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Sam Ashcroft
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Article History:
Interaction is key to a decent real world VR experience
Virtual reality experiences are improving all the time, and in the gaming sector, interaction is evolving at a frantic pace. However, real world VR - virtual representations of real places, taken from video, still lacks that interactivity. Abi Mandelbaum is the CEO of YouVisit, a platform that gives users, institutions, and businesses the ability to…
Graava is the action camera that edits your footage for you
Graava is an action camera that automatically edits your footage to the best bits and cut out the boring footage in between. It uses a camera, microphone, accelerometer, GPS and even your heart rate (using a connected Apple Watch) to work out if something exciting has happened. So if something appears on screen, there's a…
VR sickness could be a thing of the past thanks to light-field camera tech
Virtual reality is well on its way to becoming the next big thing in entertainment, but one problem still sits in its way: VR sickness. Stanford researches are developing a VR headset that uses another new technology, light-field cameras, to address this issue, according to Engadget. Light-field cameras not only record the intensity and colour…
Watch movies with your mates in the virtual reality Oculus Cinema
The Oculus Cinema VR experience will be getting an update which adds multiplayer and social features. The Oculus Cinema, as the name suggests, is a virtual reality experience that puts you in a virtual or home cinema and lets you watch films on a virtual screen. However, this can be a lonely experience with rows…
Microsoft brings productivity apps to Apple Watch and Android Wear
Microsoft has released a whole load of productivity apps for Apple Watch and Android Wear smartwatches, some new and some just updated. We've seen software giant's apps on Android Wear before, with Bing and a software keyboard coming to Android smartwatches last year. Essential reading: Best headphones for your smartwatch Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, appears…
The First Response Monitor wants to save lives on the battlefield
The Cambridge Design Partnership has created a clip-on wearable to measure and track vital signs of trauma patients in disaster zones and on battlefields. The First Response Monitor is designed to monitor heart and respiratory rate. It clips to the nose and can provide information via the built-in screen or using the smartphone or tablet…
Crowdfunded Ditto is shipping 10 August
Ditto, a wearable that buzzes when you get smartphone alerts, is shipping on 10 August, a year after its crowdfunding success. Simple Matters, the company behind Ditto, managed to reach its $100,000 target on Kickstarter last year, and since then backers have waited patiently for their device. We covered Ditto on our Crowdfund this page…
Fitbit sold 4.5 million trackers last quarter and smashed financial estimates
Fitibit has announced the financial results for the second quarter, managing to rake in $400 million from sales of its fitness trackers. The Californian-based company has smashed previous revenue estimates of $319 million. Fitbit has managed to shift 4.5 million trackers, including its Fitbit Surge and Charge HR, in the second quarter of 2015, up…
Adidas buys Runtastic for €220 million
Adidas has bought Runtastic, the running app giant and fitness band maker for €220 million, giving the company access to its 70 million users. For the uninitiated, Runtastic is one of the leading run-tracking apps, and boasts more than 140 million app downloads, along with its 140 employees. They will join the much larger Adidas…
These ten Tennis Activity Tracker apps want to turn you pro
The Tennis Activity Tracker crowdfunding campaign is trying to raise $100,000 to develop a suite of 10 tennis apps. The apps will allow you to create customised workouts, track calories burned, watch videos showing proper form and technique, keep score during a match and even find players in your area to play with. Read this:…
Stretchable battery technology could triple smartwatch longevity
A research team from Arizona State University has created a flexible and stretchable battery, which it hopes could power future smartwatches and wearables. The idea for the battery came from kirigami, similar to origami, but involves cutting as well as folding, according to Embedded Computer Design. The design means the batteries can stretch 150 percent…
Misfit outsells Fitbit in China
Misfit is currently outselling Fitbit in China, the CEO of Misfit has revealed to South China Morning Post. The company said it has shipped over two million trackers around the world over the past 18 months, and a third of that - around 660,000 - was to China. Misfit's CEO Sonny Vu said, "We actually…
Noon VR headset brings virtual reality content to iOS and Android smartphones
The Noon VR headset is now available, offering users a way to watch exclusive VR content on their smartphone. Noon VR works with smartphones ranging from 4.7-inches up to 5.5-inches, boasts a 95 degree field of view and weighs 230g. Unlike the Samsung Gear VR, it's manufacturer agnostic, which opens up the experience to more…
HoloLens is getting Xbox Live
Microsoft just announced that HoloLens will work with Xbox Live, during a presentation at GDC Europe 2015. The announcements were all around Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform, which aims to eventually launch the same app store and digital content for the Xbox One, Windows 10, Windows Phone and HoloLens, according to VRFocus. Essential reading: Explained: How…
Nico Gerard watch comes with Apple Watch on the back
Like the battle between CD against MP3 and book versus ebook; watch against smartwatch is something we see a lot nowadays. However, a Californian-based watch maker wants to change that with an item that lets a watch and smartwatch work in elegant harmony. Okay, well maybe not elegant harmony. Nico Gerard has revealed its Pinnacle…
Bragi Dash to partner with multiple music and fitness brands
Bragi, the company behind the Bragi Dash biometric headphones, looks to be planning collaborations with a host of music streaming services. The company has taken to Facebook to poll its fans about preferred services, and has revealed that music and fitness partnerships are on the cards. For the uninitiated, Bragi Dash is a pair of…
Helix wristband and earphones hybrid smashes Kickstarter target
Helix, a crowdfunded pair of headphones that transform into a wearable wristband, has blitzed its $100,000 goal on Kickstarter. The wristband houses a pair of stereo Bluetooth earphones, nothing more and nothing less, but what makes Helix interesting is the size, style and the materials used. Read this: A newbie's guide to wearables The band…
Updated Apple Watch app unlocks August smart lock controls
August has updated its iOS app to add Apple Watch compatibility, which includes but is not limited to, unlocking your smart lock. The new Apple Watch features allow you to view your August smart lock's most recent activity as well as getting instant notifications. As mentioned, you'll also be able to lock and unlock your…
Facebook is spending big on virtual reality
Facebook is pouring serious cash into VR, which it expects to be the next social media sensation. Despite a slight drop in share price, Facebook is investing big in VR, messaging and Instagram, with a huge $2.77 billion spending increase in the second quarter of 2015 - up to a total of 82% on last…
Wearable tech market will triple to $74 billion by 2025
The wearable tech market will rise from $24.2 billion this year to $74 billion in 2025, tripling in ten years according to a research forecast by IDTechEx. IDTechEx has a database of 1,200 companies from around the wearable tech market and it recorded a search interest increase of ten times since the start of 2013.…