Pulse
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Gogoro's new flagship Pulse is a sporty, high-tech scooter
Gogoro is best known for its battery swapping tech, but its new scooter may be one of the quickest and highest-tech models available.
Revamped Twitch app streams live from your phone
As useful as the Twitch mobile app can be, it still falls short of what you're used to on the desktop, especially if you're a broadcaster. Would you believe that you have to switch apps just to stream live? Thankfully, it's shrinking that gap today. It's starting to roll out a Twitch app overhaul that adds some of the features you take for granted while refining the interface. For creators, the biggest deal is simply direct mobile streaming -- you can livestream to your channel without any go-between software. While phone-based broadcasting was certainly possible before, this could easily lead to more IRL streams from your favorite streamers.
Philips camera monitors baby vitals from afar
Sure, junior looks fine sleeping on the baby-cam, but do you know her or his oxygen level, heartbeat and breathing rate, you monster? Of course not (don't worry, you're a good parent), because there's no way of monitoring such things short of hooking the poor tyke up to a pulse oxymeter. At least, until now. Philips has revealed a camera that can detect all those things from afar, without touching the patient. The fruit of the companies contactless monitoring project, it can get a pulse rate, breathing rate and blood oxygen level by detecting changes in skin color that are invisible to the naked eye.
Karma kills unlimited data, announces less restrictive plans
After two stabs at unlimited hotspot data -- which involved severe limits on data speeds, as well as heavy throttling -- Karma is calling it quits. As a replacement, the startup is launching a new series of tiered plans dubbed Pulse, which start at $40 a month for 5GB of data. If you need more data, there's also a 10GB plan for $75 a month, and a 20GB option for $140 a month. Having learned its lesson from extreme restrictions, Karma says it won't be throttling or limiting bandwidth for Pulse plans (expect speeds between 6 megabits per second and 8 Mbps, instead of being stuck at 5 Mbps). You'll also be able to connect up to eight devices, just like Karma's "Refuel" pay-as-you-go plan, rather than being limited to five connections.
Taser's smallest weapon ever is for civilians, not cops
Although Taser is mostly known for supplying weapons to law enforcement officers, the company also focuses on people who are interested in self-defense products. With this in mind, Taser's introduced the Pulse, a small and lightweight weapon designed for the personal protection of every-day civilians. Pulse, which Taser says is its smallest weapon ever, can be easily carried around in a handbag or concealed on someone's back, measuring a mere 5.24 inches long by 4.5 inches tall and weighing roughly half a pound.
Xiaomi's $16 fitness tracker gets a heart-rate monitor
Although it isn't readily available in the west, Xiaomi's Mi Band fitness tracker has helped the company account for a quarter of all wearables sold. Unveiled in July 2014, the low-cost rubberized bracelet monitors your activity levels and analyzes your sleep, but soon be able to track another important piece of biometric data: your heart rate. The Chinese technology company today announced the Mi Band Pulse, a $16 (£10) wearable that uses a light-based PPG (photoplethysmography) sensor to measure your body's blood flow.
Pulse is a '3D' music controller for the multi-instrumentalist
Tapping out everything from a bassoon to a bass drums with a MIDI keyboard and a sampler is no big deal -- it's been a staple of electronic music for years. But, as anyone who's tried it will attest, that's a long way from "playing" those instruments -- to the point MIDI drumming has become an art in and of itself. Enter Pulse, a versatile hardware controller recently shown off at London's famous Abbey Road studios as part of its Red program, and launching on Kickstarter today. It's modest claim? Being the future of music playing.
SoundCloud's latest mobile app helps share your audio creations
SoundCloud has made much ado over playing its eclectic audio mix from your phone. But what if you're a creator who wants to make sure those tracks blow up? That's where the new SoundCloud Pulse might come in handy. The Android app currently lets you share audio, track the popularity of your work and respond to comments. That may not sound like much, but SoundCloud is promising a lot more in the future. Among other things, you'll eventually get to edit track info and upload new content directly -- helpful if you just have to record a podcast episode on your phone. There's no mention of when these features or a promised iOS version will arrive. However, it's clear that SoundCloud doesn't want you to retreat to a computer just to manage your masterpieces.
Motorola unveils wireless Pulse and Surround headphones
Hold on, folks -- Motorola's big event wasn't done when it unveiled a trio of new smartphones. The company has also launched two sets of Bluetooth headphones, the in-ear Surround (shown above) and over-ear Pulse (below). Besides the form factor, you're mostly choosing based on longevity. The bigger Pulse lasts a healthy 18 hours on a charge, while the tinier, waterproof Surround will get you a smaller, but respectable 12 hours of listening. They're both available today, starting at $60 for the Pulse and bumping up to $70 for the Surround.
ADT partners with LG and Nest to pair home automation with security
ADT already dipped its toe in the home automation waters, but the company plans to make an even bigger splash in the months to come. It announced today that it'll leverage tech from LG and Nest to add to its connected home tool set. First, ADT and LG are working on a so-called all-in-one "Smart Security" device (pictured above) that'll offer not only video monitoring, but it will act as a hub for connecting other gadgets as well. As you might expect, this means you'll be able to control the whole lot from ADT's app; however, the device isn't schedule to launch until this fall.
How would you change Maingear's Pulse 17?
When Maingear's Pulse 17 launched, it was famous for being the world's thinnest 17-inch gaming laptop (not that that's a big achievement) and its sports car paintjob. Jam packed with top-of-the-line hardware, the Pulse 17 was an easy device to fall in love with, except for a few minor gripes that knocked some of the sheen of the experience. After all, if you're spending $3,000 on a laptop, you expect a working keyboard, right? Still, now we turn the question over to you, so head over to our forums and talk about what you loved and loathed about this device.
How would you change Withings' Pulse?
Regular readers know that I don't get to review too many devices, so it's a perk when one of mine appears on the HWYC timetable. Withings' belt-worn activity monitor was one of the best in the category, but it was a category that was rapidly being superseded by wrist-based hardware. After all, it's far easier to remember to wear a watch than it is to transfer a pedometer when you change clothes. My other gripes centered around the peeling paint job, perishable rubber clip and the fact that the mobile app didn't encourage you to get up. The company has already learned from these lessons, with the Activité and Health Mate now much improved, but if you bought a first-generation Pulse, why not jump to the forum and tell us what you thought of it?
Epson dives into fitness wearables with heart and run trackers
How do you know when wrist-worn technology is officially a trend? When a brand best known for its printers gets in on the action. As promised, Epson is launching its first wrist-based wearables, and they're all about improving your fitness. Each line delivers a slight twist on a familiar formula. The Runsense GPS watch range (shown above) can track your running even if it loses signal thanks to stride sensors on some models, and lasts for a healthy 30 hours of continuous tracking; you may not need to recharge for days. The Pulsense line, meanwhile, monitors your heart rate, activity and sleep quality using a blend of optical and motion sensors. You theoretically never have to take the tracker off, although the 36-hour battery suggests you'll be doing that quite often.
Jabra's pulse-tracking earbuds tout Bluetooth for fewer tangles
Heart rate-tracking in-ear headphones are starting to pop up on the regular it seems. A couple weeks ago, SMS Audio revealed its collaborative effort with Intel, and now Jabra's joining the fray, but without the tether. In an effort to limit cord tangles, the audio outfit's Sport Pulse wireless earbuds connect to your phone via Bluetooth for sorting tunes and tracking your pulse. Dolby sound handles the listening duties while an in-line remote wrangles those mid-run track changes. Inside, an optical, biometric heart rate monitor keeps tabs on your workout, beaming collected data to the Sport Life companion app and peppering your activity with personalized coaching for added motivation. And as you might expect, the software helps plan workouts and logs info from each session. The wireless set goes on sale October 1st for $200 (£200), but you can pre-order now if you're unable to contain the excitement.
Virgin Mobile lets you customize your family's prepaid phone plan
In the US, prepaid cellphone service tends to be a like-it-or-leave-it proposition that rarely fits perfectly, especially for families. Virgin Mobile may have a smarter approach in store; it's launching Custom, a prepaid family plan that lets you tailor usage to your liking. You can put as many as five people on plans that start at $7 each ($35 for unlimited talk and text) and scale up depending on individual needs. If Mom is a big fan of streaming music but rarely makes calls, she can pile on the data (or use a $5 Unlimited Music plan) and reduce her voice minutes; a chat-happy kid, meanwhile, can have gobs of messages but only minimal internet access. You can change the plans at any time from mobile apps, and built-in parental controls let you declare certain apps as off-limits during specified hours.
Daily Roundup: Google's Chromecast SDK, Facebook Paper hands-on and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
PlayStation 4 update supports Sony's pricey headsets, including a new model
PlayStation 3 owners who quickly moved to the PS4 couldn't take their expensive Pulse headsets with them, but that won't be a problem for long. A version 1.6 update reaching the newer console late this evening will bring full support for both the regular Pulse and its Elite Edition, giving players 7.1-channel virtual surround sound and voice chat through Sony's official hardware. Elite Edition owners will also get to use a Headset Companion App (due later this month) that sets custom audio profiles. To mark the occasion, Sony is launching some new audio gear: the Gold Wireless Headset offers 7.1-channel audio, voice and game profiles in a travel-ready, foldable design. It should sell for $100 when it hits store shelves early this month.
PS4 firmware update to unlock use of 7.1 surround sound Pulse headsets
A new system software update for the PS4 will open the range of options for compatible headsets for the console, Sony announced. Firmware version 1.60 will add support for Sony's Pulse and Pulse Elite Edition wireless stereo headsets for PS3, which feature 7.1 virtual surround sound and voice chat. The update is expected to land "late tonight." Sony also mentioned that its next PS4 and Vita-compatible headset, the Gold Wireless Headset, will arrive early this month for $99. The headset also includes 7.1 virtual surround sound in addition to "custom sound profiles" created by PlayStation developers. One of the developers to optimize a sound profile for the headset is Infamous: Second Son creators Sucker Punch. Sony will offer a Headset Companion App on PS4 for free, so players with either Pulse headset can access the sound profiles. Sony's description of the Gold Wireless Headset notes that it uses a wireless adapter, which makes sense given the PS4's limited recognition of bluetooth devices. It also includes a folding design and customizable face plates, which is pretty nifty. [Image: Sony]
iOximeter monitors your heart-rate, is powered by your phone's headphone socket
Connecting health-monitoring hardware to smartphones is a no-brainer. The phone does the heavy processing, offers up power and screen, and thus makes the hardware cheaper and more importantly , smaller. However, you still need to power the thing, which can be tough when you're trying to gauge vitals overnight or longer. Insert Coin competitor iOximeter, a pulse oximeter, reckons it's solved that issue by taking what it needs, power-wise, from your headphone socket. Using a special pulse sensor (that it already owns the intellectual property rights for), iOximeter drops the power requirements down to under 8mA, which means it frees up the typical smartphone battery port (micro-USB or Lightning; it's iOS- and Android-compatible) to continue charging. "Because we can add more features through the smartphone app, unlike some relationships, it's going to get even better over time." The sensor we toyed with at Expand was accurate to within 2 BPM at resting heart rates (it gets even better when you're riled), while it can also count the level of blood oxidation -- thus the name. That isn't where the capabilities stop however, and future development focuses on both respiration rate (intake per minute) and heart-rate deviation, which sounds like a scary metric that would deserve some monitoring. "Because we can add more features through the smartphone app, unlike some relationships it's going to get even better over time", said iOximeter's Yale Zhang, with a sigh. Aside from health business applications, where a cheap long-term monitor could make remote care a whole lot more feasible, the team has already seen interest from, oddly, yoga and meditation groups. These people are apparently looking to log and monitor exactly how relaxed (precisely!) they're getting during their mantras. No price has been set yet, although the team is promising it'd be an accessible one. We'll update when we get a price tag. Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.
JBL's Pulse speaker lets you program an LED light show for when your disco needs you
Remember when you first used iTunes and you'd turn on the visualizer, and just stare at the screen as the psychedelic patterns pulsed to the music? Yeah, well no one does that anymore. But since the dream of the '90s is back (it is, right?), JBL's letting music lovers install a bit of the dancefloor in their homes with the Pulse -- blacklight posters optional. The LED-laden, cylindrical speaker has two 40mm drivers powering its sound, up to ten hours of battery life, NFC and Bluetooth for quick device pairing and audio streaming, as well as five pre-set light configurations for users to choose from. Don't worry, you can also customize the LED array to your liking -- which is all you should really care about, anyway -- and control setup from a companion app. JBL's $200 rave-speaker isn't set to ship from its site until next month, but you can go ahead and pre-order one now for your very own den of iniquity. And, while you're at it, may as well dust off those JNCOs, too.
