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Garmin announces FR70 fitness watches to keep you on track
Looking to keep those New Year's resolutions past the first week of January in 2012? Garmin's out to help you stay the course with its FR70 fitness watches for both guy and gals. Using this trainer's timepiece, you'll be able to track your workout time, heart rate and calories burned right on your wrist. Powered by ANT+ technology, the FR70 can connect to compatible devices like treadmills, bikes, elliptical machines, your boyfriend's Segway, etc. For avid runners, pairing the watch with a wireless foot pod will clue you in on speed, distance and cadence during your training sessions. If biking is more your style, a pace sensor is available for you as well. Combine an FR70 with the Tanita BC-1000 system and you can track weight, water levels, body fat and a handful of other measurements that will be stored right on the device. Once all the data is collected, it can be sent to Garmin Connect whenever you return with range of your PC. The pair will be available in the UK, starting in November, for £129 / €139 ($197). If you need some reading while you're lacing up those Nikes, hit the PR button for the full skinny.
TAG Heuer concept watch beats 3.6 million times per hour, $89,000 price tag gives heart palpitations
TAG Heuer's high-end concept chronograph is so precise, blink and you'll miss it -- literally. The Mikrotimer Flying 1000's watch movement runs at 500Hz. Compare that to other high-end chronos plodding along at 5Hz, and you start to see the sort of power and precision Team TAG are working with -- this mesmerizing piece of wrist jewelry is capable of banging out 3.6 million beats per hour. Initially planned as a one-off, the concept watch will now go on sale for a lucky few timepiece obsessives. Be prepared to reach for your severely over-burdened money clip, though; the price is set at €65,000 ($88,580), with a limited run of ten arriving before the end of the year. Gawp in awe at the brief video after the break. You may have to sell the Batmobile.
Storyboard: A matter of times
How often do you actually think about time in-game? I'm not talking about how long you spend in the game or how much time you have to play or anything like that -- I'm talking about the actual passing hours when you're playing the game. My guess is not frequently, if ever. Most people just use real-world time as a shorthand if they even consider time, and that's all that needs to be said. Time isn't interesting. At best, historical dates are interesting, and even that's only in the event that the game gives you some sort of context. Who cares, right? But whether or not you find time interesting, it's important. Time has a bigger impact on the game world than you might think, and it's one of those facets that you can't un-see once you look at it. It's as problematic an issue as character death, and in some ways even more so, because there's no comfortable way to skate around how screwy time is in the game. And the proof lies entirely in a simple question: What did you do today?
The Daily Grind: How do you deal with extended downtimes?
Sometimes, games go down for maintenance, or your power goes out, or there's an internet hiccup. You have to deal with a bit of time out of the game, and it's no big deal. But other times, you have to deal with an extended hiatus from your game of choice due to massive natural disasters or other catastrophic circumstances. You might have bigger problems than just not logging in to Star Trek Online, but it doesn't change the fact that you're going to be out of circulation for a bit. If you've been messing around exclusively with low-level characters that have nothing time-related on their plates, naturally, you won't be affected. But if you're in the midst of endgame work in RIFT or long-term roleplaying in Lord of the Rings Online, being out for a long stretch of time can cause some issues. So how do you work around it? And equally importantly, how do you manage your time when you're taking an unwanted hiatus from one of your hobbies for a while? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Which MMO are you sorry you missed?
Time is always against us, a wise man once said, and truer words were never spoken regarding the MMORPG genre. The glut of titles released over the last few years means that fans have some hard choices to make, and when those choices are coupled with the inevitable game closures, it's rare that even folks with huge amounts of free time have time enough to play everything. And since we're speaking of time: If you spend enough of it reading and talking about our favorite genre, you'll inevitably come across a game that sounds right up your alley. If you're lucky, said game will still be available to you. If not, well, you might have the answer to this morning's Daily Grind question. Which MMO(s) are you sorry you missed? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Tokyoflash's Kisai 3D Unlimited watch turns time into a colorful ice cube (video)
The folks over at Tokyoflash tend to come up with some pretty inscrutable watches, but their latest creation, the Kisai 3D Unlimited, looks refreshingly... simple. Its cube-like, "3D" time display may not be conventional, but its mirrored LCD doesn't require a degree in cryptology, either (the time displayed above is 12:34. See it?). The watch also features a pretty sleek, stainless steel design, with a case measuring just 8.5mm thick, and a fully adjustable strap that can fit even the daintiest of wrists. If you're interested in grabbing one, you can choose from seven different colors at the source link, for about $120. Otherwise, check out some more pics in the gallery below, or slip past the break for a couple of demo videos from Tokyoflash Japan. %Gallery-130228%
Time Inc. aims to please advertisers and your eyes, making all mags tablet-friendly by year's end
Do you love reading Time magazine on your tablet, but wish you had the same luxury with all of its related offerings? Oh boy, do we have fantastic news for you. As it stands, select Time Inc. publications are supported on the iPad, Android Marketplace, TouchPad, and Next Issue Media's store, but now the company has announced plans to make all 21 of its mags available on tablets by the year's end. Furthermore, support for the Nook Color will be added by the end of August with digital versions of Time, Sports Illustrated, People, and Fortune. Current subscribers to the print editions won't be left out either when it all rolls out, as they'll be able to opt-in for free upgrades with digital access. The decision is apparently tied to increasing "digital reach" for advertisers, but hey, ad-support isn't totally lame. Right? Full PR just past the break.
TUAW's Daily Mac App: Time
Do you ever watch Star Trek and think, I wish my computer just had a little bit of the LCARS theme to it? You need Time. OK, it's not going to turn your Mac into a futuristic Star Trek-style computer, but Time authentically replicates the visual style and feel of the LCARS interface displaying a clock complete with a stopwatch, count down timer and an alarm. You can choose from 27 different color themes to suit your decor, have the app full screen or windowed and adjust the brightness of the app by dimming the entire interface -- handy if you're using it as a display at night. On the clock front you have the option of 12 or 24 hour display, the option to display the seconds as well as the day and date, which can be displayed as a star date. All the settings are accessible via large buttons that make up the interface, with each button click emitting a satisfying LCARS sound. Speaking of sounds you have the option of 15 alarm sounds from beeps and chirps to warnings and hailing frequencies, which can be used for both the alarm clock and the count down timer. If all the sounds get a little much for you, there's a button to mute the whole lot too. Time does what it says on the tin. It gives you a clock in the style of LCARS, and is great for any 24th century Star Trek fans out there. It's free and available from the Mac App Store.
The Mog Log: Time to relax
Time is strange. It's everywhere and yet invisible, and all we can do is represent it through measurements of time. Time flies, but time drags, and sometimes you're not sure where the time goes. Time keeps on slipping into the future, but you'll never get your time back, and you wait for the right time for what seems like an endless stretch of time. Time pushes us forward, holds us back; we put in hours of time at our jobs in order to get more time for play and relaxation, trading time for time. Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV both love time and timing. We have no shortage of timed events in both games, with the latter having almost gone overboard with the amount of time that matters. You're timed on your guildleves, which have a reset timer to contend with. The upcoming dungeons will be timed. You're even on a short clock of time when it comes to crafting. Why all the fascination with time? Do we need this much time? What would it matter if we stripped out all of the timing?
Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me find a better alarm
Dear Aunt TUAW, Why do all iPhone alarm clock apps have to simulate an old and unattractive 7-segment display? Or the old, cheap, unattractive flip-clock display? I understand the gee-wiz factor of emulating these classic displays, but aren't we way past that point? I would love to see a simple, attractive and reliable alarm clock app for the iPhone without 7-segment or flip displays. Does such an app exist? Thank you! Your loving nephew, Pete L. My Darling Pete, Auntie is right there with you on alarm clocks. Auntie is so over mornings. Just let her sleep in or bring the caffeine right to her, along with roses and a tasteful continental breakfast, as she rises to a well-designed iDevice app's summons. After receiving your letter, Auntie set out on a hunt for beautiful clocks. Thanks to many of her electronic nephews and nieces, she tracked down the following suggestions that offer alternatives to the humdrum. Emerald Observatory (US$0.99) offers a stunning clock that's full of astronomical information without sacrificing a clock or a daily alarm. Observatory was the single-most recommended application in Auntie's search. The presentation includes the phase of the moon, the current time, sunrise and sunset times and much more. Night Stand HD ($1.99) offers some handsome analog displays as well as those 7-segment and flip presentations you're looking to skip. Clockus ($0.99) puts a mechanical spin on 7-segment output with elements that flip and adjust to show the time. Art Clock Van Gogh (free) provides a beautiful take on waking up. It has a criminally small audience (only nine ratings to date), and offers over 50 impressionist backgrounds. Unfortunately, the highly recommended Pencil Clock from Paz Interactive seems to have disappeared from the store -- but the screen shots that Auntie has been able to track down show that it really had a fabulous and non-traditional take on time. Hopefully one of these apps will strike your fancy and help you transition away from the boring 7-segment/flip-clock run-of-the-mill alarm apps. Love & hugs, Auntie T. Thanks to gonzopancho, NienorGT, pTracker, josh_m, Consumer_NeXT, mssres, rosskimes, zyafa, LucasTizma, jeffmc, and everyone else who tweeted suggestions...
Time Magazine defends Modern Warfare 3's faux cover
Some of you are young gentlemen, right? Of course you are. And like any young gentleman, you're a savvy newsreader, so you likely turn to Newsweek or The Nation for political analysis. We understand, Time Magazine just isn't for you since it started catering to older readers -- that's fair. But Time wants to win you over, and it's hoping that its promo tie-in with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will help in that battle. "This is where the boys are," Time publisher Kim Kelleher told the New York Times, adding, "This is a great way to connect with millions of people we might not have otherwise connected with." According to the piece, both Time's editors and executives agreed to allow the use of the magazine's iconic cover wrapper after realizing that the pre-order bonus would be seen by many millions of Time's most elusive demographic -- young American males. If that justification weren't enough for your journalistic sensibilities, managing editor Richard Stengel adds that the faux use of the cover for this promotion was "a similar idea in a different medium," comparing it to the various "Person of the Year" covers for fictional characters or concepts. He also points out that the medium involved in this case -- video games -- is part of "one of the biggest entertainment franchises of all time." Now that was a necessary detail, Mr. Stengel!
Time Inc. exec makes the leap to iPad startup Flipboard
The New York Post is reporting that digital journalist Josh Quittner is leaving Time magazine to join startup Flipboard as its new editorial director. Flipboard is a personalized social magazine app for the iPad. You can enter your Facebook and Twitter accounts and follow any number of sites' RSS feeds, and the app presents all the tweets, status updates and articles to you as a digital magazine. The fact that Quittner, who covered the digital revolution for 15 years at Time Inc, is leaving underscores a tectonic shift happening in the traditional publishing industry. It seems that those in the know feel secure in their beliefs about the future of publishing enough to leave established outlets for what they think is the future of the industry. Like many, I've said it again and again, publishers need to embrace the future if they want to keep up with all the ways people consume media nowadays. When veterans like Quittner, who also worked at Fortune and the now defunct (best magazine ever) Business 2.0, start jumping ship, it seems apparent that a tipping point from print to digital is closer than one thinks. [via iPodNN]
Robot Ruby solves Rubik's Cube in 10.69 seconds, still can't beat humans (video)
There are a few robots smart enough to solve a Rubik's Cube in seconds flat, but a group of students at Swinburne University of Technology think theirs may be the fastest on Earth. Their bot, named Ruby, recently mastered the puzzle in just 10.69 seconds, including the time spent analyzing the cube. To achieve this feat, the device scanned the toy with a webcam before its software processed the images to crank out a solution. According to the university, Ruby's 10-second mark smashes the current world robot record of 18.2 seconds, unofficially making it the fastest cube-solving machine on the planet. But Ruby still has a long way to go before it catches Feliks Zemdegs -- a 16-year-old Australian who solved a Rubik's Cube in 6.24 seconds and continues to carry the torch for all of humanity. Twist and turn your way past the break for the full PR and a video of Ruby in action, as well as a clip of Zemdegs showing us how the pros do it.
Next Issue Media brings magazine subscriptions to Samsung Galaxy Tabs, but not all of them
It's been a busy month in the world of e-publishing. First, Time Inc. inked a deal to bring magazine subscriptions to the iPad, with both Hearst and Conde Nast following suit. And now, a consortium of publishing powerhouses known as Next Issue Media is looking to expand its tablet-based readership to Android users, as well. Beginning tomorrow, people who bought a wireless-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab from Verizon will be able to purchase single copies of, or monthly subscriptions to seven magazines from the so-called "Hulu of Magazines," which includes Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Time Inc., and News Corp. Users already subscribing to print editions will receive free digital subscriptions, though they won't be able to purchase both print and digital combo packages (that's on the way). Publishers, meanwhile, will be able to set their own prices and, according to Next Issue CEO Morgan Guenther, will receive "at least" 70-percent of all transactions -- the same percentage that Apple offers. Under this new Android deal, however, all of Next Issue's members will be able to freely access their subscribers' credit card information and other personal data -- something that Apple has steadfastly denied them. Obviously, it's far too early to tell whether or not this deal will give publishers more leverage in their negotiations with Cupertino, as the service will only be available to a small slice of Android tablet users. But Guenther says his organization is planning on releasing more titles for more devices this fall, with at least 40 magazines due out by year's end, along with an app for HP's WebOS.
Eole concept watch has turbine bezel, shows time when you blow (video)
Traditional electronic watches may be practical, but there's nothing elegant about battery power. With the Eole watch concept, designer Julien Moise envisioned a device that's powered by blown air, displaying the time only when you want to see it. Sure, compulsively blowing on your watch in a meeting is less discreet than sneaking a peek under the table, but you'll still have your BlackBerry around for when you need to count down the minutes until freedom. There's also a weather indicator and alarm function, so we assume there's a battery in there that's doing more than keeping time -- an alarm that only sounds when you blow wouldn't work too well if you're asleep.
Storyboard: Time is not on your side
I don't know about the rest of you, but these days it sometimes seems like I just don't have the time to roleplay any longer. Don't get me wrong -- I love roleplaying with a passion normally reserved for romantic partners, or in rare cases, a particularly awesome game. (Or potential romantic partners within a game, but there's a time and place to talk about Merrill, and it's not here.) But by any deity you care to name, roleplaying can be a time-consuming and tedious affair. It's not such a big deal when you're in college and your primary responsibilities consist of actually attending your stupid Thursday class this week, but at this point, I'm lucky if I'm logging in by 8 p.m. and I might be up for another three hours at best. That being said? I still find the time to get a lot of roleplaying in along with playing the actual game, and it requires a delicate dance between saving time and glossing over the unnecessary. So today's column, coming right before the one-year mark, is all about finding the time to actually sit down and roleplay in a functional fashion while still getting to sleep and shower.
Time Inc., Apple to offer free iPad downloads to print magazine subscribers
After months of speculation, Time Inc. has finally inked a deal with Apple that will allow print magazine subscribers to access the company's iPad editions for free. Beginning this week, subscribers to print versions of Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Time will be able to download the iPad counterparts at no cost, directly within the magazines' apps. Today's deal comes just a few months after the company struck a similar arrangement with HP, but iPad users, unlike TouchPad readers, still won't be able to purchase exclusively digital subscriptions to Time Inc.'s stable of publications. It's no secret that Time Inc. wants to incorporate digital subscriptions to its iPad model, but negotiations have hit some roadblocks, largely thanks to disputes over how Apple shares subscriber data. Publishers say they need that data to apply the TV Everywhere model to magazines, but Apple thinks subscriber information should only be shared on an opt-in basis. We don't really expect Apple to budge any time soon, but execs at Time Inc. seem optimistic, telling the Wall Street Journal that today's deal proves that the two parties are "moving closer" on the issue -- apparently not close enough, however, for Apple to comment.
The Daily Grind: How do you structure your limited play time?
It's the classic tale of the haves and have nots: Those who have copious amounts of free time and can pull all-night raids regularly vs. those who can count the number of hours they get to game every week on their fingers. Sometimes with just one hand. Today's Daily Grind goes out to those of you with limited gaming time, the folks who can only play for one day a week or for just a few hours spread out or a half hour at a time. We want to hear your strategies: How do you structure your limited play time? Do you just log in when you can and see where your whim takes you? Or do you organize a specific plan of attack so that you make the most of your time? Let's hear it from the "have littles" today -- how do you handle the time that's been given to you? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Ziiiro Aurora and Orbit watches tell time with color, orbs of wonder
Time: how does it work? Well, the physicists are still trying to figure that out. And while they're tinkering with bosons and quarks and dark matter, the designers at Ziiiro are working on an equally important task: how to represent time, preferably in wrist-compatible form. Now they've got two new attempts, dubbed "Aurora" and "Orbit," that show time as a mix of colors or as a pair of circling orbs, respectively. They have about the same learning curve as earlier Ziiiro watches, and the company's website helpfully walks you through how to read them – "It's no rocket science at all!" If the designs are too minimalist for you, you can always treat yourself to Harry Winston's Opus Eleven. Otherwise, these will ship in late May and set you back €129 (about $184).
Still more iPhone alarm clock issues in the UK
You'd think that after the clock returned to Daylight Saving Time a little while back, iOS clocks would be back to normal, but no. Macworld is reporting that iPhone users in the UK are having even more issues with their device clocks, with some alarms not going off and others going off at the wrong time. At this point, the issue seems to simply be old versions of iOS out there -- Apple has, of course, been dealing with this one for a while, so the latest update to version 4.3.1 should fix the issues. Britain also moved from Greenwich Mean Time to British Summer Time over the weekend, which could have caused some confusion. At any rate, if you had issues, make sure your iOS device is updated, and hopefully this will be the end of the problems we've seen with clocks.
