Hexoskin : An awesome wearable, movement, respiration and heart activity tracker

These days I have become a huge fan of Indiegogo. I first got to know about Indiegogo while volunteering for the LifeVest Kindness campaign.

For people who aren't aware of Indiegogo, this is for you :

http://www.indiegogo.com/

And now about Hexoskin, which I found to be an awesome idea.

Hexoskin is the first wearable movement, respiration, and heart activity tracker. Hexoskin tracks your health and gives you insights about your activities, your sleep, your life's choices.


"The Hexoskin has the advantage of being a simple shirt and not something clunky like an armband" -- Crunchwear
"Hexoskin is a sensor-filled smart shirt that offers significantly more health data than a basic fitness tracker like a Fitbit Flex." -- Digital Trends
"Hexoskin has lined up an impressive list of beta testers." -- Crowdfundinsider
"This shirt could be the future of fitness tracking" -- AskMen.com
"Hexoskin’s applications go beyond collecting stats during physical training and could be used as a constant companion." -- Gizmag
"Thrilled about the opportunity this offers for research, medical monitoring, the quantified self and art and design." -- GigaOM
"They envision a future where constant, passive health monitoring through smart clothes will feed in to big data applications and predictive analytics" -- Forbes

So, How does it work ?

Simple

Put on the shirt, plug your device, and your body metrics are displayed on your phone and uploaded in your account. Sleep, be active, live.

Safe

The shirt connects to a small and lightweight device that fits in a pocket on the waist. There is no device on your chest, which makes it safe for activities ranging from sleep to contact sports.

Sophisticated

It does a lot more than your old heart rate strap, without the strap. Its trio of sensors offers a high-quality ECG signal, the most precise breathing volume measurement, and movement sensors that measure activity, steps, cadence, and sleep position.

Connected

When you wear the shirt, your health stats are digitized and uploaded in real-time. You can get detailed reports on your training and general health in a web browser on any device:

• Training reports and training programs
• Activity and stress levels during the day
• Sleep quality reports

Get a clear view of your overall performance and reports on your progress. See your trainings in details, like you've never seen them before.

Individual Training

Hexoskin Solo is our personal training app. When we'll ship your Hexoskin, the app will come with these tools:

• Programmable training plan (create and share).
• GPS training tools with waypoints activated trainings.
• Interval training based on physiological response.
• Display real-time data (including ECG and breathing).
• Connect to smart watches and glasses.

 

Team Training

Hexoskin Team is our team training app. If you're a trainer, this app allows you to program, time and annotate athlete training routines. Time groups of 24 athletes simultaneously. No more juggling with stopwatches.You can be connected to 3 Hexoskin data streams in real-time using the app.

See how Hexoskin compares to traditional training monitoring tools.

Sleep

Your body speaks when you sleep. Hexoskin has all the sensors you need for precise sleep monitoring. Measure sleep efficiency, position changes, breathing, and heart rate at rest.

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Free, Unlimited Data Storage. Forever.

Hexoskin can record more than 3 million data points per hour. To make sure you never lose your data, we offer you free, unlimited data storage. 

Open == Transparent

Hexoskin is simple to use and its apps are powerful, but we also wanted Hexoskin to be open for hobbyists and 3rd party apps. 

Here is what we will make available for those who want to develop Hexoskin software:

• Open API: access to full data, including raw data.
• Bluetooth SDK for mobile apps developers.

Also , the team promised to develop an app for Android if they reach a funding of $2,00,000. (Let's hope it reaches the goal in these last 13 days)

If you found this product awesome too , visit the link below to donate a small amount to the campaign and reserve a device. 

Source/Donate Link : http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hexoskin-the-first-wearable-movement-respiration-and-heart-activity-tracker

AJ

www.aashishj.com

Your Smartphone Camera can work wonders !!!

Yes , you read it right. Your phone (the one you are holding) can really take extraordinary pictures given you buy Sony's latest invention - Snap on lenses.

The above image is what your phone might look like after attaching the snap on lens. 

Sony has unveiled two lenses QX10 and QX100. They are basically like point and shoot cameras except the fact that they are not standalone cameras but lenses attachable to phone cameras.

All the fancy features have been stuffed into the lenses themselves — there’s zoom control (10x optical for the QX10 and 3.6x optical for the QX100)  and a photo-snap button on each lens. Your Smartphone’s data connection is leveraged to share your photos with others online. Photos are stored to both the lens and your phone, and apps will be available for iPhone and Android.

The $250, 19-megapixel QX10 is more like the point and shoot , while the $500, 21-megapixel QX100 is bulkier and has a Carl Zeiss lens capable of taking “DSLR-quality pics,” according to Sony. Both are available now for pre-order, with an estimated ship date of September 28.

This looks a promising product for people who are in regret of their Smartphone purchase. :)

AJ

www.aashishj.com

7 Amazing things your iPad is capable of doing

'i' lovers actually fall in love very deeply with their devices and it is obvious because of the unique aesthetics and features these devices offer.

Today I will take you through 14 amazing and unknown things an iPad is capable of doing. Let's check them out.

1. Access your home computer and use it from anywhere in the world

We've been using and loving iTeleport ($19.99) as a means to access our computer at home while we're out with our iPad. Start and stop large downloads, email yourself files you need while you're mobile, or scare your family by playing music from an empty room.You'll come up with plenty of your own creative ways to use this app.

2. Remotely wake up your home computer

If you want to use the previously mentioned VNC software and your computer is set to go to sleep after a certain period of inactivity, you need to wake it up before remotely accessing it.

A number of apps support a protocol called "Wake On LAN." All this means is that they can push a signal from your router to your computer to wake it up. Then you can fire up your VNC app to take care of whatever you like.

3.Switch between apps with a special gesture

Instead of activating the multitasking bar and searching for a recently used app, you can make a four-finger swipe to the left or right to switch between your apps.

4. Get to the home screen without pressing the home button       

Similar to the four-finger gesture for switching between apps, a four-finger "pinch" will immediately return you to the home screen. We're not sure, but it feels like our iPad is more responsive to this gesture than to pressing the home button.

5. A faster way to reveal the multitasking bar

Take four fingers and swipe them up — you have faster access to the multitasking bar than you would by double-tapping the home button.

6. Split the keyboard in half

Some people prefer the split keyboard arrangement for more ergonomic typing. To see if you want to use this layout instead, tap and hold the keyboard button in the bottom right and select the "Split" option from the menu that pops up.

7. When the keyboard is split, you have access to invisible keys                         

                                           

With a split keyboard, some people prefer to type characters on the opposite side with the opposing hand. For these users, Apple has included some invisible keys — check the picture to see what we mean.

These were the seven things I was talking about and will get more of this kind to you guys....

Source : Businessinsider.com

       

AJ

www.aashishj.com

A Robot with a Tail

As usual , I was going through my mailbox and since I subscribe to lot of technology mails I get them from many different sites.

Today I was going through such a mail from time.com and one post in it looked interesting. 

To my surprise it was lot more than what I expected. It was about a miniature robot which has a tail to stabilize itself. I was spell bound to see a 3 inch robot jump a wall of about 2 1/2 feet. And it has exceptionally performed the task with ease. It was developed by the Students of Michigan State University.

I'm waiting for the real size cousins of this robot to come , and they will definitely be called Transformers....

If you too are interested in watching the Little fella jump , here is the video for you :

AJ

www.aashishj.com

9 ways Windows Phone still crushes I-phone

Despite its flaws, there's still a lot to like about Windows Phone 8. 

It's a unique take on a mobile operating system. 

Unlike Android, which is in many ways a copycat of the iPhone, Windows Phone stands out as a fresh take on mobile.

And in some ways, it's actually better than iPhone, the top-selling smartphone at the moment. We've been playing around with Windows Phone 8 a lot since the launch of the Nokia Lumia 928 and put together a few features that make it better than the iPhone.

NOTE: Before you go nuts in the comments, let's be clear. We're not saying Windows Phone is better overall. We're not saying iPhone is better overall. These are just individual things we think Windows Phone does better than the iPhone. That's it.

1. Some Windows Phone apps look a lot better than they do on iPhone

It's no secret Microsoft is having a hard time getting developers to make apps for Windows Phone 8. In fact, Microsoft has been paying developers to build apps. 

However, many of the apps that are in the Windows Phone Marketplace are simply gorgeous. In many cases, they look better than they do on the iPhone. Our favorites (so far) include: Foursquare, Spotify, Evernote, and Facebook.

2. Windows Phone's built-in integrations of Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook are lifesavers

Windows Phone 8 has a handy built in app called People that pulls in updates from social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Instead of opening each individual app, you can view all your friends' status updates and notifications within the People app. It's very handy.

3. Multitasking is a lot better on Windows Phone

We don't think Windows Phone has the best multitasking solution. Android wins there. But managing multiple apps on Windows Phone is a lot better than it is on iPhone.

On Windows Phone, you just press and hold the back arrow button at the bottom of your device. This pulls up a slideshow of apps you currently have open. Just tap the app to reopen it.

On the other hand, the iPhone makes you double tap your home button and swipe through rows and rows of icons. It's really tough to find the app you're looking for and probably one of our biggest pet peeves with the iPhone's software.

4. Live Tiles are a smart answer to iPhone's lack of widgets

It's always bothered us that Apple won't allow widgets on the home screen. (Widgets are mini apps that provide live information like news and weather without having to open up the full app.)

Microsoft has a smart solution. Instead of widgets, each app on your home screen acts as a Live Tile. They give you a quick glimpse of what's going on in each individual app. For example, the Foursquare app shows your friends' most recent check ins.

5. You get more hardware options with Windows Phone 8

Nokia Lumia 928 next to HTC's 8X

Microsoft has a different approach when it comes to licensing the Windows Phone 8 operating system. It holds its hardware partners to strict requirements to ensure each Windows Phone device will be able to receive the latest software updates, apps, and improvements. 

As a result, you have several options to choose from if you want to use Windows Phone 8. HTC has the 8XT, infused with Beats audio. Samsung the glossy plastic ATIV S and ATIV S Neo. And of course, there's the gorgeous flagship Nokia Lumia 1020. It's simply the best platform for those who want more choice in hardware.

6. Text messaging incorporates Facebook messages too

Like any other smartphone, Windows Phones include basic text messaging. But if you sync your phone to your Facebook account, you can seamlessly switch between Facebook chat and normal text messaging with your contacts. It's a great way to limit how many text messages you send each month.

Yes, the iPhone has iMessage for sending free texts, but not everyone has an iPhone. Chances are just about everyone you know already has a Facebook account.

7.  Profiles for your contacts have a lot more useful information

Windows Phone 8 takes contact cards a step further than other devices. Instead of just showing you the name, email, and phone number, you also get a list of recent emails and text messages from your contacts. That's very helpful if you need to quickly look up all the communication you've had with a person.

8. You don't have to pay extra to edit documents

Windows Phone has built-in support for Microsoft Office documents. That means you can view and edit all your Word documents, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations on any Windows Phone. 

There are several apps that do the same thing on iPhone. Apple's solution is to make you pay $10 for each separate app. (Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.)

9. The world's best smartphone camera only comes with Windows Phone 8

Some people couldn't care less how many megapixels their smartphone's camera is, as long as it takes good pictures.

But for those looking for the best camera phone out there, Nokia's Lumia 1020 packs a whopping 41 megapixel camera, and takes insanely beautiful pictures. You're not going to see this level of massive clarity on an iPhone 5. For those missing the feel of holding an actual camera, there's also an optional camera grip you can purchase for $79.

Source : Businessinsider.com

AJ

Micromax Canvas 4 Review

I've been seeing how Micromax is gradually growing its user base. The expectations from the users are also increasing day by day. Amidst these situations Micromax has decided to launch its Canvas4 to complete with the Samsung Galazy S4. And for all the people waiting for the Canvas 4 review , here it goes :

Design And Build Quality
The Canvas 4 looks just like a run-of-the-mill Android handsets. In spite of that, it’s still the most refined phone Micromax has ever come up with. Especially, the aluminium frame, which also works as antenna, makes it feel premium to some extent. Like any smartphone with a 5-inch screen, the Canvas 4 isn't ideal for single handed usage. Its glossy back-panel makes matters even worse.



The phone features three capacitive navigation keys – Home, Back, and Options. These keys are backlit, and offer haptic feedback when touched. The Lock/Power button is placed on the right side, whereas the Volume rocker sits bang opposite. Finally, the top of the device houses a 3.5 mm jack, while the micro-USB port is at the bottom.



During the launch event, Micromax had given a long speech on the Canvas 4’s design story. But now we know that it’s nothing but a replica of BLU's Life One handset. However, at the same time, I don’t think their target audience will crib about the lack of originality.

Display
The Canvas 4 features a 5" screen with pixel dimensions of 720x1280. It's an IPS type panel with aspect ratio of 16:9. Thanks to the Corning Gorilla Glass, the display is scratch resistant. The screen is bright, which somewhat helps with the sunlight legibility. Although the blacks could have been better, the overall colour reproduction is quite decent. So while this phone sports a good screen, it’s nowhere near the quality of Panasonic P51’s display. But it is noticeably better than its predecessor, Canvas HD.

Basic Specs
The phone is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor based on the MediaTek MT6589 SOC. There's 1 GB of RAM to help with multitasking. Other than that, you get 16 GB of internal storage, microSD card slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, 3G, and 2000 mAh battery.

User Interface
In terms of software, the Canvas 4 features Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean). Micromax has made a few changes to the stock UI. For starters, the lock screen features ‘Blow To Unlock’ app that does what it says. In case you’re wondering, this works on the same principle that's used in the popular Windows Phone and iOS game Blow Up The Frog — the air flow is detected by the phone's microphone. Be warned though, using this feature in public may cause a huge embarrassment. The homescreen and menu layouts are mostly unchanged, save for a few modified icons.

  

Drawing inspiration from Samsung's 'Multi-window', Micromax has come up with 'Pop Up' functionality that allows you to multitask with split screen view. Similarly, there’s a 'Video Pinning' functionality inspired by the Korean giant's 'Pop up play'. The phone comes preinstalled with a few apps such as File Manager, Opera Mini, Foneclay, Hike, and Spuul. Moreover, you also get Micromax's exclusive services such as M! Live, Music Hub, Game Hub, and M! Security.

Swiping through homescreens and menus is quite smooth. However, you’re visited by slow-downs once in a while. Coming to the subject of gaming, the phone can handle casual titles such as Temple Run 2 and Angry Birds: Star Wars with ease. If you’re hoping to play GPU demanding games including Real Racing 3, then you’re out of luck. In AnTuTu, the device hit the 12,800 mark, which is standard for a budget quad-core Android handset. To put things in perspective, the recently reviewed Zen Ultrafone 701HD had an almost similar score of 12,992.

  

Multimedia
Micromax has skinned the default music player, which looks like a cheap imitation of Microsoft’s Metro interface. The Canvas 4’s bundled earphones are similar to what we get with the much expensive LG Optimus G Pro. Sadly, the phone’s music output sounds muffled. I tried pairing it with after-market IEMs, but the results weren’t any good. So if you’re a music lover, this isn’t a phone for you.

  

Moving on to video playback, the phone supports MP4, DivX, and MKV formats out of the box. The default player stutters with certain clips with high bit-rate. The default video player offers MXPlayer’s swipe controls — seek the video by swiping horizontally and Swipe vertically to control volume. Moreover, the phone also borrows the 'Smart Pause' trick from the GALAXY S4. When enabled, this feature should ideally pause the video playback when you look away, and should resume once you look back at the screen. However, in real world conditions, this feature randomly pauses the video, which becomes very annoying at times.

Camera
The phone comes with a 13 mp auto-focus camera with an LED lash. The snapper offers various modes that include Normal, face beauty, HDR, panorama, smile shot, and multi-angle. Another feature worth mentioning is Burst shot that allows you to take 99 shots in one go.

The good news here is that, the Canvas 4 is the first Micromax phone with a good camera. The resulting photographs offer natural colours, and decent amount of detail. It's better than those snappers found on budget Android phones, but just don't get your hopes too high. Click here, to view the untouched camera sample. The Canvas 4 records full-HD videos in MP4 format. The quality of the recorded videos is quite good.

Telephony And Messaging
Like any other dual-SIM (GSM) phone, the Canvas 4 features a SIM management menu. It also comes with some neat gesture controls. For instance, you can put the incoming call on silent by simply flipping the device. Similarly, keeping it upside down during the voice call will put the phone on speaker. The handset's network reception and call quality is pretty good. On the messaging front, the on-screen keyboard is standard Android affair.

  

Battery
The 2000 mAh battery easily lasts for more than a day with standard usage. In our video loop test, it managed to power the device for almost 5 hours. For a 5" quad-core Android phone, I think the battery's performance is decent enough.

Verdict
The Canvas 4 is a good smartphone, perhaps the best Micromax has ever made. The price tag of Rs 18,000 is a bit stiff, but if you're using the first or second generation Canvas phone, this is a worthy upgrade. However, if you own a Canvas 3, you better give this one a miss. As far as the competition goes, the LAVA Iris 504Q comes with an inferior camera, but offers better value for Rs 13,500. Moreover, if you're into gaming, there's nothing like the XOLO Play T1000 in this price segment, and you can save a couple of thousand rupees too.

Features: 4/5
Design And Build Quality: 3.5/5
Performance: 3.5/5
Value For Money: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Specifications: 

• 5" IPS touchscreen with pixel dimensions of 720x1280.
• 1.2 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 CPU, PowerVR SGX 544MP.
• 1 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage (10 GB user accessible), microSD card.
• 13 megapixel rear camera with autofocus snapper, 5 megapixel front camera.
• 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS.
• Micro-USB 3.0, 3.5 mm audio jack, FM radio, Full HD 30 fps video playback.
• Sensors: Gravity, Proximity, Ambient light.
• 2000 mAh Li-Ion battery with up to 8 hours talk time and 220 hours standby time.
• 5.7" (H) x 2.9" (W) x 0.35" (8.9 mm) (D), 158 grams.
• Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean), Google Play Store.
• Dual-SIM, Dual standby, GSM (2G): 900/1800/1900/850 MHz, UMTS (3G): 2100 MHz.
• Apps and Games: Hook Up, M! Live, M! Zone +, M! Security, Spuul, Hike, Foneclay, Music Hub, Opera Mini, GMS, Game Hub, NFS, Fruit Devil, Dark man.

Source : techtree.com

AJ

Study Finds Nearly Half of iOS Apps Violate Apple's Privacy Policy..!!!

A recent study by the University of California, San Diego suggests that nearly half of all iOS applications still use UDIDs in violation of Apple’s own privacy policy.

Earlier this year, Apple set a May 1 deadline for applications to stop using your unique device ID (UDID) – a 40-character long serial number appearing on iPhones, iPads and iPod touches – as a way of identifying you for advertising and other purposes. But a recent study by the University of California, San Diego (PDF here) suggests that nearly half of all iOS applications still use UDIDs in violation of Apple’s own privacy policy.

Ideally, your UDID is only supposed to be used by Apple to allow you to enjoy App Store and iTunes purchases on multiple devices without having to buying them more than once. UDIDs also help Apple route iMessages to your iPhone and iPad at the same time, if you so choose. Unfortunately, third party app developers also began associating UDIDs with your name and address to track your usage across devices and apps, creating incredibly rich advertising databases on Apple customers. In 2012, a batch of 12 million UDIDs were released by hacking group Anonymous, highlighting just how public this supposedly private data can be.

Apple addressed these privacy concerns in March 2013, announcing that, “starting May 1, the App Store will no longer accept new apps or app updates that access UDIDs.” But according to UCSD researcher Yuvraj Agarwal, 40 percent of apps still try to access your UDID, even after the May 1 deadline. Because many of these apps have been updated since May 1, it’s questionable just how seriously Apple is taking its own privacy protection rules.

To collect their data, the UCSD team created an app called ProtectMyPrivacy that creates notifications whenever an app requests access to your contacts, location, or UDID. According to data collected in 2012, 48% of apps requested UDIDs, 13% requested your location, and just over 6% requested access to your address book.

Currently, the ProtectMyPrivacy app is unavailable on the Apple App Store, as Apple has rejected it for inclusion. Owners of jailbroken iPhones can download the app by visiting the non-profit protectmyprivacy.org.

This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Techlicious.

AJ

Want to buy James Bond's Actual Working Submarine Car...!!!

I know what's running in your mind...you must be thinking I have gone nuts right ...?

No , not at all.... I'm serious and here is all about it...

James Bond's Lotus Esprit may not be as beautiful or iconic as the Aston Martin DB5, but it is the most outlandish ride 007 ever drove. That's because it doubled as a submarine.

The car used in the movie actually functioned underwater.

And now it's for sale.

RM Auctions is putting the Esprit Series 1, which starred in the 1977 Bond flick "The Spy Who Loved Me," on the block in London, September 8-9.

The Lotus has never been offered for sale, and spent much of its life forgotten in a Long Island storage unit. In 1989, a couple bought the unit without knowing its contents, only to find one of the coolest cars in movie history.

The auction house has not yet listed an expected sale price, but the last iconic Bond car it put under the hammer, the DB5 driven by Sean Connery in "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball," sold in 2010 for £2.9 million ($4.4 million).

The submarine car was known as "Wet Nellie" during filming, and was built for more than $100,00 (approximately $500,000 today) from the shell of the Lotus Esprit.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/working-james-bond-submarine-car-on-sale-2013-6#ixzz2XWhi3D7w

AJ

Google's another Eureka Moment...!!!

On Saturday(15th June) Google revealed top-secret plans of sending balloons to the edge of space with the lofty aim of bringing Internet to the two-thirds of the global population currently without web access.

Scientists from Google released up to 30 helium-filled test balloons flying 20 kilometres above Christchurch in New Zealand on Saturday.

While still in the early stages, Project Loon hopes eventually to launch thousands of balloons to provide Internet to remote parts of the world, allowing more than four billion people with no access to get online.

“Project Loon is an experimental technology for balloon-powered Internet access,” the company said on its latest project from its clandestine Google , “where we work on radical, sci-fi-sounding technology solutions to solve really big world problems”.

But Richard DeVaul, chief technical architect at Google, cautioned that “it's awfully too early to think about covering the entire planet”.

If this experiment succeeds it would be a boon of free internet for all the people in the world.

AJ

Apple now copies Windows Phone

Very Funny....!!!

All these days Apple was struggling to battle the copyright laws against Samsung and now just after few days it lost the battle, Apple reveals its copy tactics in iOS7.

Yes, its true.....And now it has copied from the Windows Phone. Check out the below pics.

And the other most important thing we would be excited to know is iOS 7 will be using Bing instead of Google in its Siri associated features....

All these days, Iphone users always criticized Windows Phone Design and Features .... Now I would love to hear from them what made Apple copy the same features .... (Wink)

AJ