Ever since the Playstation was first launched – if, like myself, you’re old enough to remember it, you may pause a moment here to consider your own age and mortality – Sony has been in the business of reinventing gaming. They often followed the Steve Jobs mantra of pushing through a vision that showed consumers what it is that they wanted, rather than waiting for people to start asking for it.

Ever since the Playstation was first launched, Sony has been in the business of reinventing gaming.
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The same seems to be the case with VR. In spite of all the investment from companies such as Oculus, the PSVR is the only hardware that has come even close to tapping that elusive jackpot of mass consumer adoption. They sold over 3 million headsets so far, and although they did have to drop its price to $200 in order to achieve those numbers, it does show that there is an appetite in the gaming community for immersive technology that manages to hit the sweet spot.

Fast-paced, graphics-rich longer games require fast GPU and no lag, otherwise you’ll just get a lot of queasy and frustrated gamers
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And with most headsets on the market now veering away from cabled tethering, that future sweet spot is increasingly looking wireless. Sony seems to think so too, if a newly uncovered patent is anything to go by.

Although these things are always caveated by the fact that companies file hundreds of patents on a routine basis that never make et to prototype stage – much less a fully-fledged commercial product – this particular one is noteworthy in the level of detail it offers, going into extensive detail about solutions it has explored in attempting to remove the bulky cable that connects the current version of the PSVR to the console.

In spite of all the investment from companies such as Oculus, the PSVR is the only hardware that has come even close to tapping that elusive jackpot of mass consumer adoption
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The patent suggests that the setup would include a breakout box to detect the position of the user in relation to the machine so it could adjust Wi-Fi signals accordingly
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So, to be clear, we’re still talking about a tethered headset, because the processing power would still reside within the Playstation unit rather than the HMD, but the connection between the two would be wireless.

Easier said than done… This isn’t your regular video streaming of course. We’re talking about enormous amounts of data being refreshed at insane rates. And any glitch would be literally in the user’s face. It’s a tricky balance to strike, to say the least, as compromising on performance is not something you can get away with for the sort of content PSVR is peddling. Fast-paced, graphics-rich longer games require fast GPU and no lag, otherwise you’ll just get a lot of queasy and frustrated gamers.

As Jeremy Horwitz explains in this Venturebeat article,

“On paper, the 60GHz signal should have the bandwidth, latency, and reliability to work by itself, but in real-world use of VR headsets, 60GHz signals are more easily obstructed by objects and more directionally dependent than lower-bandwidth 5GHz signals. In the patent, Sony pairs 60GHz WiGig with 5GHz Wi-Fi to guarantee its headset will always get a signal, shifting from higher to lower frequencies (and bandwidth) based on where the user is moving in the room.”

The patent suggests that the setup would include a breakout box to detect the position of the user in relation to the machine so it could adjust Wi-Fi signals accordingly. Whatever solution they settle upon in the end, however, Sony definitely isn’t ready to give up on consumer VR, and to be honest, I wouldn’t bet against them being first to the post in getting there.

Tech Trends’  Virtual Reality Consultancy services offers support for companies looking to enhance brand strategy with immersive technologies such as Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. You can follow @alicebonasio on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn or subscribe to her Inside VR/AR Newletter for all the latest curated immersive news.  

The post Could Sony’s Next Headset Finally Crack the VR Gaming Market? appeared first on Tech Trends.

Back in 2016, Oculus’s chief scientist Michael Abrash predicted that within five years, VR headsets would have a monocular 4K resolution and 140-degree FoV. So by that measure, Pimax over-delivered at CES 2019 with its Leap Motion bundle featuring 8K VR headset with built-in speakers, 200° FOV and optional eye tracking being developed in partnership with 7invensun.

Pimax is now working with partners to make the headsets more extendable with wireless transmission module and bring more content dedicated to the headsets with developers
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Pimax over-delivered at CES 2019 with its Leap Motion bundle featuring 8K VR headset with built-in speakers, 200° FOV and optional eye tracking
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Pimax holds the Guinness World Record for the most successful crowdfunded VR project with over $4m in funding. At CES, they showcased a prototype of its upcoming open-palm controllers, which are compatible with the 8K VR headset as well as other devices such as the Steam VR tracking 1.0 and 2.0. These are ergonomically comfortable with new industrial design, and come in both a thumbstick and trackpad version.

“Science fiction stories like Minority Report and more recently Ready Player One gave us a glimpse into the future for immersive experiences and UI control. Today we’re ready to prove that era is closer than ever before by bringing VR 2.0 to the industry,” says Kevin Henderson, Head of US Operations of Pimax VR, touting thatwith their headsets, users can experience VR with extensive peripheral vision, thus solving the “screen door effect” (whereby you notice fine black lines between the pixels of a digitally projected image) which can sometimes be a problem in VR.

VR 2.0 brings high resolution, wide field of view (FoV) and a more natural interaction as well as the application of innovative technologies, such as foveated rendering, focal surface displays and wireless transmission, will bring a more immersive experience to users in the virtual world.

“In terms of display and optics, in the time of VR 1.0, users suffered from low resolution and narrow FoV, but eye-tracking technology for high viewing performance Foveated rendering technology reduces GPU load power consumption and dizziness, which brings high viewing performance to VR,” adds Henderson, saying they are now closely working with 7invensum, focusing on R&D for eye-tracking technologies to achieve this goal, as well as NVIDIA – the inventor of GPU.

Minority Report and Ready Player One gave us a glimpse into the future for immersive experiences and today we’re ready to prove that era is closer than ever before by bringing VR 2.0 to the industry
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“As a contributor to the industry, we are eager to work with our partners to integrate more innovative technologies into our headsets and make these features easily accessible. We want to provide world-leading technologies to our community and users with a highly effective global customer service and support system and help VR enthusiasts realize their dreams in VR.”

Pimax is now working with partners to make the headsets more extendable with wireless transmission module as well as to bring more content dedicated to the headsets with developers. The company also plans to open customer service centers in North America and Europe customers, with a U.S. based support center due to open in March 2019.

Pimax holds the Guinness World Record for the most successful crowdfunded VR project with over $4m in funding
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For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies our VR Consultancy service offers comprehensive support in strategic deployment of Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Showing Off VR 2.0 at #CES2019 appeared first on Tech Trends.

Research shows that where it comes to building a smart home, we like the idea but actually know very little about it.

As far as smartphones are concerned, it’s probably safe to assume that most US consumers can explain what it is and what it’s capable of doing — indeed, figures from YouGov Profiles show that about 4 in 5 Americans own one.

21% of consumers consider themselves fully aware of smart appliances
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But it’s another story altogether with high-tech home appliances such as smart refrigerators, smart kettles, and smart thermostats. New data reveals that while the majority of US consumers (62%) are aware of these smart appliances — devices that generally include a computer capable of connecting to the internet and can be controlled by phone or tablet — most people admit they don’t know much about them.

Concerns about the new gadgets range from difficulty setting them up to having to remember yet another password
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Just over half (52%) of adults aged 18-34 report being aware of the technology yet not terribly knowledgeable about it, compared to 67% of adults aged 35+. At the same time, 21% of consumers consider themselves fully aware of smart appliances and in possession of a great deal of information about them. In this case, more Americans aged 18-34 claim familiarity with, and understanding of, the technology than those aged 35+

36% of Americans are concerned that smart appliances are over-priced
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Learn more about Smart Appliances and why they are taking over in this article.

And consumers worry about all sorts of things too, from high prices to hacking vulnerability: Concerns about the new gadgets are varied, and range from difficulty setting them up to having to remember yet another password. The greatest worry, though, involves the cost: 36% of Americans are concerned that smart appliances are over-priced. Meanwhile, 34% express concern about getting hacked, 33% are uneasy about data privacy, and 30% report anxiety about not being able to use the devices if their Internet isn’t working.

Data from BrandIndex indicates that awareness of smart tech manufacturers is on the rise
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Overall, however, the data from BrandIndex indicates that awareness of smart tech manufacturers is on the rise. Between January 2017 and today, for example, awareness of the brand Nest increased from 20% to 28%. The public’s general impression of the company has improved, too. This bodes relatively well for an IoT future, but shows that in order for these new gadgets to successfully integrate into our lives, we should take the time to learn a bit more about them.

Awareness of the brand Nest recently increased from 20% to 28%
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Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post Report: Smart Appliances appeared first on Tech Trends.

Media and entertainment services are an integral part of our daily lives, yet they have typically not been included in IoT solutions, why?

By Robert Guest, VP Product Management at ACCESS

By 2021, global IoT spending is expected to total nearly $1.4 trillion. Advancements in technology mean that devices and appliances that are central to the home – from CCTV cameras through to smart TVs, heating and washing machines – can be controlled from a remote control, smartphone, tablet or smart speaker.

If smart homes are to provide a more efficient way of life, then IoT and multimedia services need to be unified to enable synergistic capabilities
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Consumers are embracing the day-to-day convenience IoT technologies can offer, which is exemplified by sales of popular devices such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Home. By 2016 both of these devices had become mainstream applications and are catalysts for the merging of the digital and physical worlds within the home.

By 2021, global IoT spending is expected to total nearly $1.4 trillion
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Yet, despite media and entertainment services being an integral part of our daily lives, they have typically not been included in IoT solutions. As a result, consumers typically have to use numerous applications in order to access and control their different IoT and multimedia devices and services. This is causing frustration for consumers, contradicts the idea of IoT being the epitome of ease, and ultimately will slow adoption.

Consumers are embracing the day-to-day convenience IoT technologies can offer, which is exemplified by sales of popular devices such as Amazon’s Echo and Google Home
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If smart homes are meant to provide a more efficient and convenient way of life, then IoT and multimedia services need to be unified to enable synergistic capabilities. By providing simplified and unified access to IoT and multimedia devices that can be controlled via a single application, futuristic smart home experiences can be brought to the here-and-now.

Breaking down the silos between IoT and multimedia services adds a new layer of ease and convenience within the home. This is what will truly drive the consumer acceptance beyond the few early adopters that venture beyond asking their smart speaker to play a radio station or set a timer.

Breaking down the silos between IoT and multimedia services adds a new layer of ease and convenience within the home
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Currently, a consumer with a smart doorbell can receive alerts on their smartphone, record a short video clip if motion is sensed, and play a short, personalised voice message when unavailable. This functionality is good, but it requires a specific app, which typically only works on a smartphone. If IoT and multimedia become truly integrated then they can provide services that consumers desire, For example, when the smart doorbell is activated, live footage from the front door can appear on any TV screen in the home.

Currently, a consumer with a smart doorbell can receive alerts on their smartphone, record a short video clip if motion is sensed, and play a short, personalised voice message when unavailable
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This is invaluable for when consumers are watching a film or TV programme or using the TV at a social gathering to play music, because a truly integrated system can pause the multimedia content when the doorbell rings, stream live footage from the front door and remove the need for users to be glued to their smartphones for notifications.

Control of the smart home also extends beyond the property by enabling consumers to manage devices and services remotely
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Our own ACCESS Twine Smart Home app does that by enabling users to access and control all of their multimedia and IoT devices via a single interface. Control of the smart home also extends beyond the property by enabling consumers to manage devices and services remotely.

In the middle of a film you will be able to tell Amazon Alexa that you want to make a snack, so that it would pause the TV screen and continue playing on your connected device in the kitchen to avoid missing the action
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Recently, we also partnered with home automation specialist OBLO Living to combine our strengths in merging the IoT and entertainment world, with remote management, home automation services and connected devices. With this partnership, consumers can create roles to manage their smart homes. For example, scheduling lights to turn on when you get home and playing relaxing music, or ensuring the coffee machine only turns on during weekday mornings before going to work and the upbeat rock radio station is playing to get you going.

Voice control will play a role in helping smart homes become more intuitive
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Voice control will play an instrumental role in helping smart homes become more intuitive, particularly as IoT and multimedia converge. For example, in the middle of a film or TV programme consumers will be able to tell Amazon Alexa that they are going to make a snack, the programme could automatically pause on the TV screen and continue playing on the viewers connected device in the kitchen to avoid missing any of the action.

In order to truly fulfil the potential of smart homes, the Internet of Things (IoT) and multimedia worlds need to be seamlessly integrated
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Ultimately, consumers are embracing IoT technologies but, there are frustrations and in some cases, confusion, about how to get the best from them. In order to truly fulfil the potential of smart homes, then the Internet of Things (IoT) and multimedia worlds need to be seamlessly integrated so that consumers see real benefits. It will open new doors to IoT-enabled multimedia and bring powerful, futuristic home experiences to the here-and-now via simple controls. For operators, now is the time to take a unified approach to IoT and multimedia and offer a smart home experience both in and out of the home.

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Expert View: Building a Future-Proof Smart Home appeared first on Tech Trends.

Google wants you to have natural conversations with your virtual assistant.

Your Google Assistant is growing up!
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The Google Assistant team was at Cannes this week talking about their work with creative agencies and brands to extend experiences to the platform – which we recently took for a spin here on Tech Trends when reviewing the latest Google Mini. And while there, the team also announced that one of the features  Google had announced during this year’s I/O – Continued Conversation has just gone live.

“One of the most important things we learn as children is how to communicate with each other. We start with “goo goos and gaa gaas,” then on to baby sign language, a few simple words like “momma,” and our conversations get more complex from there.”

With Continued Conversation turned on, after you ask the Assistant a question, you can ask a follow-up without having to preface each command or question with 'Hey Google'
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You’ll still need to activate your Assistant devices with “Ok Google,” “Hey Google,” or with a physical trigger, but with this new optional setting turned on, the Assistant will stay active for long enough to respond to follow up questions so you don’t have to say “Hey Google” as often. You can say “thank you” or “stop” once you’re done, or just stay quiet and wait for the assistant to detect you’re no longer talking to it.

“For the Google Assistant to have a natural conversation, it should be able to understand when it’s being spoken to and should be capable of responding to several requests during an interaction. We’re taking another step forward in making your interactions with the Google Assistant more natural with Continued Conversation, available starting today on Google Home, Google Home Mini and Google Home Max.”

We’ve heard from a lot of people that adding 'Hey Google' before each follow-up question for the Assistant doesn’t feel as natural as they’d like
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With this update, your conversations with Google Assistant are more natural and intuitive than they’ve ever been
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This feature will initially only be available in English and in the US. To enable it, all users (new or existing) need to access the Assistant Settings for their devices:

Assistant Settings > Preferences > Continued Conversation

(this will apply to all speakers that the primary account user has set up)

The Assistant stays active for 8 seconds at most if it does not detect any speech. If it does detect speech it will remain active until it determines the user is done talking. While it is active the LEDs remain illuminated to let you know it’s listening, and if you’re unsure you can review all your interactions with your Assistant any time by looking at My Activity.

So next time you wake up and the skies are grey, just ask “Hey Google, what’s the weather today?”… “And what about tomorrow?”… “Can you add a rain jacket to my shopping list”… “And remind me to bring an umbrella tomorrow morning”…“Thank you!”

For companies looking to leverage Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR Tech Trends offers a comprehensive range of Virtual Reality Consultancy Services.

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Mind How You Talk to Your AI appeared first on Tech Trends.

As any entrepreneur will tell you, failing is an essential part of the technology ecosystem, and the quicker the pace of advance, the faster an innovation can go from darling child to forgotten footnote

The infographic below digs up some of the bigger flops of the past few years, which have crashed and burned – or merely fizzled out after much initial hype and widespread buzz.

Failure is an essential part of technology and entrepreneurship
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Those involved in the latest Tech Trends might do well to study some of this recent history, lest they fall into the trap of making some of the same mistakes . VR, I’m looking at you…

New technologies can quickly crash and burn, or simply fizzle out
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Looking at how some of this doomed hardware has actually increased in value is also a reminder that mistakes are often a booster as far as collectability is concerned – from wrongly printed stamps to awkward mobile phones, failure can be a relative concept and value is in the eye of the beholder. Makes you wonder what an Oculus might sell for in 20 years’ time.

We look at some collectible doomed tech
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How Much Are Tech’s Biggest Failures Worth Today? – An infographic by the team at SilverDoor.co.uk

For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance and support on how best to incorporate these into your brand strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedInand follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Infographic: How Much are Tech Fails Worth Today? appeared first on Tech Trends.

The Tech Trends team has, as always, busily sourced the best and coolest technology life hacks out there. This month we share with our readers some beautifully simple solutions to annoying problems, productivity and stress reduction tools, bad-ass SnoreTech and titillating  pleasure gadgets, as well as the latest cutting edge media production software, and much more.

ELF emmit

Following a hugely successful round of crowdfunding last year where they raised over 400% of their target on Indiegogo to become one of their top 1% campaigns, ELF emit started selling their “daily mind-body assistant” online and marketing heavily on social platforms like Facebook. As they seem to have a lot of happy customers we though we’d take it for a spin, since anything that promises to improve your focus, sleep and happiness in these stressful times has got to be worth a try.

The premise of this “digital metronome” is that our brains and bodies run at different frequency speeds depending on what activity we’re engaging in – learning, sleeping, relaxing, doing some creative thinking, or worrying about – say – the state of current affairs and whether certain world leaders might get bored enough to launch nuclear missiles on a whim. The problem, according to this theory, is that when those frequencies are not aligned we become stressed and frustrated, but that it is possible to re-align those brain frequencies with your activity by rewiring your mind to connect to your body’s preferred mental state.

The product itself is very elegantly designed, and you wear it a bit like one of those elvish diadems you might see in Lord of the Rings, apart from the fact there is a wire connected to it which plugs into your phone. There is no battery, as the cable draws power from your phone at the same time as it receives instructions from the app about which type of frequency it should be pumping out. Once you download the free app – most of the negative reviews on the app store seemed to be from people who didn’t actually realize that you could only use the app with the device – it’s a simple matter of choosing from one of the 5 options (improve sleep, deepen meditation, reduce stress, improve focus, and fast learning) and let the headband do its thing. And no, you don’t feel anything.

It’s a nice idea, but as far as I can tell the science has not been proven, so it’s very much up in the air whether the fact that I felt refreshed was due to the device efficacy or some sort of placebo effect. But where it comes to stress, one can be as beneficial as the other – just the fact of conciously setting aside the time to “realign your brain” can have a calming effect – so although I’m not sure I’d buy it for myself, I am certainly happy to continue using it for a while longer.

RRP: $129 (including free shipping)

Solo BridgeHampton Backpack

I often work remotely, and every coffee shop out there is a potential office as long as it’s got WiFi and serves a decent brew. But it can be tricky to get a bag to fit all the stuff I need to take with me (notebooks, glasses, an external keyboard etc. as well as, of course, my laptop). This backpack not only fits it all – it has a fully padded 12.3” laptop compartment, two front pockets, and internal tablet pocket but it’s incredibly light (only weighs 1.86 lbs) and comfortable to wear, with soft and sturdy straps. And yes, it looks nice, which is always a plus.

RRP: $89.99

Urban Armor Protective Cases for MacBook Pro and Galaxy S8 Phone

If you’re going to take your gear through its paces but want it to stay in one piece, choosing the right protective case is important, and a worthwhile investment. The Range from Urban Armor looks pretty cool but also meets military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G 516.6). The latptop cases come with dual lock secure screen closure and impact resistant bumbers, but also have cooling vents in all the right places for uncompromized airflow. As with any of these things, however, you have to make absolutely sure you’re buying the right case for the right model, as even laptops of the same size will sometimes not fit across different cases (the MacBook Pro, for example, has models with a touchbar which are very different from their predecessors)

The Pathfinder Series Galaxy S8 case which I tested in white has a light composite construction with an armour shell and impact resistant soft core with a non-slip ruggedized grip and scratch resistant skid pads ands screen surround. It also didn’t interfere with the wireless charging or Samsung Pay functionality of my phone, so it’s a keeper!

RRP: $79.95 (Macbook Pro 15”) and $34.95 (Samsung Galaxy S8)

We-Vibe Sex Toys

This month we tested out 3 different top-of-the-range pleasure toys – The Verge, Pivot and Sync – from We-Vibe which are great fun both for solo us and with partners. You can read all about it here, enjoy!

Penclic KB3 Pretty Pink Bluetooth Keyboard

I really like the slick colourful look of these new Penclic keyboards (I got the pink one but it also comes in gold) but the main draw for me is that the keys are a dream to type on (I do a lot of typing) and that they are easily paired with a really wide variety of computers, tablets and smartphones. It’s compatible with iOS/OSX, Android and Windows (but not Windows mobile). There is a corded version, but the KB3 is Bluetooth-enabled, which I find more practical and also nicer looking as you don’t have large cables sticking out everywhere and getting in the way. However, it does come with a cable backup in case you should experience a technology fail. It also gives you greater flexibility to place the keyboard ergonomically – and with a wireless reach of 10 metres it is also ideal for controlling playback devices from your sofa – It also features a tenkeyless’ design which reduces the keyboards footprint by placing it to a closer and more comfortable working position wherever you work or browse.

RRP:$105

Amevie Bamboo Sunglasses

Amevie is a Canadian lifestyle brand that produces hand-made sun care products. This model from the Milan range is one of their sustainable bamboo sunglasses, which are light, sturdy, and have lovely little details such as “The sun is new each day” engraved on the inside of the arm . Their founder Ana Caracaleanu tells me the that the brand was born from her desire to develop safe products that protect the entire family from the harmful effects of UV rays. The sunglasses have UV blocking (100% UV protection) polarized lenses, and are both water-proof and sweat-proof. The travel-friendly case was also a hit, as it packs flat when you’re not using it but provides full protection for the glasses when unfolded. Hands down these are the most comfortable glasses I’ve worn.

RRP: $70

Piper Computer Kit and Kitronik MOVE Mini Robot

This month we also got to indulge our inner child here at Tech Trends and play with some of the coolest toys around.

The Piper Computer Kit and Kitronik MOVE Robot show that learning about things such as coding, electronics and robotics needn’t be daunting. It’s actually rollicking good fun. You can read the full review here.

Leatherman Tread Bracelet

This great design puts the functionality of a Leatherman multi-tool in a wearable. Each of its links feature various tools such as Allen wrenches, screwdrivers and box wrenches. I personally loved the look of it, but left the review to Tom Atkinson, who being a man and well into his tools, jumped at the chance. Here are his thoughts:

Having wrists like a girl doesn’t mean I am not a rugged, practical, get my hands dirty and fix a problem kind of guy, and it doesn’t mean I don’t love the smell of grease or drool over rusty old tools and oily mechanical things of all kinds. It does however, mean I can’t fully enjoy the benefits of the Leatherman Tread multi-tool. Sob! The Tread is arguably as much a bracelet for dudes with dirty fingernails as it is a multi-tool, but it is so well designed it succeeds in both these roles. Built like a tank tread, it’s exquisitely designed and beautiful to look at, packing in 29 useful tools including a few surprises such as the Sim Card Pick for popping those damned little card trays out of modern smartphones, plus a Carbide Glass Breaker so you can punch your way through a windscreen and in lieu of a knife a very handy little Cutting Hook. The bracelet design and lack of a knife mean that this is one multi-tool you can get through customs, just in case you need to fix the recliner on your airplane seat. The Tread is very sturdy and made out of corrosion resistant 17-4 stainless steel but in case you manage to destroy it Leatherman do offer a 25 year guarantee, which is always nice. Even if the Bottle Opener is what gets the most use in your day-to-day life, at least you know you will be prepared for those little disasters and if all should fall apart. As an added bonus, it also doubles up as one of the best stress relievers I have come across, I can’t stop playing with it. Stand aside Fidget Spinners!

RRP: $219

Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve 14

Tom Atkinson also had a chance to talk to the folks at Blackmagic about their latest platform the DaVinci Resolve 14. For a deep-dive in the technical specs as well as some musings on the past, present and future of Media Production, read the full Tech Trends article.

ISOLATE MiNi Ear Protectors

Earlier last month I wrote an article talking about my struggle to cope with my husband’s snoring issues and launched an appeal for any tech companies out there offering innovative approaches, however ludicrous, which might help alleviate the problem and bring me a few hours of peaceful sleep. And although my quest continues, the MiNi ear protectors that ISOLATE sent me have helped a little. Initially I wasn’t too impressed with the titanium model I had got from the same brand – they made my ears hurt after prolonged use and kept falling out in the night as I tossed and turned – but as it turned out the smaller size worked a lot better, since it was a much snugger fit (meaning more noise was blocked and also making it more comfortable to wear).

RRP: $32

Sitpack Foldable Stool

Founded in 2014 Danish entrepreneur Jonas Lind-Bendixen, Sitpack showcases that lovely Nordic combination of clean design and practicality which I’m a big fan of. In fact, it won several design awards such as the Chicago Good Design Award 2016, Hamburg IF Design Award 2015, and Successful Design Award 2015 in China.

“Correct resting increases blood circulation and thereby your focus. It soothes a tired back and leaves only 30 percent body weight on the coccyx. The SitPack will keep your energy levels higher throughout the day, while stimulating muscles and balance,” says Lind-Bendixen.

#sitpackandrelax

The portable, ergonomic and lightweight seat comes in five funky colours, and once you get the hang of it, it really only takes a couple of seconds to lock the sections in place securely and adjust the telescopic 34.25 inch leg to a comfortable height, propping it up just about anywhere. The seat is 13 inches wide and the entire stool is made out of the same polycarbonate used in riot shields and bulletproof glass enforced with glassfiber. It is therefore incredibly strong (It can support up to 286 lbs) while also very light, weighing less than 13 ounces. Great for hiking, summer festivaling, and general outdoor frolicking.

RRP: $58

For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance and support on how best to incorporate these into your brand strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedInand follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post June 2017 Tech Trends Product Reviews appeared first on Tech Trends.

Calling all SnoreTech companies out there to save my sleep, my sanity and my marriage. 

I don’t know what Donald Trump’s excuse is, but whenever I find myself tweeting something incoherent at around 3 in the mornings it’s usually because my husband’s snoring has woken me up yet again, and continues at such jet-engine decibel levels as to quash any hope of getting back to sleep.

Can technology save me from chronic sleep deprivation?
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While I’m not sure if Melania is a chronic snorer, I do know that the problem is quite common. So it’s hardly surprising we’ve seen a spike in what I like to call “SnoreTech” products. Sleep deprivation will make you willing to try pretty much anything, and at 3 in the morning things don’t seem quite as ludicrous as they might in the cold light of day after a strong cup of Covfefe.

It seems like I tried every anti-snoring product out there
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Over the years I pretty much worked through every over-the-counter pseudo medicinal option out there – from throat sprays to Breathe Rights, mouth guards and nose cones. And I worked my way through every conceivable variety of earplug known to man (or woman).

In this article for The Next web I set out on a mission to discover the best and latest SnoreTech out there in a bid for that good night of sleep that has been eluding my husband and I for such a long time… read on if you’re in the same boat!

I believe in technology’s potential to mitigate if not solve most problems, so I’m now officially on the lookout for the most innovative anti-snoring tech
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Wearing earplugs every night – even the silicon ones which I found to be the most hygienic and comfortable kind – makes your ears sore, and they don’t filter out all the noise either, just the worst of it. Which is why I regretted spending nearly £50 on a pair of ISOLATE titanium “noise cancelling” earplugs from Flare Audio which were specifically targeted (damn you clever Facebook ads algorithm!) at people struggling with snore issues. I don’t quite remember, but if figures that the Amazon order would have been placed sometime in the small hours of the morning, spurred by a mixture of despair and impaired judgment. I console myself with the fact that they at least look pretty cool, and I do take them traveling to filter out the worst of airplane noise during international flights.

My husband’s dreadful snoring is linked to/exacerbated by Sleep Apnea, a very common condition which basically means that through your sleep cycle you go through periods of very shallow, irregular breathing, and sometimes stop breathing for a while altogether. It’s as unhealthy as it sounds. So we actually bit the bullet and invested a very considerable amount in the most high-end medical equipment solution available out there, Res Med’s AirSense, which consists of a full-blown breathing machine that monitors when those breaks happen and pumps air up your nose and mouth to compensate. It makes your partner look and sound as if they’re on life support, but it does work to alleviate the symptoms. However, my husband says he simply cannot wear it when his nose is congested, and he has a very small narrow nose, which often gets congested. Hence me constantly reaching for the earplugs and him waking up more tired than when he went to bed.

Now, as a technophile, I tend to believe in technology’s potential to, if not completely solve, then at least mitigate or improve such problems, so I’m now officially on the lookout for the most innovative anti-snoring tech out there, and it is safe to say that I’ll try pretty much anything short of  life-threatening or illegal.

In particular, I’m looking forward to testing a hugely popular crowdfunded product which raised over $1.6 million on Indiegogo. QuietLife’s Silent Partner sits on your nose and promises to manipulate the sound waves emitted by the snorer to such an extent as to not make their partner want to murder them. As with all of those things, hearing (or not) would mean believing.

QuietLife’s Silent Partner sits on your nose and promises to manipulate the sound waves emitted by the snorer
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Similarly, in spite of my disappointing experience so far with high-tech earplugs, Knops – which also smashed its crowdfunding target on Kickstarter by a very comfortable margin – sells the idea of being a “volume button for your ears” which hints at something more active than merely trying to block out the noise by shoving random materials into your ear canal. Again, we shall see once a sample materializes.

In the meantime, I’d very much welcome comments and suggestions of other tech out there – from people making it and/or using it – that I should be looking at, and I’ll update this post later in the year, stay tuned!

Can SnoreTech Save my Marriage? https://t.co/diZOgdWboM

— TNWcontributors (@TNWcontributors) June 11, 2017

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Looking for the Best Anti-Snore Technology appeared first on Tech Trends.

We bring you a selection of the interesting products that have caught our eye this month, from haptic Bluetooth earphones to giant screens and coffee-making gadgets.

HP Sprocket Portable Bluetooth Smartphone Printer

As part of our invitation-only jaunt to the Cannes Film Festival this month we also got to try out this nifty printer from HP. It quickly churns out fun pocket-size photos that can be stuck around your room, office, or person. Read the full review in all its glory here.

RRP: $129.99

Varidesk Dual Monitor Arm

This month I added these nifty monitor arms to my Varidesk setup, which give a bit more flexibility when adjusting the height of my display in relation to where I’m sitting (or standing as the case may be). These feature fully articulating 360-degrees screen rotation for maximum ergonomic comfort, and come in both single and dual monitor options. As you may have guessed, however, these are specifically designed to work with the various models of the Varidesk so probably not the best choice if you’ve got a regular desk. Similarly, these days most monitors come with fittings that will allow for wall or arm mounting, but one of mine was a bit older, so I needed to purchase some brace-like adaptors that kind of spoiled the sleek look. If your monitor is compatible, however, installation is pretty straightforward, and each arm holds up to 19.8 lbs (8.98 kg) in weight which covers most size monitors. The advice is to double check your specs and the back of your monitors before ordering.

RRP: $239

Skullcandy Crusher Wireless Haptic Earphones

Our self-confessed sound geek and chief technical reviewer Tom Atkinson had a blast – literally – testing out these vibrating headphones, specially with loud films and VR content. Take a quick read of how he got on here.

RRP: $199.99

iXCC 5200mAh Portable Power Bank

You can really never have too many power banks as far as I’m concerned, and this sleek little one is classy looking (I liked the metallic pink colour) and packs a healthy charging punch while being small and lightweight. It’s also at a good price point, specially if you take advantage of the exclusive offer for Tech Trends readers to get it at 20% off using code iXCCBLON

RRP: $15.49

RCA Cable 3.5mm, iXCC 3.5mm Audio Cable to 2RCA,  Stereo Splitter Y Cable with Dual Shielded and Gold-Plated Connector

This set of audio cables is perfect for connecting your smartphone or tablet to your home stereo system enabling you to stream music into your living room from your mobile device. Build quality is very high with gold-plated connections and a tough but flexible rubber coating. We tested it by streaming music from various services such as Spotify and Google music and these cables really highlighted the difference in quality from those services. It was somewhat surprising that a dedicated music streaming service like Spotify sounded so disappointingly flat while relative newcomers to that space Google Music provided bright and lively sounds. It goes to show how it’s worth investing a relatively small amount in peripherals such as these to enhance your listening experience.

RRP: $8.00

Exclusive offer for Tech Trends Readers: Get 20% off until 30^th June 2017 with promo code iXCCZXCV

Sony VPL-VZ1000ES Ultra Short Throw Projector

From bit sounds to big pictures, while in London Tom also got to try the new top-of-the-range Sony Home Cinema setup. Click here to read the verdict.

RRP: $25,000

Pour Over Coffee Kettle with Build-in Thermometer

Former BBC journalist Phil Williams used to drink instant coffee, until a hike in Colombia changed his life by introducing his taste buds to the real deal. He founded Coffee Gator to help equip people like himself to create that nirvana-like experience at home. Being Brazilian, the love of good, ridiculously strong coffee is in my DNA, so I tend to own a large array of home brewing apparatus, but I was won over not only by Phil’s hilarious promo video (see below) but by the fact that it’s by far the cleanest and easiest to use gadget of the lot. As any barista will tell you, temperature is key for making the perfect brew, so this baby just tells you when the water reaches that temperature. The small spout also stops you from pouring the water over your coffee grounds too quickly. Simples.

And to keep my perfect brew hot for up to 12 hours (fat chance of it lasting that long) I used this beautiful Corkcicle stainless steel bottle. You’d easily spend as much over a month of buying weak lattes at your local coffee shop (or I would, anyway, just through adding extra shots so I can actually taste the coffee). And yes, I considered making some sort of #Covfefe joke here, but frankly I’m too depressed by the whole damn thing. If we’re all going to die we might as well drink good coffee while we can though.

RRP: $51 (Kettle) and $38 (Corkcicle)

For companies looking to gain a competitive edge through technology, Tech Trends offers strategic Virtual Reality and Digital Transformation Consultancy services tailored to your brand.

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

 

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post May 2017 Tech Trends Product Reviews appeared first on Tech Trends.

We have countless pictures on our phones and social media, yet there’s nothing like holding a printed photo in your hand.

And what I’m also holding on the palm of my hand is the tiny and sleek-looking HP Sprocket which was given to a few journalists to try at Cannes (HP is a long-standing partner of the film festival).

My first thought is that this is very much a photo printer for the millennial generation. The white version I got should appeal to the iPhone crowd, but it also comes in a more traditional black for the more conservative folk who still think all printers should be that colour.

This is the photo printer for the Millennial generation
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The “Live it. Love it. Print it” HP slogan pretty much sums up the proposition here. This is just the gadget for all those youngsters looking to print their latest selfies with their besties, and it really couldn’t be simpler to use.

It took me literally less than 3 minutes to set it up. A simple matter of downloading the app – available on iOS and Android of course – loading the paper (it comes with 10 sheets of paper to get you started) turning it on – the old IT Crowd trick – and pairing the device with my phone’s Bluetooth.

The user-friendly Sprocket takes less than 3 minutes to get printing
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You can then go ahead and choose any photo from your galleries or social media (you can connect your Facebook, Instagram, and Google accounts to access those photos directly), play around with it a bit (the app lets you add stickers, text, etc.) and soon the little guy is whirring away and producing a perfectly formed, business-card sized photo for you to share with your admiring friends.

The technical low-down: For a full colour printer it really is tiny at 75 x 116 x 23mm and 170gms and packs a powerful punch for the $129.99 price. Running via a micro USB rechargeable battery and turning out full colour prints at above 300dpi resolution the Sprocket it accomplished as well as small. The prints are a very usable size at 5 x 7.6cms (2 x 3inches) and the only slight con I noticed was that while the detail of the prints was good the colours were a bit washed out, apart from this the Sprocket produces good results in seconds, keeping pace with the somewhat short attention span of its target audience.

Technical accomplishments aside, playing around with the Sprocket app is genuinely a lot of fun. As a jaded tech reviewer, generally immune to the frivolities of gadgets targeted at the young but even I found myself chuckling as I applied borders, text, emojis, clown bow ties to photos of my friends and relatives. In the wake of the Chinese photo enhancement app Meitu the options here are a little limited but definitely less disturbing. No huge-eyed, baby-faced, manga-esque faces here, but certainly enough to keep you entertained. There’s a good range of creative filters finishes off the editing possibilities as well as the usual crop, rotate functions.

The paper is a bit pricey, but it does not require ink refills
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Now, those old enough – sadly, like myself – to remember Polaroid might be shouting at the screen (also something older folk are prone to do) that this idea of instant printing is nothing new. But that is exactly the beauty of it: The Sprocket pairs up our very modern way of taking photos with the nostalgia of wanting to see them in print.

This could be a welcome excuse to look at your photos in a different way
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And HP is, after all, a technology company very much focused on printing, so it makes sense for them to come out with such a product. I, for one really enjoyed it, and it also passed the “grandma test” where it proved to be a bit hit with people (even) older than myself – i.e. my parents, who had a great time messing around with stickers and printing out their photos.

The HP Sprocket is a modern gadget that appeals to our nostalgia
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And speaking of stickers, the pièce de résistance here is the fact that the prints are sticky backed, so you can easily decorate your room, office, car or forehead with your creations. And what grumpy old sod doesn’t like stickers?

At around $129.99 it’s not exactly cheap, but it’s a very solid, low-maintenance gadget that does not require ink. The Sprocket doesn’t need ink cartridges as the paper works on HP Zink proprietary photo paper based on a system where heat applied to the treated paper produces colours. This means the process is really clean and tidy, but of course also corners you into buying the paper at around $10 for a pack of 20 sheets.

However, the fact that you’re probably going to be thinking twice before hitting the print button is actually the point. We’re all so quick to take hundreds – nay, thousands – of pictures every day, that this can be a nice excuse to take some time to actually look at them in a different way, and to make them count. Like this one. Definitely worth it.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Product Review: HP Sprocket Portable Bluetooth Smartphone Printer appeared first on Tech Trends.