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PulseWallet lets you pay for things using palm recognition, but only if you're a returning customer
PulseWallet is going to get a lot of attention at CES this week, thanks to its point-of-sale system that allows you to pay for things with a wave of your palm. The interesting thing, though, is that PulseWallet already has a setup that lets customers pay with their fingerprints. The problem, say company reps, is that fingerprints can potentially be lifted. (Also, they're a bit messy.) So, the outfit is moving to a Fujitsu-made palm sensor, which is more secure and supposedly faster, too. Here's how it works: After you visit a store once, you can register your palm and link it to the credit card of your choosing. Then, the store will have it on hand (har) the next time you stop by. When it comes time to pay, you can swipe your palm, after which point you'll need to enter your phone number to verify it's really you. Et voilà! You've managed to pay without digging out your credit card, and without getting (as many) greasy fingerprints all over the point-of-sale system. No word on when you'll start seeing these in stores, though the company says it will only be available in the US to start.
3D Systems bestows Creative Director title on will.i.am
If Alicia Keys and BlackBerry have taught us anything, it's that music stars aren't always the best equipped to become the creative director of a tech company. In spite of her songwriting prowess, the "Girl on Fire" singer couldn't do much to reverse the phonemaker's eroding fortunes. We'll say this for will.i.am, however: This isn't the Black Eyed Peas rapper's first ballgame. Though, again, his gig with Fusion Garage head Chandra Rathakrishnan also kind of seemed doomed from the outset. Given the sort of show 3D Systems has been having this CES, however, things are definitely looking up for the 3D printing giant. So, maybe they've just got a feeling about the guy.
Xbox One's first big update will address 'the Live experience,' expect streaming before E3
Xbox -- and Microsoft in general -- doesn't really show up for CES. It's not hard to understand why: for a big company like Microsoft, there's no point in competing with the cacophony of voices shouting for attention. "Whenever we want, we can talk about Xbox stuff and get coverage. Why try to talk with 100,000 other things going on?" Xbox chief product officer Marc Whitten told us in an interview this week. Though Xbox isn't here to show anything off, Whitten's in town to meet with partners and, as he put it, "It's just a good time to pop up and see an environmental scan you can get in an immediate dose." After a long 2013 head-down on the Xbox One launch, he's finally got a second to take the temperature and see the world outside of Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., campus. But we're not here to ask Whitten about the past. Yes, he's "really thrilled" with the console's launch (more than 3 million sold by the end of 2013). And yes, he's very happy with the reaction from consumers. That doesn't mean work's over, of course. "There are seams in the product [XB1]. There are still seams in the 360; nothing's ever done," Whitten said. As such, first up on the fix docket is what Whitten called, "the Live experience." Essentially, that's much of the social features on the latest Xbox console. Whitten takes that stuff personally, having worked on Xbox Live as a service for the last 10 years: "The feedback we've gotten is pretty valid; some of the social stuff is hidden or harder to use than it was on the Xbox 360. So you're gonna see us come out with an update where, well, we're going to fix those things. As a person who's been pretty involved in building Xbox Live for the last decade, I take it pretty seriously when people say it's harder to get into a party, and the defaults aren't right, and I don't like the model. So what I'm trying to do with the team is kind of theme some stuff up. Let's take an update and really go through a big list of what we're hearing from customers, what we know is broken with the architecture, areas that we want to improve or complete. I think that's a theme you'll really see us push on -- that Live experience."
LifeTrak's new watch combines smartwatch, fitness tracker and ECG machine
Would you like an early clue as to the dominant trend of CES 2014? It's wearables, and, erm, more wearables. Another watch that's hoping to earn a space on your wrist is the LifeTrak Zone R415, which grabs a little of everything from the technology buffet with the aim of being all things to all people. From the "smartwatch" table, we've got vibrating smartphone notifications that'll let you know when you get calls, texts and emails. Then there's dynamic sleep tracking which, like the Jawbone Up, will record your slumber session and wake you when you're at your most well-rested. From the fitness tracker cart, the company has added a pedometer, calorie counter and activity tracker that'll keep you informed of how you're doing in hourly or weekly intervals. Rounding out the selection is an ECG, and by pushing the button on the side of the bezel, it'll give you your heart rate. Using just a single watch cell battery, the unit should last for up to nine months between replacements and is designed to remain on your wrist, even while you're in the pool. Holding it in our hand, we found it to be reasonably comfortable and light, and can certainly see some potential in the platform. Naturally, we'll reserve judgment until we see it launch in Q2, but for now, it seems like it could be worth the $130 price point.
This is the next generation of Meta's smart watch
MetaWatch, the wearables business that was spun out of watch maker Fossil, has lingered at the periphery of the space for quite a while. Now, however, the outfit has teamed up with the legendary Nokia and Vertu designer Frank Nuovo, who has helped redesign both the branding and the hardware in preparation for a relaunch as the Meta. The hope is that, when this new unit launches in the spring, Meta will be able to jostle as an equal with the Galaxy Gears and Pebbles of this world.
Sony's Life Space UX demo envisions projectors, screens everywhere
Among the announcements Sony dropped during Kaz Hirai's CES keynote, the Life Space UX project seemed to be most outrageous, pushing an entirely new vision for projectors. We checked out the company's CES demo booth and found out it actually goes even further than that. The prototype 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector shown on stage and in the demo is expected to cost between $30,000 - $40,000 when it launches later this year. Similar to the pricey Cinema Beam projector released by LG last year, it can sit very close to a wall even in high-brightness settings and beam a large, clearly visible image. The combination of zoom lenses, three separate SXRD microdisplays and a laser diode light source make it powerful and sharp enough to put out a 147-inch 4K image that's visible even with the lights on. Its low sleek design and modular setup (it splits apart to reveal speakers and cabinet space within) is made for flexibility and to be "harmonic" with the room when it's off. Other prototypes in the demo (check out the gallery for a better look) included a projector placed in the lamp over a regular kitchen table for Surface-style interaction, a mirror that turned into a high-res, touchable display and ceiling projectors that shot upwards.
Archos' Smartwatches don't want to be smartphones-lite
Archos is coming at the burgeoning smartwatch space in a different way. Rather than hedge its bets on a single device offering, it's planning to release a trio of smartwatches for every end of the consumer spectrum. The water-resistant smartwatches in question don't have specific branding attached as of yet -- that will presumably come before launch later this summer -- but they are easily distinguished by screen size and display tech used. Unlike the half-baked, it-can-sorta-do-everything Galaxy Gear, Archos' smartwatch line is hewing more closely to the Pebble route. These Android- and iOS-compatible devices are designed to supplement your smartphone experience, not replace it. And so, users that buy in will have access to notifications (i.e., SMS, emails, text, Twitter, Facebook, etc.), media playback controls and, of course, a clock. What they won't be able to do is snap photos on a low-resolution camera, talk into their wrists or reply to messages.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: Samsung Mobile App Academy scholarships
Presenting the awards for Samsung's Mobile Boot Camp was far and away one of the highlights of last year's CES stage, so naturally, when the company asked if we'd be game to give it another go, we jumped at the opportunity. You can watch the awards tonight at 7:30PM ET January 8, 2014 7:30:00 PM EST
Thalmic Labs' Myo armband does gesture control with muscles (video)
2013 saw the rise of gesture cameras for TVs and various smart devices, but Canadian startup Thalmic Labs thinks its Myo armband is the way forward. During our meeting at CES earlier, co-founder and CEO Stephen Lake explained that his Bluetooth 4.0 device features a new type of biosensor, which can pick up minute electrical impulses in our arm muscles. This allows any wrist movement, finger twitch or fist clenching to be interpreted as a gesture, so long as the inner side of the Myo has skin contact. There's also an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a magnetometer, so arm and body movements are accounted for as well. The idea of Myo traces back to the co-founders' university days, where they explored various wearable technologies while working on a navigation aid for the blind. Lake said since brain control isn't quite there yet, his team found muscle sensing to be the next best thing. From what we saw and tried today, Thalmic Labs seems to be on the right track: We watched co-founder Aaron Grant play Call Of Duty: Ghosts using just a pair of Myos, and he was able to make his avatar run, crouch, jump, fire weapon and reload. Lake also gave a demo on music playback control and slideshow presentation on an iPad, both of which worked just fine. But it doesn't stop there; the CEO also sees opportunity in industrial robotics, space application and even gesture-based authentication. The retail version of the Myo will arrive within the first half of 2014, and not only will it be half as thick as the Myo Alphas shown today, but it'll also feature at least two core applications that will make full use of the armband. Lake said he'll be showing the final design in the next couple of months, but if you're game, you can now head over to Thalmic Labs' website to pre-order a black or white one for $149. Need more convincing? Then check out our in-depth demo video after the break. Update: We also got to see how you can fly a Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 with a Myo! Check it out.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: WowWee CTO Davin Sufer
More robots? Don't mind if we do. Davin Sufer is the CTO of WowWee, the company behind toys like Robosapien and Roboraptor. He'll be joining us on stage to discuss what the company has up its sleeve. January 8, 2014 7:00:00 PM EST
Cambridge Consultants wants to make you a better basketball player through the power of technology (video)
I am a terrible basketball player. But, that should come as no surprise: I'm relatively short and a tech journalist by trade. Cambridge Consultants is confident it can improve my game, however. The company is working on a collection of technologies that can be used to analyze your performance in a particular sport and provide data, tips and coaching to help you fully realize your physical potential. For demonstration purposes, it brought a system it's calling ArcAid to CES. It starts with three cameras mounted behind a backboard. Two of them are used to watch the ball as it flies through the air, calculating speed, angle and arc; while a third watches to see if you actually sink the shot. If we had been using an actual basketball, the cameras would have even been able to track its spin, but to avoid damaging the booth behind them Cambridge Consultants went with a blue foam ball instead. I took a few tosses and, as you'll see in the video below, things did not go so well. With each attempt, a giant screen to the right would tell me if I needed to shoot harder, aim farther to the left or lower my arc. This is, of course, just a rudimentary implementation. The system can support other sensors, like accelerometers, or track movement across a larger field. So, for instance, it could tell you where on the court you're having the most success, and even help you identify if a particular angle of attack is throwing off your aim. Obviously, the system isn't limited to basketball. You could tackle tennis, baseball or even boxing with the right combination of software and sensors. Even with a couple of years of tutelage under the ArcAid system, I'll never make the NBA, but at least maybe I'll finally beat able to beat my little sister at a game of HORSE.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: iRobot CEO Colin Angle
Robotic housekeepers? iRobot's got 'em. The CEO of the company behind Roomba, Scooba and a slew of other task-based 'bots is joining us to discuss his vision of the future. January 8, 2014 6:30:00 PM EST
Hulu's original TV shows for 2014 are a mix of new series, new seasons and foreign transplants
Competing video-streaming services have discovered that just like other TV options before them, original and exclusive content is one of the best ways to attract new viewers. As a result, each one is building up a warchest of shows, and Hulu's plan to double the amount of original content it has starts with this new lineup for 2014. This year's highlights include the return of original series like The Awesomes and East Los High plus a few new shows including a reality-TV parody called The Hotwives of Orlando and supernatural comedy Deadbeat. The Behind the Mask documentary series that goes deep into the lives of sports mascots will also return, while Hulu reaches overseas for dramas like the original Swedish version of The Bridge and several BBC collaborations. These shows are meant to compete with Netflix's hits and give viewers a reason to pick Hulu's partially ad-supported streams over Amazon Prime -- a service that's also picking up soon-after-broadcast TV and launching its own series. Will they be successful? We don't know yet, but you can see a preview trailer after the break.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: Sennheiser CEO Daniel Sennheiser
Daniel Sennheiser has one of the most familiar names in the world of audio. His family has been in the industry since the middle of the last century, and five years ago, his turn came to take over. We'll discuss Sennheiser's consumer division and how the company distinguishes itself in the always-competitive world of headphones. January 8, 2014 6:00:00 PM EST
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: the EFF's Julie Samuels
Electronic Frontier Foundation staff attorney Julie Samuels has quite possibly the greatest job title in the history of job titles: The Mark Cuban Chair to Eliminate Stupid Patents at EFF. She'll join us to speak about how said stupid patents are hampering innovation. January 8, 2014 5:30:00 PM EST
BMW's autonomous car, or how we drifted into love with a robot
BMW promised, under the banner of its ConnectedDrive platform, to demonstrate some autonomous driving at this years' CES, and wow did it deliver. Labeled as ActiveAssist, the technology describes both partially and highly automated driving and we were definitely out to sample the highly automated variety. Highly automated driving, as the name suggests means the car will essentially drive itself with you sitting as passenger "up to the car's dynamic limit", or as we discovered to about 80 MPH. The prototype research cars on hand were tuned for CES by removing the external sensors to make them, more than likely, more pleasant to look at. We chose the M235i -- because who wouldn't, given the choice? -- though there was a diesel 6-series Grand Coupe as well. Seeing as the sensors were missing, the car was following a pre-defined path, but still completely reactive to its environment. The most compelling example of this was on the second lap of the infield track set up at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, when we drifted. Yeah, we put our faith in robot hands and got very sideways through a wet section of the track. I was watching the wheel as we slid and was almost hypnotized seeing the wheel constantly spinning to correct our trajectory and keep the slide going. Sure, the reality of being transported about by your car is a long way off, maybe as much as 10 years. But all the small pieces that spin off from this technology into cars today make the small steps to robot domination fun. Consider things like active cruise control, which can stop the car completely, then resume driving or self-parking cars and it is easy to see that gradual progress. We for one love where this is going, but we wouldn't be hurt to see it let us race our own cars, you know? Find the video tour and our interview with BMW's Werner Huber just below.
LG's Pocket Photo 2 can handle your selfie prints in 60 seconds (hands-on)
From time to time, you snap a picture while on the go that deserves a bit more than just social media posting. For those more elegant snapshots, LG's Pocket Photo 2 can output 30 photos before needing to recharge and refill the requisite paper. We took one for a spin at CES in order to observe the results. Once the LG G2 being used for the demo was paired via NFC/Bluetooth, we were off to capture an image. From there, you can use LG's app to edit -- which includes adding filters, captions, QR codes, borders and more. When our tweaks were complete, we just laid the G2 on top of the small printer and let the wireless connection transfer the file. In about 60 seconds, the task was completed with thermal ink and our portrait had been preserved in physical form. The Pocket Photo 2 has slimmed down a bit from the previous model, and the difference is noticeable. A button to open up the casing is situated on the bottom edge, allowing access to swap out the paper stack. Around to the right side, there's a power toggle switch alongside the charging port. On the front, LED indicators for power, battery and low-paper levels are located on the right side and silver circles for the opening hinge are up top on both sides. As far as the prints go, the final product is a 3 x 2-inch rectangle that's a little smaller than a business card and the quality is on par with what we'd expect for a device like this. It's OK for really quick prints, but that's about it. When the device arrives, pink, yellow and white color options will be yours for the taking. There's no word on pricing just yet, but the Pocket Photo 2 is set to make its debut in Korea later this month. For now, jump down to the gallery below for a closer look.
Here's Sharp's 85-inch 8K TV with glasses-free 3D
It's so big and bright that it wasn't hard to find inside Sharp's booth, even when surrounded by a sea of other televisions from the manufacturer. What you see above, folks, is an 85-inch, 8K glasses-free 3D TV from Sharp. This behemoth, ultra-high-res display is rather similar to the one from CES 2013, save for the fact you can enjoy three-dimensional content without any eye hardware. While everything about this LED TV is indeed interesting, we can't say we were too impressed by the glasses-free 3D. It is pretty easy for your eyes to get tired of the effect quickly, and at times some frames pass through so fast that it ends up making the content seem blurry -- we're not the only ones who feel this way, apparently. Aside from those things, the image is incredibly sharp; the TV was showing scenes from Life of Pi and Frozen, both of which looked stunning on the big screen. Obviously, Sharp's 85-inch, 8K 3D TV is still in the early stages, and thus it wouldn't be fair to judge it based on first impressions. Chances are it'll improve tremendously as the company continues to work on it. For now, it is a very dazzling thing to look at and we can't wait to see it down the road. Check out the pictures we took of it after the break, or, if you're here at the LVCC, stop by the Sharp booth to experience it yourself. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: Nest founder Matt Rogers
Home-automation company Nest, co-founded by Apple expats, is rethinking the staid world of home appliances, from thermostats to smoke detectors and beyond. VP of Engineering Matt Rogers will join us to discuss his company's vision for a more connected home. January 8, 2014 5:00:00 PM EST
OnTheGo Platforms is bringing gesture recognition to Google Glass apps (video)
Google Glass can hold its own when it comes to voice recognition and touch, but its current software doesn't account for gesture controls. OnTheGo Platforms, however, is looking to fix that. The folks at the Portland, Ore.-based company are baking up an SDK for developers to integrate gesture recognition in apps made for Glass and other Android-based smart glasses, such as the Vuzix M100. We went hands-on with a demo photo-snapping and gallery app to put the software through its paces. In its current form, the solution recognizes swipes from the left and right, a closed fist and an open hand. A fist aimed at Glass' camera will fire off a countdown for a snapshot or take you to the app's home, depending on the current screen. Waving a hand in either direction cycles through pictures in the gallery. This editor was tempted to swipe his hand across the camera's view quickly, but the software is tuned to pick up slower, more deliberate motions about a foot or so away. The detection was often hit or miss, but the developers say they're in the process of refining the recognition and that they've recently eliminated many false positives.
