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BodyMedia CORE 2 armband and View patch health monitors hands-on
BodyMedia introduced its CORE 2 fitness tracker armband earlier today, but all we saw of it were a couple of rendered photos. Well, we just got to see some prototypes of the device, including the basic CORE 2 band, its metal bracelet and swappable plastic face plate accessories, and learned a bit more about the device. As you can see in our gallery of photos, the new model is quite a bit smaller and thinner than BodyMedia's previous health trackers. For now, the basic CORE 2 model comes with an adjustable elastic band (available in multiple colors) and a sensor module packing an accelerometer and three heat and skin sensors. The band's lightweight and comfortable to wear (at least it was in our limited time with it), but given that it's meant to gather data 24 hours a day, it's not exactly the best look for a night out on the town. Good thing BodyMedia's making a shiny metal armband and swappable face plates (sold separately) to provide a more elegant look. It's a sturdy band, but we wonder how long folks will be comfortable wearing something so rigid on their upper arm. In addition to the CORE 2, we also saw BodyMedia's new disposable sensor platform, the View Patch. It provides the same data as the armband, but it can be worn in the shower and it's only meant to be worn for seven days at a time. Alas, exact pricing and availability continue to elude us, but we were told the band will cost around $150 this August, while the patch will run less than $50 a month later.
BodyMedia's CORE 2 armband tracks your health, or lack thereof
BodyMedia's line of armbands has been helping folks monitor their health for years, and today the company has announced a new, smaller and more fashionable member of the family. Called the CORE 2, it packs a three-axis accelerometer, plus temperature, heat flux and galvanic skin response sensors to measure all kinds of biometric data. Those internals gather over 5,000 bits of data every minute to track how hard you exercise and how many calories you burn when doing so. It doesn't take nights off either, as the band also tracks sleeping patterns to give wearers a full 24/7/365 picture of their health. Using Bluetooth 4.0, those biometrics get passed on to BodyMedia's existing mobile apps and web portal to track your fitness over time, create custom workouts and recommend dietary adjustments to help your body be the best it can be. What really sets the CORE 2 apart from other fitness bands is that it has interchangeable faceplates, straps and cuffs, so folks can tailor the bracelet's appearance to match their outfit. Unfortunately, the CORE 2 isn't yet ready for sale just yet, so we don't know when it'll be available or how much it'll cost. However, fitness fashionistas stay tuned -- we'll be seeing it in person here at CES, so there'll be more pictures coming your way this week. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Intel Core i5 750 reportedly arriving September 6, bringing Core i7 friends
Presumably, Intel has been holding back its Core i5 CPUs in an effort not to cannibalize the prodigious success of its Core 2 line, but the chips had to come out of the oven at some point. If Chinese sources are to be believed, that time could be early this September. As detailed above, the i5 mainstream offerings will start at 2.66GHz (Core i5-750), alongside two additions to the Core i7 family, the 860 (2.8GHz) and 870 (2.93GHz). The new parts are highlighted by 8MB of cache and Turbo Boost -- Intel's auto-overclocking system that speeds things up when your cooling allows it. Click through for another slide detailing Clarkdale plans for 2010, which seem to agree with earlier rumors on the subject. Mmm, fresh silicon.[Via Slashgear]
MSI EX623 laptop "rocks" our (proverbial) "world"
Another day, another awesome laptop announcement. This one, the EX623, a 16-incher from the hallowed depths of MSI's genius labs packs an Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo CPU, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a max 320GB hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS graphics, with a 16:9 widescreen display. The "Bravo," as it's also known, is apparently being marketed as an entertainment laptop (we know this because we watched the super sweet video MSI has up on their site which shows a band totally rocking out), and as such houses things like a Blu-ray drive, an eSATA port, stereo speakers and a subwoofer, though there's no HDMI output and of course the 1366 x 768 resolution won't display 1080p HD. Still, we're pretty sure that "Breakpoint" will have never sounded so good. No word on the price or availability. [Via SlashGear]
Leaked Intel roadmap shows Centrino 2 bump just before Calpella hits
Intel's Montevina mobile processors will get a significant bump in the 2nd quarter of 2009 with the 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo T9900, and the 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo P8800. A completely separate, slightly more suspect Digitimes rumor tells of a possible Core 2 Quad Q9600 CPU of unknown speed and power. Regardless, we won't get to bask in their awesomeness for very long, as the switchover to the Calpella platform (and Clarksfield) will follow quickly in the 3rd quarter of 2009. Will the rumor-mill never cease to torture us? [Via Electronista]Read - Intel Clarksfield & Ibex Peak-M Chipsets In Q3 '09Read - Intel planning Montevina Refresh
Foxtel gets official with quad-tuner iQ2 HD DVR
Foxtel's HD+ services may have launched a few days back in Australia, but that's not stopping OpenTV from pushing out a release trumpeting the arrival of the iQ2. As you could likely guess, the set-top-box is powered by OpenTV's Core2 middleware, but frankly, that's not the part we're interested in. Merely hearing the words "quad-tuner" just gets our juices flowing, and with nearly "double the recordable capacity" of the current Foxtel iQ, we'd say it's a surefire winner for Aussies looking to delve into the beautiful world of high-definition.
Intel announces simplified product-naming scheme
It looks like Intel has come to the realization that its product naming scheme has gotten a little out of hand and, as Ars Technica reports, it's now taking some measures to simplify things a bit. Apparently, Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, and Core 2 Solo will all simply be known as "Core 2" starting on January 1st, 2008 (presumably with some other means to differentiate then), and Intel Viiv Processor Technology and Intel vPro Processor Technology will henceforth be known as Intel Core 2 Duo Processor with Viiv (or vPro). Further on down the line, Pentium D and Pentium Dual-Core will both be shortened to just "Pentium," while the server-centric Itanium 2 gets demoted to plain old "Itanium." According to Ars, Core 2 Extreme, Celeron, and Xeon will all stay as they are. Simple, right?
Online retailer leaks MacBook Core 2 Duo, takes pre-orders
Macworld UK reports that play.com, an online retailer, has a pre-prder page up for the not-officially-announced MacBook Core 2 Duos. According to the listing, the 2GHz/512MB/80GB/DVD±RW/13.3" Widescreen Core 2 Duo MacBook will be available on Nov 13.What's your bet - is Play.com's pre-order page an intentional publicity generating fake, or an innocent publicity generating mistake?