New Garmin Bike Headset Gives you a Heads Up on Traffic Coming up Behind You

From bike helmets to reflector lights, there’s plenty out there intended to keep those bike bound safe. There are even smart devices which offer information on number of miles “biked” and calories burnt. Despite all of that, Garmin has figured out a new angle when it comes to smart headsets.

Here at the Garmin booth (#35811) at CES 2016 in Las Vegas, they’ve unveiled a new headset that gives you not only traffic information on what’s ahead of you but also traffic in your rearview, meaning behind you (that clarification was for the layman). With this feature, cyclists have an added layer of security on those long bike rides or through the treachery that is city biking.

Known as Varia Vision this slick device attaches to either side of your sunglasses to give you a heads up display right in your line of vision. Unlike some other smart devices that attach to your handlebars making for a less than optimum experience.

You can be alerted to phone notifications, performance stats, navigational directions (how’s that for redundant?), speed and of course what’s going on traffic-wise behind you. As long as you’re paired to Varia rearview radar, you can be warned about vehicles and such that are coming up from behind you.

Garmin VP of worldwide sales, Dan Bartel expressed the importance of having in-sight displays, “We’re extremely excited to announce the next device in our line of innovative Varia cycling awareness products – the Varia Vision in-sight display. Cyclists can now easily view their data and receive alerts during a ride without needing to take their eyes off the road ahead.”

With its compact size, 8 hours of battery life and wet-weather and glove friendly touch panel the Varia Vision has been made incredibly convenient.

The proof of course is in the pudding or…actually the proof is in the practical use of the thing. Pudding is irrelevant unless you’re biking to burn off the guilt-laden pint of chocolate pudding you just devoured along with your feelings. But I digress. The proof is in whether or not the Varia Vision works well on the road.

We haven’t had a chance yet to test one of these puppies out while cycling. The concept admittedly is cool though. You can pick one up some time in the first quarter of this year atbuy.garmin.com for $399.99.

KnowMe Is A New App For Making Better Videos On Your Phone

After more than a year in development, KnowMe, a new video creation and sharing platform, is launching on the iPhone.

The app was created by Andrew Jarecki, the Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker behind The Jinx, Catfish, and Capturing the Friedmans.

KnowMe was designed from the ground up to give its users access to video editing technology that would feel less complicated and bulky than existing editing alternatives. Essentially, the startup wanted to provide a content creation tool that would disappear into the background, letting your content take center stage.

KnowMe definitely accomplishes this mission.

The app, which on first launch prompts users to participate in an interactive tutorial with KnowMe ambassador Nev Schulman, is incredibly easy to use.

User make videos by combining live footage, pre-captured photos, and narrated audio recordings to create a final product that is something in between a slideshow and a Vlog.

Editing is done via a process that feels less formal than your traditional timeline based editing suite. The result is an interface that actually makes it fun to create clips.

With the average finished product being around 40 seconds in length, KnowMe videos are definitely more polished and engaging than a vine or Instagram video, but feel more informal than something on YouTube. Essentially, the short clips are able to tell a story while still being short enough for users to consume on the fly.

The app will also include a discovery component, allowing users to view popular videos from other users. However, Jarecki explained that the app will also allow exporting to other social media platforms, which should accelerate user adoption.

KnowMe is available for download today in the iOS App Store.

Microsoft's HoloLens headset only works for a disappointing 5.5 hours on a single charge

Microsoft's augmented reality headset has been shown have a lesser lasting battery life

Microsoft's HoloLens headset lasts only five and a half hours on a single charge, dropping to just two and a half hours after continuous use.

The augmented reality headset, unveiled last January, will be completely wireless, depending only on its inbuilt battery for power, the company's Bruce Harris said at an event in Tel Aviv.

The news follows that of Google Glass, which was plagued by poor battery life during its few years of availability. Google's smart glasses were only capable of lasting around half an hour while shooting video before needing recharging, or three hours of general active use.

Unlike its virtual reality rivals Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, HoloLens overlays holograms into the wearer's real life environment, allowing them to battle robots and invading aliens inside their living room and witness the holograms appear to burst through the walls and ceiling of your physical room.

Other applications including creating your own holograms within the company’s HoloStudio and 3D printing the finished result.

Other details Harris revealed include that every HoloLens will have WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing wearers to connect with and play against others free from a laptop or smartphone connection.

Another slight niggle may be the headset's currently limited field of view. Harris said the company planned to expand its scope later in the developmental process, but that at present, its view is comparable to watching a 15-inch monitor from two feet away.

Concrete details around HoloLens are hard to come by; a definite sale date and price have yet to be announced, though developers kits will start shipping within the next two months priced at $3,000.

Microsoft's closest rival will be Sony's PlayStation VR headset in terms of an immediate focus on gaming. Microsoft showed off how Minecraft could be played on a coffee table using HoloLens at video game symposium E3 last year, while PlayStation VR is expected to play a key role at this year's E3 in June.

POLAROID SNAP IS DIGITAL CAMERA THAT PRINTS PHOTOS INSTANTLY

Polaroid is well acclaimed for the instant-film camera it popularized in the 1970s, the SX-70. The camera made it easy for anyone to be a photographer because it only had one button, and it spit out film that instantly developed right after the photograph was snapped. It's been decades since the SX-70 was released, but Polaroid thinks that it can rely on some of the legendary appeal of the SX-70 to attract new, younger customers.

The Polaroid Snap is a beautifully designed digital camera that spits out instant-film prints just like the SX-70, and it even has the iconic rainbow stripe. Since this is a digital camera, there's a little more flexibility than the one-button SX-70 camera. A 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD on the back of the Snap lets users line up shots or even select photos to print at any time.

The Snap's bluetooth capability allows the device connect to tablets, smartphones, and other gadgets that might be storing photos they want to print on Polaroid's new instant film called Zink Zero Ink. The Snap has a 10-megapixel sensor, shoots 1080p Full HD video, and has a microSD card slot for expandable storage. The Polaroid Snap is available now on Amazon for $99.

Pocket-sized photo printer for smartphone photogs

The Polaroid Zip printer is an inexpensive pocket size wireless photo printer that converts your smartphone pictures to full-color 2x3-inch prints. Simple to set up and use, it doesn't require any consumables beyond Polaroid's Zink paper.

Prints are small and cost about 25 cents each (£0.15, AU$1). The print quality is good all things considered, but don't expect inkjet or dye-sub printer quality. Built-in rechargeable battery lasts for 25 prints.Simple and fun to use, the Polaroid Zip is a great accessory for freeing your photos from your smartphone.

The Polaroid Zip is a small box a bit larger than a deck of playing cards, just under an inch thick (2.5cm) and weighs 186 grams (6.6 ounces). And it's a photo printer.

Similar to the Fujifilm Instax Share SP-1 , the Zip mobile printer, which sells for$129.99 (about £110 or AU$170), connects to your iOS or Android device via Bluetooth and, using a free app, turns photos from your phone or tablet into small, 2x3-inch borderless prints.

Ammunition, the firm that designed Polaroid's Cube camera, worked on the Zip too, and it shows. Like the Cube, the Zip is an attractive, simple device that looks more like a portable hard drive than a printer. The glossy plastic body quickly gets hairline scratches and fingerprints, so you'll want to hunt down a microfiber pouch to keep it looking its best since none is included.

The only button is for power and the only port is Micro-USB for charging. The battery is built-in and lasts for about 25 prints, which means for a long event like a wedding, you might have to plug it in to keep the prints coming. The top slides off -- a little too easily, revealing a compartment that holds 10 sheets of paper.

The printer uses Polaroid's Zink zero-ink printing technology, which uses special Zink paper embedded with cyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals. The crystals start off colorless, but as the print is being made, heat activates the crystals, changing them into the appropriate colors.

Unlike the instant film the Fujifilm Instax uses, there is no time waiting for the Zip's prints to develop and the prints are less expensive; a pack of 100 sheets of Zink paper runs about $25 (£15, AU$65). The paper is the only consumable, so you don't have to worry about ink cartridges, and the prints come out dry and smudge-proof because there's no ink involved.

Again, your phone or tablet connects to the Zip over Bluetooth. Using an iOS device, you can just go into settings, hit Bluetooth and select the printer. If you have an Android device with near-field communication (NFC), you can tap your device to the top of the Zip and it will start the connection and launch the Zip app.

With the app you can pull photos straight from your device's gallery or launch your camera to take a fresh shot. There are some basic editing options including filters, frames, stamps and stickers and you can add text or draw on the photos.

Once you have your picture selected and ready to print, you can hit the print icon in the app, or tap your Android device to the top again for an automatic print. From hitting print to actually having one takes 50 seconds give or take a few seconds

Along with regular prints, you can create basic photo ID cards and make mini collages. You can also make private edits to a picture that are only revealed by scanning a QR code printed on the original image. For example, if you wanted to attach a voice message to a print, you select a picture with the Zip app and record the message. The photo will then be printed with a QR code which, when scanned with the app, you'll be able to play the attached audio.

The tiny sticker-backed prints aren't the best quality. They're more novelty than anything else and can't (nor are they intended to) compete with a traditional inkjet or dye-sub photo printer. If quality is most important to you, you'll likely want a Canon Selphy or similar printer.

Overall, though, the Zip is excellent for what it is: a pocket-sized photo printer to use with your smartphone or tablet. It could easily fall into that category of gadgets you use a couple times and then stick in a drawer, especially if you don't keep a supply of paper on hand. But if you frequently find yourself wanting to decorate your home or office or belongings with pictures from your phone, it's worth the investment.

The Polaroid Zip is a great little accessory for freeing your photos from your smartphone. It's not a device everyone will have a use for, but if you can already imagine plastering your stuff with small prints of your friends and family and pets, go ahead and grab one and stock up on paper.

Pocket-Size Device Converts Smartphone into a High-Powered Microscope

Have you ever wonder thought about the numerous microorganisms crawling 
within or around your kitchen counter? May be you'd like a close-up view of 
those dusty bunnies in your room.There is a new pocket-size device that can
assist you take a closer look at these household specimens.

A small, smartphone operated microscope,called μPeek, just attained its funding 
goal on Kickstarter.This device is attached to the rear of any smartphone (above 
the camera lens),just the size of a credit card and is controlled via an app,
making you view crystal-clear images of small objects and adjustment the 
microscope on your phone.

This high resolution microscope differs from any other magnifying lens for your smartphone," Patrick Galliker, co-founder and CEO of Scrona, the company 
behind μPeek, said in a Kickstarter video promoting the new device. 
The microscope is fitted with a motorized lens and sophisticated optical 
components — two things usually found on expensive (and relatively big) 
professional microscopes. [Gift Ideas for Kids: Best Educational Toys & Games of 2015

To use μPeek, mount the device on your phone and place it on any surface 
that you want to view on the microscopic level. You can look at the microcosm 
contained on the living room carpet or get a close view of a fallen leaf, 
for example. If you'd rather use μPeek to look at something on a microscope
slide, you can do that, too. The device comes with a standard-size slide 
holder and a set of blank slides, plus a guide that explains how to prepare 
specimens.

The company's Kickstarter video shows the device being used in a number
of ways, including a professional laboratory. Although μPeek does not look
like conventional microscopes, it can be very useful for real-life scientists,
Galliker explained in the video. In fact, the scope is very "simple and powerful"
that it will become a professional scientist's "first choice," he said.

And it is useful in other environments, as well.


The device's affordability —the standard μPeek is expected to retail for $159
 — and its small size make it a practical tool for science classrooms.
Since you can put μPeek in your pocket, it can also be used anywhere,
like out in the woods, or on the beach.
Scrona is also offering another version of the device, μPeek Blue, equipped
with UV lights so that it can be used as a fluorescence microscope.
The more advanced scope is expected to retail for $219.

While you can't go out and buy a μPeek just yet, Galliker said the device
will be available for purchase online during the second half of 2016.
So, get your specimens in-place.

Highly-sensitive laser camera able to see round corners in real time

You may not see what’s around the corner — unless you have an advanced camera designed by researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. This device is designed to take high resolution photographs that is able to detect small reflected lights off objects beyond its field of vision. The resulting product is a camera that sees round corners in real time.

The single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) camera depends on a type of echo mapping. You can refer to it as a radar, but with light. This part is not something new — other projects have managed to do similar things.This camera is very sensitive that it can snap photos every second. So,you can observe an object moving using the SPAD camera even when it’s physically out of sight.

To facilitate this, the researchers used a laser ranging technology to produce photons.The laser pulse generated is fired at a surface beyond the corner similar in direction to where the camera faces. When it strikes the surface,the light is reflected in all directions. The camera catches this propagation of photons, then it waits for a response — an echo. The wave will eventually strike the out of site object and reflect back, but feebly. The laser is especially fast,firing as much as 67 million times per second. This streams a lot of information into the camera since it can detect a single photon passing through its field of vision.

You may not have a photo-realistic rendering of the out of site object, but the SPAD does reveal plenty of data. The photons received by the camera may be used to calculate the size, speed, and location of the object approximate to a centimeter or two. It may even manage to identify multiple objects based on the scattering of photons.

Panasonic launches Lumix camera phone with giant sensor

The big lens and sensor make the camera one of the thickest smartphones on the market

Panasonic has unveiled a hybrid smartphone-camera, at the Photokina trade show in Cologne.

More camera than phone, the Android device has a Leica lens and a 1in, 20-megapixel sensor more often found in Panasonic's dedicated cameras.
The 2.5cm sensor will help the camera take snaps in low light conditions and shoot ultra-high definition video.
Panasonic said the Lumix DMC - CM1 would go on sale towards the end of 2014 in Germany and France.

The phone is expected to cost about 900 euros (£720) when it goes on sale.
It is widely seen as a rival to Samsung's Galaxy K Zoom, which also has a built-in large lens.
The lens and its metal ring, to control aperture and shutter settings, make the CM1 21mm thick - considerably more than contemporary smartphones.
The CM1 also has 11.9cm touchscreen and a dedicated switch that instantly flips it into camera-mode.

Reviewing the gadget at tech news site Pocket-lint, Mike Lowe said it was an "interesting experiment" that "impressed" him more than he had expected.
However, Marc Flores, at Tech Radar, was more critical, saying hybrids satisfied no-one.

"We've tried this before, and it didn't work out so well," he wrote, adding that anyone looking for a good camera should buy a dedicated device.
Anyone keen to take better pictures with a smartphone, he added, should just learn how the professionals did it rather than buy a CM1 and hope that would make all the difference to their snaps.
BBC