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The smart jacket from Google and Levi's arrives this fall for $350
It's been nearly two years since Google and Levi's announced their plans to work on connected garments, an idea born out of the tech giant's Advanced Technology and Products group. The first piece of this project is a connected jacket called the Commuter, which uses Google's Jacquard technology to turn its denim fabric into a gesture-controlled canvas. Although we knew it'd be launching as a consumer product eventually, until today both the price and ship date were unknown. But at SXSW, during a panel titled Beyond the Screens: the Ubiquity of Connectivity, Google and Levi's revealed that the smart trucker jacket will arrive this fall for $350.
Microsoft's camera-focused Lumia phone update rolls out in earnest
If you're a Lumia phone owner, you no longer have to get lucky (or install a preview release) just to get all of the latest Windows Phone features. Microsoft is about to start the wider rollout of Lumia Denim, a Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 upgrade that packs a lot of improvements to both imaging and Cortana voice commands. It's not saying exactly who's a candidate in this next wave, but many countries and devices will start seeing Denim later this month -- depending on how quickly the carriers finish testing, of course. Verizon already brought Denim to the US through the 822 and 928 back in December, but the broader deployment suggests that other American Lumias are due relatively soon.
Latest Windows Phone update coming to Lumia phones with better imaging
Microsoft's latest update to Windows Phone, known as Update 1, is already starting to show up on devices like the HTC One (M8) for Windows, but we still haven't seen how Microsoft Devices (Nokia's former phone division) will take it and dress it up for its Lumia lineup. Now, it's ready: The update will be known as Lumia Denim and will follow the company's Cyan refresh. In addition to the standard suite of features that come with Update 1 (such as folders), it comes with improvements to Lumia Camera and Cortana.
Pulitzer Prize winner George Will thinks gamers shouldn't be allowed to vote
Washington Post columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George F. Will really, really doesn't like denim. In an Op-Ed piece he wrote for the Washington Post this week, he condemns the fabric and in the process, harshly insults gamers, saying, "Seventy-five percent of American 'gamers' -- people who play video games -- are older than 18 and nevertheless are allowed to vote." On the other hand, Mr. Will does, however, love making disparate correlations -- for instance, between "society's most slovenly" and video game players. In fairness, his tirade doesn't solely focus on games, as he also calls out the Indiana Jones series and television shows such as Seinfeld (a show which, ironically, he was lampooned on as "not too bright.") He says the two are "juvenelized,"and for "undifferentiated audiences," and justifies his assertion on the fabric ubiquity from child to parent. We're thinking of siding with Seinfeld on our opinion of this guy, how about you folks?[Via GamePolitics]
Details surface for O2's XDA Denim
We've seen the Gigabyte O2 Denim pop up a couple times in the past, once as the O2 XDA "Helen" and then it reappeared on the pages of our favorite Gov't site, the FCC. While not much new is gleaned with its confidentiality agreement expiring, feel free to browse the manuals -- if that type of thing makes you happy, we def enjoyed it -- in preparation for its expected launch this month. No news on pricing, of course, those cards are usually kept pretty close but you know we'll be here for ya with an update as soon as we hear word.[Via UnwiredView]