Philips' wearable sensor gives COPD patients constant health tracking

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/13/philips-copd-sensor/

Philips is no stranger to the healthcare industry, and with a new sensor, it's looking to further dive into medical wearables for real-world use. The company developed a gadget for COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) sufferers that's worn inside a disposable adhesive patch, continuously gathering diagnostic stats like heart rate, respiratory function and physical activity (or inactivity). All of the data is collected on the sensor, transferred to the patient's mobile device and uploaded to a cloud-based healthcare repository. The tech, which was co-developed with Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, allows doctors to monitor patients from afar and assess an episode before things get too severe. According to Philips, this is just the first in a line of low-cost sensors in the works to monitor chronic medical conditions in real time.

Filed under: Wearables, Science

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Source: USA Today

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A new MHL adapter charges your phone while sending 4K video to a TV

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/13/mhl-3-adapter/

Back in March, we took a look at the MHL 3.0 tech that wrangles 4K video from a micro-USB jack while keeping the device charged. Well, now there's a handy adapter for linking those compatible gadgets with any TV that packs HDMI ports for viewing sessions. If you're in need of a refresher, the MHL 3.0 standard sorts 4K video output from a micro-USB port while also keeping said smartphone (like Sony's Xperia Z3, for example) or slate charged with up to 10W of power. The adapter also takes care of 7.1 Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD 7.1 surround sound to match the visuals. If you happen to be wielding a MHL-compatible device, JCE's handy accessory is set to arrive before the month's end with a $30 price tag.

Filed under: Peripherals

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Google Express shopping service grows: new cities, partners and Prime-style subscriptions

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/14/google-express-shopping-expands-adds-subscriptions/

Google started experimenting with same-day deliveries early last year, but now it's getting serious. Google Express (shortened from Google Shopping Express) is expanding its service areas from just the Bay Area, parts of NYC and Los Angeles -- now it's shipping goods from local merchants to their customers in Chicago, Washington D.C. and Boston. There's a slew of new retailers on board including Barnes & Noble, PetSmart and Sports Authority, and in the Bay Area it's added alcohol and fresh foods to the delivery menu. One small catch? Starting today, Google will charge for those deliveries, which used to be free. Nonmembers can can pay $5 per order, or join the service (sort of like Amazon Prime) for $95 a year, or $10 per month.

That membership covers free same-day or overnight delivery on orders over $15 (booze is an extra $3 per order for nonmembers, $0.01 extra, per store, for members), "first dibs" on delivery windows, and can be shared across a household, but the good news is that there's a three month free trial. By comparison, Amazon is charging $99 per year for its sprawling Prime subscription that covers speedy deliveries, music and even movies, and $299 per year to be a part of its Amazon Prime Fresh service. The Prime Fresh package offers free same- or next-day early morning delivery of orders over $35, with over 500,000 items on offer and the standard Prime service included.

VP of Google Shopping Sameer Samat tells the WSJ in an interview that Google is " trying to build an experience that doesn't just focus on the world of the desktop," and that we should expect more things that blend the online and physical worlds. The tagline is "your everyday delivered" -- after search, mail and maps, are you ready to hand your shopping over to Google too?

Filed under: Internet, Google, Amazon

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Source: Google Shopping Express

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Over 65 million voice samples guard your bank data from scammers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/14/voice-biometric-security/

Two-factor authentication might be all the rage these days, but it sounds like there could be an even more secure way of protecting against fraud -- your voice. It's being employed by major banks including Wells-Fargo and JPMorgan Chase to weed out scammers who call financial institutions armed with the info gleaned from cyber attacks, according to the Associated Press. If you're wondering where the banks have gotten these 65 million-plus voice samples, well, we've all likely heard the familiar notice that a call may be monitored or recorded before being connected to an operator. So, that explains that. This isn't without its share of critics, naturally. The American Civil Liberties Union notes that while using biometrics to combat fraud is a fine starting point, where it goes from there could be where "trouble can start." Let's hope the servers storing these voice samples are a bit more secure than those holding our financial data.

[Image credit: Martin Cathrae / Flickr]

Filed under: Alt

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Via: Phys.org (1), (2), (3)

Source: Associated Press

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Dronecode alliance aims to get more UAVs into the sky

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/14/dronecode-open-source-uav-platform/

Now that the FAA has unleashed drones onto film sets, farms and oil rigs (don't hold your breath though, Amazon), the nascent industry may start to boom. Dronecode, a new Linux Foundation Collaborative Project will help that along by giving UAVs common, open-source software underpinnings. The new initiative will use the APM/ArduPilot UAV software platform hosted by 3D Robotics -- the company led by Chris Anderson, who first proposed the idea. Dronecode's founding members include Intel, Qualcomm, 3D Robotics and Baidu.

So far, Dronecode has attracted some 1,200 developers and been adopted by commercial drone manufacturers like PrecisionHawk, Walkera and DroneDeploy. As Linux did for Android, Dronecode could provide new avenues for private and commercial drone development. Along with code and other resources, the initiative has pledged to provide neutral leadership and help bring funding for approved projects. That could stimulate stimulate a UAV market that's expected to be worth nearly $100 billion within a decade. But as Chris Anderson put it, Dronecode will also make life easier for amateurs. "In the early days (of UAVs), even the experts... had to come together to take robots into the air."

Filed under: Robots

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Source: Linux Foundation

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