Synqera using tablets for in-store facial expressions capture

http://on.mash.to/17qEwkd

IOT strategy of Staples

IoT Podcast: Staples to become a one-stop shop for office supplies and smart home devices http://gigaom.com/2013/09/24/iot-podcast-staples-to-become-a-one-stop-shop-for-office-supplies-and-smart-home-devices/

Google glass apps

Rock Health startups Spire and Augmedix show wearable tech’s applications beyond fitness http://gigaom.com/2013/09/25/rock-health-startups-spire-and-augmedix-show-wearable-techs-applications-beyond-fitness/

Smart Watches Review

Samsung launched its smart watch, Galaxy Gear earlier this month.

Pebble

Pebble started with a bang, raising a record $ 10 Million on Kickstarter! 

Pebble Watch

While the small form factor may improve portability, the same and the monochromatic display will prove to be a deterrent to many. The low cost of $150 is attractive though. It will end up more as a gizmo than a utility. With over 85000 pre-ordered at the time of writing, the future definitely looks interesting ! 
Lifestyle Applications showcased cover sports, music and messaging! It may need more applications to break over the tipping point. 

Samsung Galaxy Gear

It is considered to be Pranav Mistry's brainchild. It will only work with the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy

Note 10.1 2014 Edition, after updating to Android 4.3, the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S III, and Galaxy Note II will work with the Gear. The Gear will be available post for $299.Specs : 

• 1.63 inch 320×320 display 277 PPI (1.67-inch Super AMOLED, 191 dpi; 3 cm×3 cm)
• Single-core 800 MHz Exynos processor
• ARM Mali-400 MP4 Graphic-Processor (210 MHz/500 MHz)
• 512 MB memory
• 4 GB on board storage
• 1.9 megapixel camera located in the watch band
• Bluetooth 4.0
• 3 axis accelerometer
• 315 mAh battery (advertised to last 25 hours)
• Accelerometer & Gyroscope & Gesture Control

Stock apps are Snapchat, ChatON, S Health, Notification, RunKeeper, Tripit, Evernote, Vivino Wine, Kik, Path, showing accent on Texting, Sport, Health, Travel and note taking. 

Qualcomm Toq

Qualcomm Toq smartwatch is expected to be released as a proof of concept to OEMs and may be

Qualcomm Toq

released in limited quantities in October 2013. The Toq was first unveiled at Qualcomm's annual Uplinq event on September 4th, 2013. It syncs with Android 4.0 or higher smartphones, allowing users to quickly scan through texts, emails, phone calls, and other notifications. It features a Mirasol display which can be easily viewed in direct sunlight. Unlike most ereaders, it can display colors and can refresh fast enough for watching videos. The Toq has a backlight for when there is no outside light source.The 200 MHz processor however does not inspire too much confidence. 






Specs

• 200 MHz Cortex M3 processor
• 1.55" Mirasol display
• Battery is inside the watchband and lasts for up to 5 days
• Charges via a Qualcomm WiPower box

Sony Smartwatch 2

The Sony SmartWatch 2, (SW2 for short), is due for a late September release. SW2 supports working

together with any Android 4.0 (and higher) smartphone, unlike Samsung's competing Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which only works with a few of Samsung's own Galaxy handsets. The watch comes with the option of a silicone or metal wristband and aluminum body, but can be used with any 24mm wristband. It is 1.65" X 1.61" wide and 0.35" thick and weighs 23 gms and sports a transflective LCD screen with a 220x176 resolution. The SW2 connects to the smartphone using Bluetooth, and supports NFC for easy pairing. It can be submersed in water up to a metre for 30 minutes.

It is selling for INR 6490 on Flipkart in India ! Now that is a steal

Nissan Gizmo

Nissan Nismo

This is the surprise entrant in the smartwatch market! Nissan is launching a  smartwatch to go with its Z370 Nismo sports car. The Nismo Smartwatch connects via Bluetooth to a Nissan smartphone app and can display information about a car’s performance as well as driver stats, including heartbeat.  It will give drivers average speed and fuel consumption readings. It will also let them access a vehicle's telematics and performance data in motion; capture the driver's biometric data through a heart rate monitor; connect to the car using a smartphone app through Bluetooth Low Energy; and receive tailored car messages from Nissan.Taking the name of its performance-focused automobiles, the Nismo smartwatch will be paired with Nissan’s high-end racing cars. Nissan is slated to show off its newest gadget during Frankfurt Motor Show 2013. Critics have been sceptical on its usage as it is aimed at racing drivers and hence may lack wider acceptance. I imagine it will finder application, especially with the health monitoring! Lets wait and see.

The clock is ticking !

2013 has been an eventful year for Smart watches with a slew of launches! 2014 will definitely be a watershed for Wearables with more launches and more importantly, launch of Google Glass and its ilk of Smart Eyewear from the likes of Vuzix and Recon, which I will cover in my next article. Market reports talk of Wearables breaching the 100 Million mark in 2014 itself! At that rate, the clock is ticking on mobile phones as we know them. I believe that 2016-17 time frame will see a global migration from Mobile phones to Wearables! I would be eagerly looking forward to those days! 

Back to Blogger!

Reviving my Blogging after a long break! I will be sharing my random thoughts on :

• The Futurist Fundas
• User Centric Internet
• Internet of Things
• Web 3.0 
• Wearables
• 3D Printing
• Augmented Reality
• Nanotechnology in Daily life
• Motors and Machines - Planes, Cars and Bikes! 
• Odd raves at the crass Indian political class

and yes, Music! 

EnJois!

Sharadh makes me proud!

Sharadh, my son, makes me proud by scoring 92.2% in his board exams getting 4 As and a B! He goes further and gets admission into CNSE at SUNY, Albany! It is a dream come true! Cant be happier!

Aarushi murder: The huge cover-up

Aarushi murder: The huge cover-up
This must go down in the History of Crime, and more importantly, Press as the worst disasters! While our sympaties lies withose bereaved, the Police and the Media have a mockery of the justice system. The Police in the ever-confounding directionless bumbling and the arrest of Dr. Talwar and, as this article reports, incompetent, unprofessional and stupid handling of the evidence. The Media, in my opinion, is the bigger culprit. They made a demon of the father without a shred of evidence and have since calously ruined the lives of the already greiving parents! The Media has resorted to cheap sensationalism for TRPs and tried to play the story to invisible galleries hoping to make mileage of the death of a 13 year old girl by making up every possible theory of their own, without being sensitive to the parents and friends of the dead. Further, have they ever given a thought to what the kids watching the graphics on TV around the country would go through!? It is extremely sad that such irresponsible journalism is being fostered in this country. The Arushi episode followed by the 26/11 reporting by the media has completely destroyed the trust of people in TV media! You need to do a lot more to redeem yourselves. How are we to believe any thing the TV Media says when it went to the extent of "manufacturing" news that the venerable Dr. Talwar was having a incestous relationship with his own daughter, even without a shred of evidence!

In the past, a few of my posts on various news sites have been blocked out for questioning the press! I will therfore post this on my blog and link it up all networks!