Telefónica has launched a modular internet of things platform called Thinking Things, which consists of stackable modules for a variety of purposes. There will be many sensors, actuator modules and so on to come, but the first manifestation of the new platform is an "ambient kit pack" that includ...
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/22/google-inbox/
If you're anything like us, Google's Gmail has an iron grip on your life. Google's looking to create a whole new iron grip with a new app from its Gmail team, and it's called "Inbox." What is it? That's a good question -- Google's made a demo slash advertisement video that we've dropped below. As far as we can tell, Inbox is a combination of Google Now and your Gmail inbox -- a "smart" inbox, if you will. It combines alike pieces of email (bank invoices, for example), highlights related information (like Google Now alerting you to flight changes, traffic, etc.) and keeps track of your life (it'll give you reminders, among other heads ups). Is this the end of Gmail? We seriously doubt it, but it is Google's latest foray into simplifying email. Head below for more!
In introducing the service, Google's Sundar Pinchai called out the frustration of an overflowing email inbox. Inbox is Google's attempt to make the inbox more approachable and organized without much user effort. " For many of us, dealing with email has become a daily chore that distracts from what we really need to do-rather than helping us get those things done," Pinchai wrote. "If this all sounds familiar, then Inbox is for you. Or more accurately, Inbox works for you."
As seen below in GIF form, the app both shows prioritized events and emails you've received. Think of it as the lovechild of Cards and Gmail. Whether it'll replace our standard Gmail app is another question altogether; trading the flexibility of Gmail for a more streamlined inbox is appealing, but also Gmail has an iron grip on our lives. In case that wasn't clear the first time.
The app's still in the invite stage, and Google says the first round of invites are already out in the world. Should your current Gmail (or whatever service) inbox be without an invite, Google's set up an email address for you to ask to get in on the action. It's only running on a Nexus 6 in the image, but Google says it runs on Android phones with Jellybean or better (4.1+) and iPhones running iOS 7 or better. There's a web-client as well, but it's a Chrome-exclusive.
[Image credit: Google]
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: Google
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/22/twitter-trades-passwords-for-phone-numbers-with-digits-login/
At its mobile developer conference in San Francisco, Twitter just announced Digits, a brand new way to login to apps with just your phone number. Instead of going through the tedious process of signing up with an email and password or using one of many different social logins, all you need is to enter in your number. When you do, you'll get a confirmation code via SMS. Enter that in as well, and away you go. Digits is not based on your Twitter account at all; it's actually an entirely new product that developers can incorporate into their apps. It's a key part of Fabric, Twitter's new mobile development kit that it's rolling out today. Digits is available for iOS, Android and the web, and it's available in 216 countries in 28 languages from day one.
Aside from Digits, Fabric includes several other tools that Twitter hopes developers will incorporate into their existing apps, such as Crashlytics, the crash reporting tool that the company bought last year. Especially of note is that developers can now not only embed tweets in their apps, but also the ability to compose and post tweets inside of them without having to launch the dedicated Twitter app.
Developing...
Source: Digits
I've seen the future and it is math less and it is awesome and it is this PhotoMath app that solves math problems just by pointing your phone's camera at them. It's like a cross between a text reading camera, a supremely sophisticated calculator and well, the future. Point and solve and never do math again.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/21/graphene-brain-sensor/
Neural activity maps frequently present an incomplete picture of how a brain works; you can measure electrical activity, stimulate it or visualize the anatomy, but you can't do all three. DARPA and the University of Wisconsin might just pull off that seemingly impossible feat, however. They recently built a hybrid brain sensor that combines both electrical and optical techniques to present a vivid picture of what's happening inside the mind. The sensor is primarily made of ultra-thin graphene (just four atoms thick) that both conducts electricity and lets light through. By putting this device on top of neural tissue, you can simultaneously create brain activity and monitor virtually every aspect of it. Graphene is safe for your body, too, so you shouldn't face the same risks you see with metal alloys.
It's still early days for the project, so you won't be getting graphene-based implants in the near future. However, a finished version might do wonders for medicine. Doctors and scientists could see tighter correlations between activity in certain parts of the brain and related behavior, which could help them study and hopefully treat diseases that previously remained a mystery.
[Image credit: Science Photo Library - SCIEPRO/Getty Images]
Filed under: Science
Source: DARPA
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