Blog

Fitbit gets FDA clearance for its Sense smartwatch and ECG app

[ad_1]

Fitbit’s $329 Sense smartwatch just earned clearance from the FDA (and the EU’s regulatory body) for its electrocardiogram (ECG) app. When the “advanced health” wearable arrives this October, it will be able to assess heart rhythms for atrial fibrillation, or AFib.

AFib is a heart condition that affects more than 33.5 million people globally and has serious complications, including stroke. The condition is notoriously difficult to detect because the heart doesn’t always present an abnormal rhythm when a patient is in their doctor’s office. A study used to evaluate Fitbit’s algorithm found that it could detect 98.7 percent of AFib cases.

[ad_2]

Source link

Walmart partners with Zipline for glider drone delivery tests

[ad_1]

At this point, Zipline has plenty of experience — Walmart says they have the world’s largest drone delivery network. Zipline has been operating since late 2016, starting in Rwanda with a focus on delivery medical supplies. More recently, Zipline has been operating in Ghana since 2019 and has been key in delivering supplies like personal protective equipment to medical professionals throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this year, Zipline expressed ambitions to enter the US market; it has been in discussions with Novant Health about delivering PPE and medical equipment to its campuses near Charlotte, NC. Between this potential deal and its pilot with Walmart, it sounds like Zipline’s plans for US growth have found some traction.

As for Walmart, this is the second drone delivery deal the company has made in the last week. Just a few days ago, the retailer announced a pilot program with drone company Flytrex, which will use its more traditional quadcopter delivery drones to deliver groceries and other household supplies. That pilot will take place from Walmart stores near Fayetteville, NC.

[ad_2]

Source link

Lenovo’s Google Assistant Smart Clock is half price at Best Buy

[ad_1]

Aside from the cute design and cloth covered body, we appreciated Lenovo’s Smart Clock features like the ambient light sensor and sunrise alarm, which gradually brightens the screen thirty minutes before the alarm sounds. Swiping from the top reveals a “play music” button and a toggle for any smart lights, and you can set a “good night” smart home routine that can automatically adjust the temperature and turn off the TV, for instance. All of these actions also work via Google Assistant voice commands.

Considering that the Smart Clock is designed to be used in a bedroom, the lack of a camera is actually a benefit in terms of privacy. For further privacy, you can also toggle the microphone on and off. The main drawbacks are that it can’t play back videos or photos or make video calls. Still, everything considered, it garnered an excellent 87 score in our review.

Since the Smart Clock first came out, Lenovo introduced a much more basic version called the Smart Clock Essential. However, that version retails for $50, so right now you can get the more advanced version at Best Buy for $10 less.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.



[ad_2]

Source link

Facebook adds ‘Watch Together’ viewing parties to Messenger

[ad_1]

Watch Together lets you watch content and your friends' reactions to it.

Facebook

During a group video call (or Messenger Room hangout), any participant can choose a clip from Facebook’s video catalog — the shows and other content you’d normally find in the “Watch” tab — and it will play for everyone in the call. It doesn’t, however, support YouTube or videos from other streaming sites, so your viewing options will be somewhat limited (though Facebook says it’s adding some new content to coincide with the feature’s launch).

You do have one other option, though: Watch Together also supports users’ own video uploads, so friend groups can co-watch their own clips while they chat. That could be particularly useful for friends and family trying to stay in touch and keep track of each other’s pets and children, even if it won’t make your next remote Netflix party easier.

Watch Together will be rolling out to Messenger’s apps “in the coming weeks.”

[ad_2]

Source link

Facebook leaks its Oculus Quest 2 standalone VR headset

[ad_1]

Facebook leaks its Oculus Quest 2 standalone VR headset

Facebook

The controllers are also new, with updated ergonomics “for an even more comfortable experience,” the company said. What’s more, you can “ditch the controllers” entirely for some games, as the Quest 2 also supports hand-tracking. Finally, the Quest 2 will offer 3D audio capability to help you identify where objects are coming from while gaming.

While it was originally released as a standalone headset, the original Quest was eventually updated to support Oculus Rift PC content via the Oculus Link cable. The Quest 2 will have that feature from the get-go, letting you play advanced PC-oriented games like Stormland.

The Quest 2 should also work a lot better in standalone mode thanks to the stronger specs, as the original model tended to chug along for certain titles. While Oculus seems to have addressed our comfort complaint, we still don’t know if it addressed our other main gripe about the original’s steep $499 price. The biggest buzzkill might be that you now need a Facebook account to use any new Oculus products — something that the Oculus community was not thrilled about.

[ad_2]

Source link

IKEA Sonos Symfonisk speakers get colorful new covers

[ad_1]

IKEA’s Symfonisk speakers are a great bargain: Sonos-compatible speakers but priced like any other piece of IKEA stuff. The downside in this instance was that you could only get them in a utilitarian white-and-grey or black-and-dark-grey color scheme. The Verge has spotted the addition of new shrouds and plates for the speakers that’ll help them add a pop of color to any room.

You can now buy red and blue shrouds and faceplates for the table lamp and bookshelf speaker versions, respectively. The lamp shrouds will set you back €10, while the face plates are a much more affordable €8, at least on IKEA’s Netherlands website. Sadly, the new accessories aren’t available in the US, but we’ve contacted IKEA and will let you know if they’re coming here in the near future.

[ad_2]

Source link

Ikea is teaming with ASUS’ ROG on gaming furniture

[ad_1]

“By teaming up with ROG, IKEA wants to combine its home furnishing knowledge with ROG’s expertise in creating exceptional gaming experience,” the company wrote. IKEA mentioned it would design and build “affordable gaming furniture and accessories,” though it didn’t say exactly which products it would create with ROG. It seems likely that gaming desks and chairs will part of the mix, however.

IKEA and ROG aren’t the first to do such a collaboration, as Logitech recently teamed with Herman Miller on a gaming chair. However, IKEA might take a different approach, aesthetically speaking.The company said it sees gaming as “cross-demographic,” so its furniture designs could blend in better with your decor than other gaming chairs and furniture. We’ll find out soon enough, as the range will launch in China in February of 2021 and be available in the US and elsewhere by October, 2021.

[ad_2]

Source link

NVIDIA is officially buying Arm for $40 billion

[ad_1]

Just as we expected, NVIDIA just announced that it’s buying the semiconductor design company Arm for $40 billion. The deal will make NVIDIA into an even larger presence in mobile computing, as well as give the company a further boost in AI chip designs.

“AI is the most powerful technology force of our time and has launched a new wave of computing,” Jensen Huang, NVIDIA’s CEO, said in a statement. “In the years ahead, trillions of computers running AI will create a new internet-of-things that is thousands of times larger than today’s internet-of-people. Our combination will create a company fabulously positioned for the age of AI.

[ad_2]

Source link

Samsung will stream a ‘Galaxy Unpacked for Every Fan’ on September 23rd

[ad_1]

Back on August 5th, Samsung held an Unpacked event to launch the Note 20, Note 20 Ultra, Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Buds Live. That’s already quite the lineup, but the tech giant is apparently not done unveiling new products: Samsung has announced that it’s hosting another virtual Unpacked event on September 23rd at 10AM ET.

The company didn’t say what’s in store for us that day, but its official invitation calls the event “Galaxy Unpacked for Every Fan.” Based on that and the image used for the invite, Samsung could be launching a themed variant of one of its phones, probably of the S20 or the Note 20. Whose fans Samsung is targeting, however, remains to be seen. It’s worth noting that it previously collaborated with Korean superstars BTS for a special version of the Samsung Galaxy S20+. We’ll just have to wait for the 23rd to find out for sure, though who knows — we may get hints from online leaks like what happened with the Note 20 reveal.

[ad_2]

Source link

Microsoft is officially not buying TikTok

[ad_1]

“We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok’s users, while protecting national security interests. To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, privacy, online safety, and combatting disinformation, and we made these principles clear in our August statement. We look forward to seeing how the service evolves in these important areas.”

Microsoft did not specify what changes to the service it had proposed. However, today’s announcement from Microsoft comes on the heels of a report this weekend from the China Morning Post that ByteDance was unwilling to sell its highly effective algorithm to a US bidder. To keep users hooked on the service, an American buyer would have had to rewrite the underlying code that has been so essential to the service’s success. According to the report, ByteDance informed both US officials and would-be buyers of its decision.

Microsoft’s announcement comes days before a September 15th deadline set by President Trump. Microsoft confirmed in early August that it was considering a purchase of TikTok’s US arm. With Microsoft out of the race, The New York Times reports that Oracle is the only known American suitor. The Wall Street Journal is in fact reporting tonight that Oracle has been selected as the winner, though as of this writing this has not been confirmed by ByteDance, Oracle or US officials.

The Wall Street Journal adds that “Oracle is set to be announced as TikTok’s ‘trusted tech partner’ in the U.S., and the deal is likely not to be structured as an outright sale.” A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Engadget as well that TikTok plans to move forward with Oracle, though the terms of the deal, and whether it can even be considered an acquisition per se, remain unclear.

Oracle, for its part, has not said how TikTok might fit into its existing strategy or what its plans for the service’s US business might be. Engadget has asked ByteDance and Microsoft for comment. We will update our story if and when we hear back.

Karissa Bell and Devindra Hardawar contributed to this report.

[ad_2]

Source link