergo the type of real-world durability trial that a fall from a tall building can offer. That's exactly what happened to the poor iPhone 6 seen here, as is owner claims it took a tumble of 12 stories before meeting its untimely end. Surprisingly, aside from the absolutely destroyed display and massive bend and dent on the corner that, one would assume, took the brunt of the impact, the rest of the phone is still very much intact. All the insides appear to be in their configuration, so there is likely a good portion of this poor soul which can still be salvaged as parts.
Massively's MMO guide to Halloween 2014
MMORPG fans love to play dress-up. Admit it! We do it every day with our characters, even if we pretend we're just "checking out our stats" when we're rifling through the hundreds of pieces of cosmetic gear in our banks. That's what makes Halloween our magic holiday! Following what is now epic tradition, we've rounded up all the big MMORPG Halloween events and sales for 2014 as well as a few little ones and some from our favorite MOBAs and OARPGs too. The list isn't exhaustive, so feel free to chime in with any we've missed that you love! Now, furbish up your pumpkin heads and get in there. That virtual candy isn't gonna eat itself.
One Shots: Hello, autumn
House Stark once told me that "pumpkin spice is coming," and lo and behold, it is here. Autumn is in full swing, at least in the northern hemisphere, and with it come colorful leaves, scary decorations, and trips to the apple orchard. Today we have several great fall-themed pictures from players to share, starting with this seasonal shot from reader Becca. "Here my character Tendryl in RIFT gets in the spooky spirit. Falling orange leaves, a storm on the horizon, creepy mask... oh, and a FREAKING SCYTHE! I think she nailed it," she writes. Do you agree? Join us as we go crunching through the leaves in the rest of this week's player-submitted screenshots!
Five iOS apps to help you say goodbye to summer, hello to fall
For many people here in the US, summer is quickly coming to a close. School is back in session, summer vacations are done and the temperatures are getting a bit cooler. It can be hard to leave behind the fun of summer, so we've put together a list that'll help you say goodbye to the warm, sunny weather and hello to fall. Foliage Leaf Peepr (Free) Fall means foliage and Yankee Magazine's Leaf Peepr is one of the best iPhone apps for tracking foliage changes, especially in the Northeast.The Leaf Peepr app helps fall foliage fans find the best and brightest colors in their area. Users can also make foliage reports (called Peeps) by posting photos, writing comments and rating the foliage status for their location. Ski Safari (US$0.99) For some people, fall is the season between water skiing and snow skiing. Yes, we realize Ski Safari is not a ski simulation, but the iPhone and iPad game will entertain you with its winter-themed fun until the real snow starts hitting the ground. Lego Halloween Creationary (Free) Besides foliage, Fall also means apples, pumpkins and Halloween. Get ready for some spooky fun with this build-and-guess game from Lego. Each round starts with creepy Lego object and you have to guess what's being built. The faster you guess, the more points your earn. Photo Wall Pro ($2.99) Now that summer is over, you likely have a phone filled with photos. Don't let those precious memories just sit there; make them into a collage with an app like Photo Wall Pro. The collage maker allows you to send your creation off as a postcard or share it with family and friends. NFL Fantasy Football (Free) Last, but far from least, is football, which kicked off earlier this week. If you haven't started yet, now is the time to download this Fantasy Football app from the NFL and start managing your virtual team. [Image from flickr/muffinman71xx]
Huawei 2011 financials: 20 million smartphones sold yet profit down 53 percent
Huawei's annual earnings report is out and it's a mixed bag, since while turnover increased by 11.7 percent to 203.9 RMB ($32.3 billion), profits plummeted 53 percent to 11.6 billion RMB ($1.8 billion). Revenue from overseas sales (138.4 billion RMB) equated for over half the company's total income and it boasted of having sold 150 million consumer devices, including 20 million smartphones in the year. The company didn't provide reasons for the drop in profit, emphasizing that it's increased R&D spending by 34.2 percent to 23.7 billion RMB ($3.75 billion) and that in any event, it's got around $30 billion of assets that can shoulder the brunt of a bad year. However, the company may not see a rosy 2012 either, after both America and Australia refused to give the company big infrastructure deals (Huawei's bread and butter) thanks to allegedly close relationships between the company and the Chinese government. It seems to be following a similar trajectory to rival ZTE, which also felt margins squeeze as it entered the global retail space and felt the heat when its political dealings were thrown in the spotlight.
ZTE announces 2011 financials: turnover up, profits down, political scandals tricky
ZTE's annual earnings report is out and it's a mixed bag for the Chinese company with aspirations to go west. Revenues grew 23 percent to 86.25 billion RMB ($13.7 billion) but net profit fell a hefty 36.6 percent to 2.06 billion RMB ($327 million). More than half of ZTE's operating revenue came from overseas as the company moves into the global space and, while some of that cash came from its smartphone business, much more poured in from the infrastructure arm that supplies LTE equipment to networks. At the same time, ZTE is having to deal with accusations that it sold $131 million worth of snooping gear to Iran to monitor its own citizens, forcing the company to limit its operations there -- although it insists this won't have any impact on its future income.
C Spire restarts LTE rollout, aims for September launch in Mississippi
After missing its year-end 2011 target date, C Spire is once again set to get its LTE network up and running -- this time with a more realistic fall launch. The regional carrier announced plans for that initial rollout today, aiming to blanket 20 markets in Mississippi this September. Bear in mind, this particular flavor of 4G is more akin to the brisk, though not blistering performance achieved by HSPA+, given average downlink speeds should range between 4Mbps to 12Mbps and uplink at 1Mbps to 5Mbps. Considering this may be the first taste of non-3G for some denizens of the Magnolia State, it's not a bad start. For the sake of our southern brethren, we just hope the carrier can actually fulfill on its grandiose, next-gen promises this time 'round. Check out the official presser after the break.
Did you fire off a bunch of texts this Christmas? Welcome to the museum
Finland might be the spiritual home of the SMS, but it also proves that this ancient form of communication is going the way of the rune stone. A mere 8.5 million texts were sent over the country's Sonera network on Christmas Eve, versus 10.9 million on that festive day in 2010. The same trend was spotted on other Finnish networks and also on the other side of the world: Christmas Day texts in Hong Kong were down nearly 14 percent on the year before, and Telstra in Australia experienced a nine percent year-on-year decline over the whole of 2011. Things are different in America, where texting has continued to grow, but that growth seems to be slowing down and some analysts expect "SMS erosion" to hit Verizon and AT&T by 2014. The obvious culprit is mobile internet: social networking apps, BBM, iMessage and a host of other 'free' options, but you won't find carriers complaining -- data contract ARPUs suit them just fine.
T-Mobile's fall roadmap leaks, cornucopia of mobile goods on the horizon
It's no back to school roadmap because, hey, you're already there. Still, this leaked sales sheet from TmoNews shows Magenta stacking its shelves for an abundant fall mobile harvest. So, let's dive right in as there's a lot of two-year contracted bounty to cover. Starting things off on October 19th are a trio of high-end, 42Mbps-capable 4G handsets: the HTC "Ruby" or Amaze 4G at $259, Samsung Hercules (that would be this) at $229 and the Huawei Wayne at $99 (which comes pre-loaded with Spaghetti Westerns, we presume). Following just a week later, is Samsung's Arnold tablet -- a.k.a the Galaxy Tab 10.1 -- which'll run along the carrier's faux-G and retail for $399. But the real wireless bonanza takes place on the 2nd of November, when six new phones will bow. LG's Maxx QWERTY and Maxx Touch at $129 apiece are the sole 3G-only units in the bunch, leaving the HTC Omega (better known as the Radar) at $199, LG Flip II at $149, Huawei Tallsome slate at $199 and the low-end Samsung "Ancora" to surf along at 4G speeds. Making a late appearance to this Autumn party are the last two of the bunch: Samsung's Robin (which looks to be the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus) at $299 and RIM's Dumoine QWERTY slider. That enough options for you? We thought so.
WSJ: Apple prepping thinner, lighter iPhone 5
The Wall Street chimed in with its insider information on the rumored iPhone 5. According to the report, Apple's next generation iPhone will be thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4. It also may include an 8-megapixel camera, which is a nice boost from the 5-megapixel shooter on the current model. Qualcomm will supposedly provide the wireless baseband chips which suggests the handset may be a world phone capable of connecting to both CDMA and GSM networks. Apple apparently expects the iPhone 5 to be popular and has warned suppliers it plans to ship 25 million units by the end of the year. Foxconn will be the assembler for the rumored iPhone, but these yields may be lower than Apple wants as the iPhone 5 is described as being complicated and difficult to assemble. We're not sure what that means, but it is intriguing.
iPad survives 500 foot fall from airplane thanks to G-Form Extreme Sleeve
Companies like G-Form enjoy wowing people with products that protect your device under the most extreme conditions. This time around, the team took an iPad, slipped it into their Extreme Sleeve and dropped it from an ultralight airplane. Similar to the iPhone that plummeted from a plane, the iPad fell over 500 feet, flipping through the air and landing with a resounding thud in a grassy field. After retrieval, the iPad emerged from the sleeve fully functional with nary a scratch. The helmet cam attached to the outside the Extreme Sleeve did not fare so well and, unfortunately, broke on impact. Unlike the Otter Box, which is a rigid and bulky case, the G-Form Extreme Sleeve uses PORON XRD, a flexible and thin material known for its ability to absorb impacts. The sleeve is lightweight and flexible, yet protects your iPad 1 and iPad 2 from harsh falls and impacts. The Extreme Sleeve comes with a life-time guarantee and is available in black and yellow. Folks can pre-order one now for US$59.95, and they will begin shipping on May 2. Read on to watch the falling iPad and the reactions of the enthusiastic team at G-Form. [Via ZDNet]
Apple to hold 'special event' September 1st... we'll be there live!
C'mon, you saw this one coming, right? Just like they always do come fall time, Apple will be holding a "special event" on September 1st out in San Francisco, and we'll be on the ground reporting live. Think we'll see that new Apple TV we've been hearing about? Some iPods? A 'one more thing'? Yes, probably. Tune in here at 10AM PT / 1PM ET on the 1st to catch the best liveblog in the business! In case you haven't heard the rumors lately: Apple TV Exclusive: Upcoming Apple TV loses 1080p playback, gains apps, will be renamed iTV The next Apple TV revealed: cloud storage and iPhone OS on tap... and a $99 price tag iTunes Apple reportedly in talks with networks for 99 cent TV show rentals Yoko Ono regarding Beatles on iTunes: 'Don't hold your breath' iPod iPod touch coming in a 'few weeks' with dual cameras and Retina Display, suggests John Gruber Apple iPod touch LCD screen with front-facing camera slot spied? Everything else New iPhone, iPad model codes set up for iTunes activation bypass -- CDMA versions, maybe? Apple's Lala music team working on video streaming service for 2010 launch?
Barnes & Noble releases NOOKstudy for e-Textbooks
As promised, Barnes & Noble has released their NOOKstudy app for both Windows and OS X computers -- you can get the app for free on their webpage now, and then use it to download textbooks for school this fall (either buying them at a discount compared to the real paper copies, or just checking out a free trial). The app comes with some study guides and over 500,000 books for free, and B&N says it has over a million e-textbooks up for sale already. It'll be interesting to see how a system like this takes off this fall as students go back to school -- I always thought textbooks were a huge hassle when I was in college (and I even made it through a few classes without ever buying them), and I think digital copies would certainly seem a little easier. Too bad for the resellers, though -- I know they make a killing selling used books every year, and a market like this is a definite threat to that one. [via Engadget]
Netflix coming to Canada this fall
Netflix has just announced it'll be taking its first tentative step abroad with a rollout of its video streaming service in Canada. Specifics are predictably light at the present moment, but interested Canucks can sign up now to be informed as soon as those details drop. So Canada in the fall... and the UK in winter, perhaps? We can only hope. [Thanks, Chris D.]
Canon EOS Rebel XT spits in gravity's face, survives 3,000-foot drop?
Picture this: you're a skydive instructor with a makeshift helmet apparatus for taking stills and video of your feats. Suddenly, about 3,000 feet from above the ground, your photography mount decides to take its own flight pattern and sets off without you. That apparently happened to a friend of FredMiranda forum member Calin Leucuta, who calculates the velocity at impact was approximately 100 miles per hour. After a 15- to 20-minute search after landing, the video camera was found to be without saving... but the Canon Rebel XT for still was still functional despite a crack in the body and some jerkiness with the zoom lens. We're still hesitant to take it at face value -- it's a pretty wild and impressive tale, after all -- but video is reportedly on the way and we'd definitely like to see that footage remove all lingering doubt from our minds. More pics of the aftermath past the read link.
Officers' Quarters: The fall surge
Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.Back in June, I wrote about surviving the summer, when raider interest wanes and many players go AFK for weeks on end. Now that fall is back in full swing, all those players are back. Many guilds find themselves with a renewed roster of raiders clamoring for suddenly limited slots. This week, one reader asks how to handle all the extra bodies. Scott, I lead a casual raiding guild. We have 1 25-man a week and about 3 10-mans a week including ToC 10 and Ulduar 10. I don't force anyone to raid. I tell them that they can sign up for whatever they want but if they sign up and don't show up, then they are penalized. My problem is that since I allow anyone to sign up and I don't have set groups, what do I do when I have more people signed up than I need?
Throwboy releases Halloween Finder pillows
We've mentioned Throwboy here on the site before -- they make handmade pillows, usually in the shape of Mac-related icons. And they just recently sent word about a brand new line of pillows: just in time for Halloween, they've branded the Finder and related icons with a little October 31st flavor. Sure, they're silly and pretty useless (really -- who buys a pillow for a one day-a-year holiday?), but just look at them! The FrankenFinder especially is pretty darn charming. As usual, they're $29 each, or $100 for the whole set of four, which includes the Finderstein, Count Macula, Mac-o-lantern, and the great-looking Spooker. Shipping takes around 3-6 weeks, though if you order ASAP, they can probably make sure and get it to you before Halloween this year (and they're only available until 10/31 anyway, so pick yours up soon). Each pillow is 9" by 11" and made of comfy fleece, plus seriously, they're scarily cute. %Gallery-74378%
BlackBerry credited with saving skier's life, serendipity left hanging
Not that we haven't heard a few miraculous gadgets-saving-lives stories before, but this one is in a league of its own. According to the always-embellishing Sun, one David Fitzherbert is thanking his smartphone after coming entirely too close to falling 700 feet to his death. As the story goes, he got wedged between a pair of rocks after losing control of his skis in the Matterhorn, and while we aren't quite sure why he chose RIM's BlackBerry over -- say, chap-stick, car keys, his wallet or a fattening breakfast -- he credited it with adding just enough width to his person to keep him wedged. Two hours after finding himself between a rock and a hard place, rescue crews arrived and flew him to a hospital where he used the "0.5-inch wide" phone to tell his wife that he had survived a nasty spill. We still say David owes a round of thanks to genetics, luck and Zeus, but hey, what do we know?
