The Motorola VivaLnk Make Temporary Tattoo Can Unlock Your Phone

Motorola has teamed up with a company called VivaLnk to make a temporary tattoo that can unlock a smartphone, no PIN required. Slap it on your skin, hold your phone up to it, and bam — phone unlocked.

Who needs gestural passwords or face recognition when you can unlock your phone like a time-traveling space wizard?

So how does it work? It’s an ultra-thin NFC circuit, wrapped up in medical-grade 3M adhesive that won’t (or, at least, shouldn’t) freak out your skin.

A 10 pack of tattoos will set you back $10 bucks. Motorola says these things should stand up to swimming and other exercise and should last for up to five days — so that 10 pack would optimally last you a bit over a month and a half.

Before you go and order a pack, there’s one catch: these tattoos only work with the Motorola X right now (because nothing helps test a wacky niche product concept like severely limiting the potential customer base). If you’ve got any other Android phone, you’re stuck unlocking your phone manually like a chump.

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Nokia and Microsoft May Be Working on an Android-Powered Lumia

Microsoft's next Lumia smartphone could be an Android.

While the two have previously released Android-powered devices, notably the Nokia X, the non-Windows Phone version of its flagship Lumia line would be a first for Nokia.

The new Lumia will supposedly be released under the Nokia by Microsoft brand, according to evleaks, which reported the rumor. The Twitter account, which has proved spot-on in past leaks, previously reported Microsoft would eventually rebrand all of Nokia's Windows Phone devices as "Nokia by Microsoft."

It's not clear whether the rumored handset would run a full version of Android or follow the same model as Nokia's X line, which are Android-powered but don't rely on Google services like the Play Store. Instead, the devices offer a selection popular Android apps through third-party app stores, along with the Nokia Store, similar to the approach Amazon took with its Android-powered Fire tablets.

The company recently added a new low-cost smartphone to the Nokia X lineup, the Nokia X2, slated to hit shelves later this month. Microsoft has used its Nokia X devices to lure feature phone owners in emerging markets.

Nokia was already one of Microsoft's closest partners for mobile when the Redmond-based company officially acquired Nokia's Devices and Services business in 2013 for $7.2 billion.

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'Smart Glass' Could Produce DSLR-Quality Smartphone Photos

Newly developed "smart glass" technology that mimics the shutter capabilities of a traditional camera could improve the pictures you snap on your smartphone. Researchers in Germany have developed a camera component for smartphones that helps adjust light, exposure and focus.

Traditional cameras have what photographers refer to as an aperture — overlapping blades around the inside of a lens that move mechanically to change the size and focus of the lens. The aperture is sometimes referred to as an "iris." Much like the iris of the human eye, it controls how much light enters the mechanism, which affects the image that is eventually produced. When it comes to cameras, the amount of light that touches the camera's sensors affect the overall focus of the picture you take.

Because of their size, smartphone cameras currently don’t have aperture mechanisms. "There is no technology today that can realize an iris aperture for smartphone cameras," said Tobias Deutschmann, physicist at the Technische Universitaet Kaiserslautern in Germany and lead-author of the study.

As a result, camera phone pictures won’t have the same quality or focus as pictures taken by a DSLR camera, for instance.

"The [smartphone] cameras would benefit from an iris, because it allows [the camera] to change the depth of focus, which is not possible right now, and would further close the gap in functionality between smartphone cameras and conventional digital cameras," Deutschmann told Live Science. "In addition it would be an option to create larger optics for the smartphones to increase the picture quality in bad light situations, like at night, while the iris would decrease the amount of light that reaches the sensor in bright environments."

Deutschmann and his colleagues developed a mechanism to make up for the need for better focus — a "micro-iris." The thin device, made of electrochromic material sometimes referred to as "smart glass," can be placed on the smartphone camera lens. Electrochromic material controls how much light passes through itself by changing its transparency in response to light or heat. Smart glass has been used in sunroofs, windows and skylights, and the material changes in opacity from transparent to translucent when heated or when voltage is applied to it.

In rearview mirrors, smart glass tints the mirror to reduce light glare. In architecture, smart glass is being employed in buildings as a way to cut energy costs, Green Tech Media reports.

But in smartphone cameras, the smart glass in the micro-iris could function as an aperture — it can adjust how much light enters the camera, preventing too much exposure and helping to focus the image. The micro-iris is also incredibly low-powered, requiring only 1.5 volts of electricity, which means handheld smartphones are well-suited to handle it, the researchers said.

Deutschmann said the smart glass is still in its early stages of development, which means the idea works in principle but isn’t quite ready for commercial products just yet. Future research will look at how well electrochromic materials can control camera focus — an important parameter that will determine whether smart glass will be a key feature for next-generation smartphones.

This article originally published at LiveScience.

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Glance Turns Almost Any Wrist Gear Into a Smart Device

It's not a smartwatch, but it's pretty dang close.

Glance is a wristband prototype accessory that can effectively turn a regular watch into a smartwatch. Designed by Kiwi Wearables, a startup based out of Toronto, Canada, Glance can be tucked in behind a regular watch band and synced with a smartphone.

The device can alert the wearer to incoming calls or text messages, track movement and be used as a remote control for a smart TV, according to the device's Kickstarter page.

Unlike many smartphones, which can only survive a few hours of optimum use before needing juice, Glance's designers created it to last for a week without charging. When its power is low, the Glance's battery can easily be recharged via its USB port, just like any other mobile device.

Glance also uses a 3D motion detector to measure movement. For example, it can tell how many steps you've taken or how many miles you've biked. It also has the added benefit of being waterproof.

The team behind Glance is looking to raise $150,000 by July 3 to fund the project. So far, they have nearly 500 contributors who have collectively put up just over $41,000.

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Google Launches New Platform to Connect Businesses With Customers

Google wants to create a better business directory and, this time, they mean business.

On Thursday the tech giant launched Google My Business, a one-stop way for merchants to manage their presence on a variety of the company's properties including search, maps and Google+.

Business owners that had been using Places for Business or Google+ will be transitioned to the new platform. There is also an Android app that can be used to manage business information and respond to customer reviews.

"The Internet is connecting more businesses with their people every day. However, our users tell us that finding these loyal customers can be complex and time-consuming. We believe it shouldn’t be," Google posted in a blog entry.

Google lauds the program as a way for businesses to better understand their customers and cater to their needs. The new system will integrate with Google's AdWords platform and provide businesses with data about customers and engagement.

The program is a simple way for Google to compile accurate business information that its various properties can then use to improve its other properties. Having a directory of accurate and easily referenced business data should be particularly helpful for mobile and contextual search, which heavily relies on combining user data with search results to provide better results.

Users already tend to ignore search results past the first few items. One study found that the first three returns of a search receive about 60% of the traffic.

Mobile search is an important part of the future for Google, which made its name as a search engine. Desktop search is expected to decline as mobile search grows — a trend that has already had an impact on Google's revenue.

Google isn't the only tech company to try to embrace businesses. Yahoo has also made moves to bolster its mobile search offering, partnering with Yelp to provide information that will be similar to the data compiled by Google My Business.

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Japan Lets You Use Your Passport to Get Free Wi-Fi

Although Japan is renowned for having some of the best customer service on the planet, for various reasons, including language and cultural hurdles, it isn't known as the most tourist-friendly destination.

Some of those hurdles also extend into the tech arena, namely, Wi-Fi. Although sidling up to a café in Europe or North America and grabbing a bit of free Wi-Fi for your mobile device is common, finding such wireless access in tech-centric Japan's major cities remains notoriously difficult. But that's about to change.

A new program launched by NTT (Japan's largest telecom), is designed to serve foreign tourists on the hunt for Wi-Fi. For those who haven't traveled to Japan, the program might seem behind the times, but for anyone familiar with attempting to find Wi-Fi in Japan, this is huge news. (YouTube is littered with video commentary from frustrated travelers marveling at the lack of Wi-Fi access in such a technologically advanced country as Japan.)

Now, when a traveler arrives at a Japanese airport, they can present their passport and register for a Wi-Fi card that offers free Wi-Fi coverage via 45,000 hot spots in the eastern Japan area including Tokyo, Hakone, Mt. Fuji, Yokohama, Nagano, Nikko, Kusatsu, Tohoku, Hokkaido and Fukushima.

Additionally, a traveler outside of the country preparing to visit Japan can download the iOS or Android version of the NAVITIME for Japan Travel app and obtain an ID and password beforehand. The app also offers an augmented reality mode that shows you a Street View-style image of the location where an available Wi-Fi hotspot is located.

However, the access only lasts for 14 days (or 336 hours), just enough to get you used to the free access, but not long enough to be truly useful for anyone planning an extended stay in Japan.

According to the Nikkei, the program is also being directed by the Japanese government, which plans to use the initiative to get more buildings in the country to offer Wi-Fi access.

The trial program, which began earlier this year, will last until September 2014.

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Motorola Slashes $100 Off Its Moto X Smartphone for 48 Hours

Motorola is knocking $100 off the price of its Moto X smartphone for just 48 hours.

The company announced the deal on Twitter Tuesday night, but it's applicable to only those in the U.S.

The sale, which began at 12 a.m. Wednesday and will run through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, is good for the 32GB Moto X and its Developer Edition the latter comes with a woven white design on the back.

There's no contract attached to the discount.

Typically, the Moto X costs around $349, according to Motorola's website, so $249 for a no-strings-attached upgrade is a pretty good deal.

The user also has the ability to custom design his or her own phone, choosing from a selection of body and accent colors. It's possible to inscribe a personal message or name on the back of the device too.

The sale comes one day after Motorola announced it is bringing the Android 4.43 KitKat operating system to more Moto devices. The software comes with a better camera and a cleaner interface.

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LG G3 Specs Leak Ahead of Release: QuadHD Display, 13MP Camera

The LG G3 is set to be launched on Tuesday, May 27, but some of LG's international websites have killed the suspense by publishing the device's specifications a day early.

Droid Life has the details (coming from LG's Dutch site), and they're as expected: the LG G3 will feature a QuadHD (2560x1440 pixels), 5.5-inch display — the first high-profile Android phone to do so.

We also know the G3 will have a 13-megapixel rear camera, 2GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 801 processor, 16GB of storage (expandable via microSD memory cards), and a 3,000mAh battery.

Other features of note include a 2.1-megapixel front camera, "lightweight metallic design," wireless charging support and a 1W speaker.

We'll follow up after the device's official unveiling later today.

Image: LG

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Google Unveils Self-Driving Car Prototype

Google has been building self-driving cars for years, but what we've seen so far has always been retrofits of existing cars — until now. The search giant unveiled on Tuesday a fully autonomous self-driving car, built from the ground up by Google and its partners.

Company co-founder Sergey Brin revealed his plans at Recode's Code Conference in southern California. He told Recode editors Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher (who has ridden in the car), that there's a safety benefit in a custom-built self-driving car. Because the car doesn't have a steering wheel, accelerator or brakes, it has more sensors in strategic spots than is possible in a regular vehicle. It is also equipped with a big "stop" button. In addition to all this tech, Google's autonomous car includes internal power steering and power brakes.

"It was inspiring to start with a blank sheet of paper and ask, 'What should be different about this kind of vehicle?'" Chris Urmson, director of the Self-Driving Car Project, wrote in a blog post about the new car.

Swisher said riding in the all-electric car was like going on a Disney ride. Considering it currently has a maximum speed of roughly 25 mph, this makes sense. Brin described riding in the car, which in one test was programmed via smartphone, as "relaxing," and similar to catching a chairlift. He added that the car will eventually go up to 100 mph once it's proven to be able to travel safely at that speed.

As for when the cars — which are significantly smaller than traditional cars and include couch-like seating — might actually make it to real highways, Brin said Google will soon test them with drivers. "Within a couple of years, we'll — if we’ve passed the safety metrics we've put in place, which is to be significantly safer than a human driver ... have them on the road," he said.

Image: GOOGLE

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Waterproof 360-Degree HD Camera Adds a World of Depth to Oculus Rift

With tools such as the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift moving into the mainstream, panoramic video and imagery are increasingly becoming necessary perspectives rather than mere visual curios.

Helping to meet that need is a new Kickstarter-backed panoramic video camera called the 360cam.

Created by France-based Giroptic, the tiny device might remind you of the roof-mounted camera seen on Google Street View cars. But this isn't a tool for large corporations; it's designed for the average user.

Housed in a blue and black plastic egg-like shell, the device allows you to capture 360-degree HD video and photos, all while delivering the device's current status on its surface via LED display. The display can indicate the camera's current mode (Time Lapse, Burst, Photo, Video, Live) and count down during timed photos.

Oculus owners can view live panoramic video through the 360cam's Oculus Rift video player. And, because the 360cam is waterproof, it offers the potential of virtual trips under the surface, for the first time. To enhance the visual clarity of underwater shots, the device also comes with a unique set of goggles for its lenses.

A few weeks ago, we saw a similar device called the Centr Cam, developed by a team of former Apple employees. But at time of writing, with only eight days to go, that Kickstarter campaign has raised roughly $500,000 of its $900,000. By contrast, the 360cam quickly blew past its goal of $150,000 — earning nearly $180,000 with 43 days of crowdfunding left.

"We have a wider field of view, 360x150 vertical, covering almost the full sphere, [and] we have a gyroscope for image stabilization," a Giroptic spokesperson told when asked to list differences between the two products.

Early backers of the device will receive the 360cam in August, and the company expects to start selling the camera in November for about $499.

Image: GIROPTIC

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China Bans Windows 8 on Government Computers

China is banning the government's use of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, according to a notice posted on its website.

The Central Government Procurement Center is prohibiting government computers from installing Windows 8 or buying new devices with the software, Chinese news site Xinhua reports. The government posted the message announcing the change in policy late last week. The consumer Windows 8 market in China will not be affected.

Although details regarding the ban are vague, the government said it will only be purchasing energy-efficient IT products from now on, from desktop computers and laptops to tablets But the move is also said to protect computer security after Microsoft curtailed its support for Windows XP, which was largely used across the country.

Market firm StatCounter states that Windows XP systems make up 44% of desktops in China, while Windows 8 is only installed on 3.4% of computers.

The news comes as China emphasized to Microsoft that it should drop the price of its Windows products. Although Windows usage in China has been low, the Chinese government was a big customer for Microsoft.

Microsoft was reportedly surprised by the news. “We have been and will continue to provide Windows 7 to government customers,” the company said in an email, according to PCWorld. “At the same time, we are working on the Window 8 evaluation with relevant government agencies.”

Meanwhile, the company is gearing up for its "small" Surface event in New York City on Tuesday, when it will likely launch its first Mini tablet to compete against both Apple and Amazon's small-screen tablets.

IMAGE: ZYCG.GOV.CN

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Teen Breaks Guinness World Record for Fastest Texting

Many of us pride ourselves on being able to text while walking or while out at a bar, but one teenager has the best brag of all — he is now officially the world’s fastest texter.

Using Fleksy, a keyboard app, Marcel Fernandes broke the old record and carved himself a place in history in the Guinness Book of World Records. And he did it while typing, not swiping.

Fernandes, a 16-year-old from Brazil, typed out a 25-word paragraph in 18.19 seconds on April 25. The previous record was set in January by Gaurav Sharma, a 15-year-old from Seattle. Sharma texted the same paragraph in 18.44 seconds using Microsoft’s newest Windows Phone 8.1 software, with the lauded Word Flow keyboard.

The paragraph both record-holders had to write is strange and longer than most of us ever write while texting:

The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.

Fernandes, despite being a teenager and avid smartphone user, doesn’t believe he’s addicted to texting.

“Since I was a child, I always loved phones, and still love smartphones today,” he told CNN. “But I don’t consider myself addicted to using smartphones, as I don’t spend all day using them.”

As for the founder and COO of Fleksy, Ioannis Verdelis couldn’t be happier.

“It was in our business plan from day one to get our technology to beat the record,” Verdelis told.

To try to beat the record, the company held a contest that asked users to test their texting capabilities against the old record. They received hundreds of entries and found Fernandes through the contest.

The company, which exited out of its beta version in both Android and iOS in December 2013 and February 2014 respectively, beat out Microsoft’s much-hyped Word Flow keyboard for the record. Released in late March, the Word Flow feature was one of the most exciting new features for Windows phones.

Word Flow isn’t the first to use swipes for texting; Swype, another keyboard app that lets users glide across letters to text, held a previous record for fastest texting. Back in 2010, Franklin Page, a Swype employee, managed to type the same paragraph in 33.54 seconds.

Unlike Word Flow or Swype, Fleksy still employs a keyboard — it just also uses an algorithm to autocorrect and guess a user’s next word. A user can also customize its appearance, like hiding the space bar on the keyboard.

Fleksy, along with its fastest user Fernandes, have shown that swiping isn’t always necessary for speed.

"Though we like swiping as an input method, the vision is to make an awesome keyboard that everyone can use," Verdelis said. "My parents know how to tap type. Now they can be fast smartphone typists too, without having to learn swiping or any other alternative input method."

In honor of beating the world record, the company released an update to its Android app, including a World Record Challenge contest. Over the next two weeks, users are being asked to beat Fernandes' world record. The top scorer receives a new Nexus 5 and the 10 runners-up receive a copy of the latest Guinness Book of World Records. The app is currently free for 45 days and available on Google Play.

VIDEO: YOUTUBE, FLEKSY

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Google Glass Can Now Empty Your Wallet When You Nod

Mobile payment systems like Isis promise a world where paying for something is as easy as waving your cellphone over a store terminal. But what if all you had to do was nod?

That's the promise of Eaze, a Google Glass app launching in beta on Friday that lets Glass users hook up a virtual Bitcoin wallet to make payments. You first activate Eaze with a voice command, TechCrunch reported; then, use Glass' camera to scan a QR code that the store will provide. A double nod completes the transaction.

It's all very clever and convenient, although Eaze obviously requires that the store accept Bitcoin. If it does, the clerk will be able to generate the code and present it to the Glass wearer on a tablet or other display. The retailer doesn't need to support Eaze specifically; the QR codes are the same as any other Bitcoin transaction. The company breaks down the process in a video:

The app just provides the means to make the transaction with Glass; it's not a virtual wallet itself. A user will need to link the app with an existing wallet, and it supports Coinbase and Blockchain to begin. The company says it has plans to add support to regular currencies like dollars and euros as well as link the app with PayPal, although those upgrades won't come until summer at the earliest.

Eaze obviously makes payment incredibly convenient. It also makes Glass a more tempting target for thieves. Glass already has a screen lock, but Eaze says a future update to the app will add the ability to set a spending limit that can't be changed without a PIN.

Although Google Glass is Eaze's first home for its payment technology, the company has plans to port the app to other wearables, including smartwatches, bracelets and even rings. Eaze says the cost of the service is free — "for now."

Eaze isn't the first payment app for Glass. Pay With Wallaby, from developer Wallaby Financial, also lets Glass users hook up a virtual wallet to the device and pay via QR code. Another app, GlassPay, is in development, and Google itself reportedly will soon introduce Google Wallet to Glass.

Image: EAZE

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Xiaomi's Mi Pad Is Almost a Spitting Image of the iPad Mini

If you thought Samsung was notorious for copying Apple, China's Xiaomi is in its own class. The company's Mi Pad tablet looks so much like the Apple iPad mini, it's eerie.

The company's first tablet, unveiled in Beijing on Thursday, has display specs that are identical to the iPad mini With Retina Display: a 7.9-inch screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio and 2,048 x 1,536 resolution. The proportions of the bezel look extremely similar — with thin sides and a thicker top/bottom — and Xiaomi even went to the trouble of making the Android-based UI resemble iOS 7, according to CNET.

The design resembles what you might get from a mating of the iPad mini and the iPhone 5C. The tablet is thicker and heavier than the iPad mini at 0.33 inch and 12.7 ounces, and the back is made of plastic. It also comes in multiple colors, including pinkish-red, blue, bright green yellow, gray and white. To Apple, that's a familiar palette.

The Xiaomi Mi Pad packs a quad-core Nvidia Tegra K1 processor with 2GB of RAM and runs Android 4.4.2. The rear camera is 8 megapixels while the front-facing camera is an impressive 5 megapixels. The non-removable battery is relatively large at 6,700 milliamp-hours (mAh). It'll come in 16GB and 64GB versions.

Another important way Xiaomi's tablet differs from the iPad mini is price: While Apple's high-res tablet starts at $399, the Mi Pad is just $240 (both for 16GB). That's even less than the regular ole (low-res) iPad mini, which starts at $299.

While Apple (and even Samsung) knockoffs are commonplace in China, the Mi Pad is notable since it comes from one of China's fastest-rising smartphone makers, and one that appeared to be on the road to mainstream legitimacy.

Founded in 2010, Xiaomi quickly established itself in China's crowded mobile market, recently becoming the country's third largest smartphone vendor. In 2013, the company hired Hugo Barra away from Google's Android division to be its vice president of global operations.

Image: XAIOMI

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New Google Glass Teardown Claims Device Costs Only $150 to Make

A complete teardown of Google Glass, Google's $1,500 wearable computer, conducted earlier this month reveals that the price of the components adds up to just $152.47.

The teardown, performed by IHS, found that the most expensive part of the Glass is its frame, which the company priced at $22.

"Today’s Google Glass feels like a prototype," said Andrew Rassweiler, senior director of cost benchmarking services for IHS, in a statement. "The design employs many off-the-shelf components that could be further optimized. If a mass market for the product is established, chipmakers are expected to offer more integrated chipsets specific to the application that will greatly improve all aspects of performance, including processing speed, energy efficiency, weight and size."

The second-most expensive component of Glass, according to IHS, is its square lens, made by Taiwan’s Himax Technologies, at a cost of $20.

A similar teardown of the device was conducted in April by Teardown.com, which came up with a figure of $79.78 for the total cost of the device's components, a figure Google disputed.

"While we appreciate Teardown.com's attempt to guess the cost of Glass, their estimate is wildly off," a spokesperson from Google told the website eWEEK, earlier this month. "Glass — parts and all — costs significantly more than their estimate."

However, at just $70 more, IHS Technology's estimate isn't likely to quell the chatter around the high price of Google Glass — a product the company says is still in beta testing — versus the cost to construct it.

But despite the wide margin between what IHS claims is Google's cost to build Glass and its price, the research company indicates that the device is worth more than the sum of its parts.

“[T]he vast majority of its cost is tied up in non-material costs that include non-recurring engineering (NRE) expenses, extensive software and platform development, as well as tooling costs and other upfront outlays," says Rassweiler. "When you buy Google Glass for $1,500, you are getting far, far more than just $152.47 in parts and manufacturing.”

This timing of this reveal of the new Google Glass teardown could turn out to be significant, as Google announced on Tuesday that it has decided to make the previously invitation-only wearable computing device available to all consumers without an invite.

Now, empowered with the knowledge that Glass costs around $150 to build, some fans of the device might think twice before parting with their $1,500.

IMAGE: IHS TECHNOLOGY

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Smart Bike Brings GPS Directions to Your Handle Bars

While some cars these days are smart enough to drive themselves, the bike industry has remained largely untouched in terms of innovation. But a new company wants to pedal forward with what it's calling the world's first smart and connected bicycle.

A Kickstarter campaign for the Vanhawks Valour smart bike connects with a smartphone app and brings tech like GPS directly to the handle bars. The concept is part of a greater effort to help bikers keep their eyes on the road, especially during high-traffic commuting times.

The smart bike adds another product to the growing category of the "Internet of Things," which refers to the concept that all devices, objects and systems could be web connected and share information in the future. Experts believe this will have a widespread effect on the way we live our everyday lives by 2025.

The bike campaign has already raised more than $400,000 — well beyond its $100,000 funding goal. Backers can pre-order the bike now for $1,049 (single-speed fixed gear) or $1,199 for a multi-speed unit, both of which are said to ship in November.

"We designed the bike for those who commute in urban setting," Ali Zahid, co-founder and COO of Vanhawks, Sohaib Zahid. "Being commuters ourselves and having a manufacturer background, we wanted to create a bike that we would use everyday with safety in mind too."

Similar to a fitness wristband tracker, the bike keeps track of your riding progress, too: it monitors and logs your activity such as distance traveled, calories burned and duration. That data is housed in a corresponding app, where bikers can later analyze the details and set goals.

In addition to giving turn-by-turn directions, the bike gets smarter over time too — it learns where to avoid potholes and suggests the safest route. And because it's connected over a network, the company is alerted when one goes missing to help aid in its recovery.

Another helpful perk that every rider could use some help in is blind spot detection. The Valour picks up on haptic feedback in the handle bar grips when an object enters a blind spot and then alerts the rider.

The will also be open for developers to create accompanying apps that work with the product.

"We can expect developers to create app games that include racing with friends and use that telemetric data to figure more out about themselves," Zahid added.

IMAGE: VANHAWKS VALOUR

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Report: Samsung's First Tizen Smartphones Are Coming to Russia and India

It looks like the first Tizen-based Samsung smartphones are finally getting closer to release.

The Korean electronics giant is preparing to launch a Tizen-based smartphone in Russia and India, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The Russian release will reportedly coincide with the Tizen Developer Conference, which takes place in San Francisco this June. Samsung will hold a launch event in Russia that's similar to its global Galaxy launches, WSJ reported.

Tizen is an open-source, Linux-based operating system led by Intel and Samsung. Like Samsung's previous Bada effort, Tizen is focused on emerging markets and low-cost devices.

Samsung's efforts to bring a Tizen-based smartphone to the market have been beset with delays. The first Tizen release was originally planned for 2012, which then became 2013. After 2013 came and went with no Tizen release, Samsung delayed the release of its first Tizen phone again in January.

Meanwhile, carrier partners — including Japan's NTT DoCoMo — have lost interest. Because Tizen is designed to run on a variety of devices, a few Tizen-based products have hit the market, including Samsung's Gear 2 smartwatch.

A Google-free OS

Samsung already controls 65% of the Android-device market, so why should it even bother with Tizen?

Two words: Ecosystem control.

Because it uses Android, Samsung's current mobile-device strategy relies on Google. Although Samsung can make some changes and tweaks to the interface, and offer its own unique applications, fundamental aspects of the OS must remain in Google's control. What's more, the future direction of the platform is shaped by Google, not Samsung.

With Tizen, Samsung has the opportunity to build its own platform. Not only can Samsung customize this platform in ways that Google won't let it (say, put in a different default mapping client or make changes to the interface), it also has the potential to build its own app ecosystem — one that Samsung, not Google, can profit from.

So why Russia and India? Samsung already has a strong presence in these markets, and as WSJ noted, the company is hoping users will be swayed by the Samsung brand (and low price point), rather than access to Android and Google apps.

It also aims to capture users in India and Russia who don't have smartphones. Like Facebook, Samsung hopes they will become life-long customers.

In that vein, the point of Tizen isn't to steal business from the 1.5 billion users who already have smartphones, it's to attract the next 2 billion smartphone users.

It's a strategy that could pay off. As long as Samsung ensures that the most-used applications (i.e. WhatsApp, Facebook) are available, it could be enough to take over the lowest end of the smartphone market. These users could then graduate to more expensive, premium Samsung smartphones in the future.

This tactic is similar to what Nokia is trying to do with its Android-based devices. The difference (aside from built-in support for existing third-party Android app stores), is that Samsung is an aspirational brand in a way that Nokia is not.

Will anyone care?

Of course, this is Samsung, so execution will be essential. The company is famous for having great ideas that don't necessarily take off because the experience isn't seamless.

What's more, Chinese and Taiwanese phone makers are increasingly pushing down prices of higher-end, Android-based smartphones. This ruins some of the appeal of a Tizen-based Samsung device, at least in regions that already have some 3G infrastructure.

It's possible that Tizen's true value might not be realized for several years. In the meantime, Samsung's strategy of basing its non-smartphone connected devices on Tizen, might have more of an impact.

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This Smart Lighter Will Help You Quit Smoking

A new Internet-connected lighter called Quitbit will light your cigarette, but wean you off a smoking habit too.

A new Kickstarter campaign called Quitbit takes the same monitoring principles embedded into fitness trackers and helps users track and cutdown on smoking. In a nod to the name, it's like a Fitbit for smoking.

The product, which launched on Monday and is seeking $50,000 in funding pledges, is a pocket lighter that uses a heating coil similar to what's found in cars. But whether you're looking to quit or not, the lighter keeps track of every time you light up and logs that data in an accompanying app.

Users can set custom plans — so they can trim on intake at whatever pace they want — and see much money they've saved by cutting back on packs along the way. It also reveals the time since your last smoke, how many were consumed within a certain period of time and lets you call out the times you shared a cigarette with a friend (or let someone borrow the lighter).

The Quitbit, which also works with e-cigarettes or the patch, was developed by two friends who wanted an easy way to track the quitting process.

"Kuji and I were both smokers and met while in grad school together at Brown," co-founder Ata Ghofrani told. "I was trying to quit when he asked how much I smoked, and I realized there wasn't a really good way to keep track." "I was trying to quit when he asked how much I smoked, and I realized there wasn't a really good way to keep track."

Although there are countless apps on the market that help smokers quit, this is the first solution that includes hardware: "We wanted a piece of hardware to automatically monitor how much you're smoking, without having to manually enter that information within the app," he added.

Although it's up to each person to decide when and if they want to quit smoking, keeping the Quitbit in your pocket — we assume — gives the same affect of wearing a fitness wristband tracker. Sure, you might not wear a Fitbit to specifically lose weight, but it serves as a constant reminder to stay active.

The Quitbit will likely do the same; having access to all of your smoking data might the final nudge you need to scale back.

IMAGE: QUITBIT

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Samsung NX3000 Camera Lets You Get Serious About Selfies

In the NX Mini, Samsung introduced a camera for the selfie-obsessed, including an LCD that flips a full 180 degrees and special settings for self portraits. Now that feature is getting a second home in the NX3000.

Whereas the NX Mini prioritized a slim form factor and speed over all else, the NX3000 is a more "traditional" mirrorless camera. Its APS-C sensor captures the same 20 megapixels as the NX Mini's, but its larger size will give image quality a boost, plus it makes the camera compatible with the diverse NX line of lenses (the Mini's 1-inch sensor requires different optics).

The marquee feature is the flip-up LCD, which gives selfie lovers the perfect way to set up a high-quality shot of themselves. Not only will you benefit from the NX3000's lens and sensor, but the camera's Self Shot mode will also automatically airbrush your selfies by default (you can turn the feature off for the "natural" look). You can also set it up to snap your selfie either after a 3-second countdown, when you smile or when you wink at the camera.

The NX3000 has a shutter speed that maxes out at 1/4,000 of a second and can capture up to six RAW photos per second. ISO is adjustable from 100 to 25,600. Just like the NX Mini, it saves to microSD cards instead of full-size ones, both to cut down on space and make them quickly swappable into a smartphone.

There's a micro USB port for data and charging (it has the same battery as in many Galaxy smartphones) as well as a micro HDMI port for displaying photos and videos on a TV. The body comes in brown, black and white, and it ships with a 16-50mm power-zoom lens that includes optical image stabilization. A detachable flash is included.

The NX300 will be available June 1 for the tidy sum of $529 (with 16-50mm OIS Power Zoom and a SEF-8 Flash), or about as much as the NX Mini (depending on the lens). A version with a 20-50mm lens and SEF-8 flash will also be available for the price of $479.

Whichever you choose is a question of how much you prioritize lens compatibility, overall slimness and that potential extra bump in image quality. But in either case, you'll get the best selfies you've ever taken.

Image: SAMSUNG

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Pocket-Sized Charger Claims to Keep Your Devices Juiced Up

Low battery, you may have met your match.

A new portable charging system aims to put on-the-go power in your pocket, boasting a set-up that reportedly doesn't compromise on power or portability. Modulo, developed by Barcelona-based tech company Idapt, is a credit card-sized gadget that claims to power any USB device, wherever you go.

"All our lifestyle now goes to electronics — it's portable, really portable," Idapt CEO Jacques Giribet told. "We have designed a battery that is as small as possible, taking into account that we want it to give you the same power as the original battery."

Once an electronic device is connected to a Modulo, either with its original charger or one of Idapt's mini cables, the battery begins to power up. The two can be even more securely attached with special adhesive strips that don't leave any residue behind. Stacking multiple Modulos on top of one another means more juice for a faster charge. For example, one Modulo would be enough to power up a smartphone as quickly as a normal charger would, but a tablet would need two or three to reach a full charge in the fastest possible time, the company claims.

The Modulos themselves can be charged from any wall socket, while connected to a computer or with a wireless receiver. Idapt also hopes it will be able to offer a solar-charging panel and crank add-on that creates its own energy. A Modulo can last up to about six months on one charge, according to the company.

There are plenty of other on-the-go charging options out there. According to Giribet, what sets Modulo apart from the rest of the pack is the fact that it's compatible with so many devices, and users don't have to choose between true portability — each Modulo weighs 2.4 ounces — and function.

"None of the solutions that are there are really a solution," Giribet said.

Modulo's Kickstarter campaign has already surpassed its fundraising goal, attracting more than $60,000 out of its original $30,000 goal, with 24 days remaining. It also won iLounge's Best in Show award at CES 2014. Production is expected to begin June, and shipping will start in July.

Image: IDAPT

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