Bionic lens promises SUPERHUMAN sight three times better than 20/20

Bionic lens promises SUPERHUMAN sight three times better than 20/20

The Ocumetics Bionic Lens was created by Canadian Dr Garth WebbSurgery to implant the lens into the patient's eye takes eight minutesIt is folded into a syringe in a saline solution and placed in an eyeOnce it has unravelled - within about 10 seconds - the vision is corrected

From glasses to standard lenses and even lasers, there are many ways people can restore or correct their vision. 

But the latest so-called 'bionic' lens promises to not only restore sight, it claims it can boost it to three times better than 20/20. 

And surgery to insert the lens takes just eight minutes, with sight being restored in seconds. 

The Ocumetic Bionic Lens (pictured) was created by Dr Garth Webb. He claims surgery to implant the lens is as 'painless and gentle' as cataract surgery and restores sight within 10 seconds. Although he hasn't revealed the intricacies of the technology, he did say it created vision three times better than 20/20

The Ocumetic Bionic Lens was created by Dr Garth Webb. 

He explained that surgery to implant the lens into the patient's eye takes eight minutes and involves folding the lens into a syringe in a saline solution and placing it in the eye. 

Once it has unravelled - within about 10 seconds - the vision is corrected and Dr Webb claims it is 'three times better than 20/20'. 

And he continued it was 'as painless and gentle' as cataract surgery.  

Visual acuity - or the ability to see fine spatial details - is typically measured with a Snellen chart used by optometrists globally.

THE OCUMETIC BIONIC LENS 

The Ocumetic Bionic Lens was created by Dr Garth Webb. 

He explained that surgery to implant the lens into the patient's eye takes eight minutes and involves folding the lens into a syringe in a saline solution and placing it in the eye. 

Once it has unravelled - within about 10 seconds - the vision is corrected and Dr Webb claims it is 'three times better than 20/20'. 

In theory, this means Dr Webb's lenses could create 20/0 vision, at which point the wearer could see letters when stood at 20ft that a normal person could see with the letters directly in front of their eyes - although Dr Webb has not categorised it in this way. 

Elsewhere it is made of 'inert biocompatible polymeric materials; that do not cause biophysical changes within the eye. 

Dr Webb has not revealed the intricacies of the technology behind the lens and MailOnline has contacted him for more information.

The chart displays letters that get progressively smaller in size. 

The benchmark, and vision that is considered healthy and 'normal', is classified as 20/20. 

This means a person can see the same line of letters when stood at a distance of 20ft compared with what a 'normal' person sees at the same distance. 

A basis for 'normal' was determined using a large database of test results. 

By comparison, 20/40 vision means the test subject sees at 20ft what a 'normal' person sees at 40ft. 

Legal blindness is categorised as 20/200. On the opposite scale, 20/15 offers enhanced vision.  

In theory, Dr Webb's lenses could create 20/0 vision, at which point the wearer could see letters when stood at 20ft that a normal person could see with the letters directly in front of their eyes - although Dr Webb has not categorised it in this way. 

Elsewhere the lens is made of 'inert biocompatible polymeric materials that do not cause biophysical changes within the eye.

Dr Webb has not revealed the intricacies of the technology behind the lens and MailOnline has contacted him for more information.

In July 2013 researchers from San Diego and Switzerland fitted a traditional contact lens with a magnifying ring which, when worn with a pair of Samsung 3D glasses, could magnify scenes by 2.8 times.

Surgery to implant the lens into the patient's eye takes eight minutes and involves folding the lens into a syringe in a saline solution (picutred) and placing it in the eye. Once it has unravelled - within about 10 seconds - the vision is corrected

The vision created by Dr Webb's lenses has been dubbed 'super sight' because its more powerful than the average person's sight. Superhuman vision is common in science fiction films and comics such as Superman (Henry Cavil in Man of Steel is pictured)

The lens-glasses combination was designed to help restore the sight of people suffering from age-related macular degeneration, or blindness.

The 8mm contact lenses were fitted with a 1.17mm magnifying ring around the edge and small aluminium mirrors were fitted into this magnifying ring.

These mirrors bounced the light from objects in front of the wearer approximately four times around this ring before sending the image to the retina.

By the time this image hit the retina it appeared magnified by almost three times.

When the lenses are being worn in 'ordinary mode' this magnified image is blocked by polarising filters fitted to a pair of modified Samsung 3D glasses. 

Researchers recently developed lenses that give the wearer telescopic vision, designed to restore sight in blind people. The front and back of the lens are shown at (a) and (b). Picture (c) shows the lens on an optomechanical eye. The lenses are worn with 3D glasses and can magnify images when unblocked (e)

Elsewhere, iOptik announced at last year's CES that it had developed contact lenses that allow the wearer to see high-definition virtual screens (pictured). In particular, the system lets them see projected digital information, such as driving directions and video calls 

To switch to 'telescopic mode', the wearer can change these filters so that the only light that hits their retina is the light created by the magnified process.

Elsewhere, iOptik announced at last year's CES it had developed contact lenses that allow the wearer to see high-definition virtual screens. 

In particular, the system lets them see projected digital information, such as driving directions and video calls.

The tiny 'screens', which are the invention of Washington-based group Innovega, sit directly on a users' eyeballs and work with a pair of lightweight glasses.

Google is also working on 'smart lenses' that contain a control circuit, an image capture component and an image sensor.

The system can be wirelessly linked to a mobile phone for data access and to issue commands via audio, although it is unclear if the lens would be powered wirelessly or have a wired link to a battery. 

Bionic lens promises SUPERHUMAN sight three times better than 20/20

9:08 AM 3D glasses, bionic lense, featured, optics, wearables

Growing threat from multidrug-resistant shigella in the U.S.

Highly Contagious, Antibiotic-Resistant Food Poisoning Establishes U.S. Presence

The kinds of bacteria that can cause food poisoning lurk all around us. These germs can be especially easy to pick up when traveling internationally as well as in places, such as children's day cares, which are hard to keep clean. The infections usually clear up on their own but sometimes require hospitalizations and hefty doses of antibiotics to expunge. Unfortunately, the bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment.

The latest bad news came in April when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an outbreak of Shigella sonnei that has become resistant tociprofloxacin—one of the last remaining medications in pill form that can kill the germ. Since then a Scientific American investigation shows the worrisome strain is still circulating in the U.S. a year after it first emerged.

Shigella bacteria typically cause about 500,000 diarrheal illnesses and 40 deaths in the U.S. every year. Children who are malnourished and people with compromised immune systems are particularly at risk of developing severe cases. Symptoms include diarrhea that is sometimes bloody, fever and abdominal pain, and typically last about a week.

The bacteria occur naturally in the U.S. but, heretofore, people typically caught ciprofloxacin-resistant strains while traveling internationally. In the current outbreak, however, many people who became sick had not recently been out of the country, which proves that the multidrug-resistant bug has now established a firm domestic presence.

The CDC has confirmed 275 cases of ciprofloxacin-resistant shigella across the country from May 2014 to May 2015, according to data obtained exclusively by Scientific American (see chart below). Although these figures appear small, they almost certainly represent but a tiny fraction of the true number of ciprofloxacin-resistant cases. Shigella infections are supposed to be reported to the CDC but a lot of people who get sick do not go to the doctor. And those who do are sometimes not tested for the presence of shigella, let alone drug resistance.

Vulnerable populations are some of the hardest hit in this outbreak, including cases linked to a day care center, homeless people in San Francisco and HIV-positive individuals in Philadelphia. As few as 10 shigella germs can cause an infection—making the bacteria virtually undetectable as it quickly spreads in contaminated food and water or from person to person.

Other drugs that the pathogen has overcome in the past include ampicillin, streptomycin and tetracycline. Anna Bowen, a medical officer in the CDC's Waterborne Diseases Prevention Branch and lead author of the April study, says the CDC has identified some cases in this outbreak that were resistant to all of the oral treatment options currently available. The next line of defense is a broader-spectrum, more expensive antibioticthat must be administered via injection or an intravenous line.

Whereas labs can test for ciprofloxacin resistance, there are currently no standardized tests to identify if a shigella infection is resistant to azithromycin, which is the go-to drug for children. (The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved ciprofloxacin only for adults.) "Almost no clinical labs are doing this sort of testing," Bowen says, "and so patients are being treated kind of blindly since the providers don't know if azithromycin is an appropriate choice or not."

Lag time in reporting is another issue. San Francisco, for example, is tracking nearly two times the number of cases that the CDC counts as confirmed for the city—228 cases versus 119. Cora Hoover, director of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, says they have slightly different case definitions because as the city agency on the ground investigating this outbreak they want assurance all possible patients are identified; also it takes so long to confirm a case. Public health officials normally follow up with each patient, and lab tests can take weeks.

It can take around a month to confirm a case of shigellosis is both antibiotic-resistant and part of the same outbreak, though it varies. Generally, once a doctor identifies a shigella infection, he or she reports it to the city or state public health agency and sends a stool sample to the lab to confirm the diagnosis. The lab grows or "cultures" the bacteria and reports its findings back to the doctor and agency in about a week. The health agency then reports the case to the CDC, which tests a selection of cases for antibiotic resistance via the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System and its national laboratory network, PulseNet. Results from PulseNet's genetic testing of sample cases can be complete within a couple of weeks.

By the time the full picture of a single case is confirmed, the patient is usually better. Caroline Johnson, director of the Division of Disease Control at Public Health for the City of Philadelphia, says her division usually suspects that a case is part of an outbreak but does not know for sure until the full results are in.

Peter Gerner-Smidt, chief of the CDC's Enteric Diseases Laboratory Branch and PulseNet, says labs will gradually move away from having to culture bacteria to identify them. As genetic testing becomes cheaper and more accessible, state labs will eventually be able to get that information by determining the whole DNA sequence of each sample. This approach will hopefully reveal antibiotic-resistance more quickly, he says, but it will likely take years before these tests are widely used.

Because of the increasing threat of multidrug-resistant shigella, the CDC and other health agencies recommend doctors only prescribe antibiotics for severe cases. Shigellosis can actually clear up on its own with proper hydration and rest. Prevention is therefore the best weapon for controlling resistant shigella, Bowen says, particularly because the U.S. cannot regulate antibiotic overuse in other countries, but it still affects patients here.

"Problems with antibiotic resistance anywhere are problems with antibiotic resistance everywhere," she says. "There are no borders when it comes to antibiotic resistance, and we have all got to be vigilant."

The numbers in this chart do not fully represent the shigellosis burden in the U.S. because not all cases are reported. The weekly case totals in this graphic were calculated by subtracting the previous week's cumulative total from the current week's cumulative total as reported in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. These cumulative totals can fluctuate up or down based on new information.

Growing threat from multidrug-resistant shigella in the U.S.

8:47 AM drug resistance, food poisoning, health, micro organisms, shigella

Galaxy S6's Sales Disaster, New Samsung Galaxy Launch Date, Xperia Z4 Tablet Review

Galaxy S6's Sales Disaster, New Samsung Galaxy Launch Date, Xperia Z4 Tablet Review

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Taking a look back at seven days of news across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit highlights a number of stories including the low sales of the Samsung Galaxy S6 family, the early arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, early reviews of the Sony Xperia Z4 tablet, Microsoft Office preview for Android, the new OnePlus 2 handset is benchmarked online, Android Wear updates, MixRadio arrives on the platform, and the release of AdBlock’s Android browser.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android in the last week (and you can read the weekly Apple news digest here).

Galaxy S6 Sales Disaster

While there are no confirmed numbers (and Samsung’s comment is “no comment”), the reporting of the first month of sales on the Galaxy S6 is not what the South Korean manufacturer would have been hoping for. Ten million is not just on the low-end of expectations, it’s crashing through the floor and have a serious effect on the finances of the parent company.

Korean news agency Yonhap reports that it has taken a month for sales of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge to reach 10M. Speaking to Yonhap a ‘high-ranking Samsung official’ confirmed this figure for the first time. Trying to put a positive spin on it the official said: “The sales of the Galaxy S6 series have already surpassed 10 million.”

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (image: Ewan Spence)

Forbes’ Gordon Kelly expands on the detail behind that number, especially with Samsung’s focus on selling 70 million S6 branded handsets this year:

Notably the Galaxy S4 shipped 10M units in 27 days while the much criticised Galaxy S5 took 25 days to ship 10M units. In fact it was the lack of growth from the Galaxy S5 that inspired the radical reboot of the line seen in the S6es.

Consequently for combined sales of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge to only pass 10M in a similar timeframe to the S5 and S4 represents a disastrous return. This is particularly true for the cheaper Galaxy S6 given Samsung has already confirmed demand for the Edge variant has been unexpectedly high.

All of which poses the obvious question: if Galaxy S6 Edge sales are performing above expectations, just how bad are Galaxy S6 sales?

I’ll be keeping a close eye on the numbers around the Galaxy S6 family. Given the crash in profits and revenue during 2014, right now Samsung’s Mobile Division looks to be a huge fiscal drag on the company’s bottom line.

Is The Galaxy Note 5 Arriving Early?

Will Samsung reveal the Galaxy Note 5 ahead of the expected annual schedule? Traditionally Berlin’s IFA event has seen the South Korean company refresh its phablet line, but sources in the supply chain point to a potential earlier release.

…Samsung is also apparently preparing to release its Galaxy Note 5 in late July, according to WhowiredKorea. It is claimed Samsung has already confirmed the final specification of the phablet and shown prototypes to global telecoms partners… For Samsung bringing forward the Galaxy Note 5 launch would make sense. Samsung Pay is set to launch in July which would unite it with the new phablet and it would also give Samsung the drop on Android rivals expected to launch their devices at the IFA tech show which is held in Berlin in September.

Given Apple’s tendency to release devices in September, Samsung may also have thought this would give it the drop on the new iPhone 6S Plus. If I was looking for an easier answer, I’d suggest Samsung want far more units available at launch than in previous years to get an immediate ‘hit’ phone.

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet Reviews

The Guardian’s Samuel Gibbs has been taking a look at a pre-release version of Sony’s latest tablet. The Xperia Z4 Tablet doubles up as an ultraportable laptop with the keyboard cover, and continues to push the idea of a high-specification waterproof tablet:

The Xperia Z4 Tablet will be familiar to anyone who has laid eyes on a Sony smartphone or tablet made in the last couple of years: a thin, waterproof body, black bezels and a brilliant LCD screen.

The big change for the Z4 is the size of the housing. The screen is the same 10.1in, now quad HD with a pixel density of 299 pixels per inch, but the bezels around the screen have shrunk – the tablet is 12mm shorter and 5mm narrower, making it one of the smallest 10in tablets available.

While the future of Sony’s mobile division is still unclear, the hardware that is being manufactured continues to impress. We’ll have the Z4 Tablet to review on Forbes when it is released to the public.

Microsoft Office Preview App Released For Android

Following on from successful release of OneNote and Outlook, Microsoft has rolled out Office for Android as a preview application. Tony Bradley takes a look at the strategy behind Microsoft’s next encroachment into the Android world:

Initially Microsoft worked to just get some version of the Office apps out there for competing platforms like iOS and Android. The focus lately has been on ensuring the look and feel are consistent across all of the different devices and operating systems. It’s nice to be able to use the same basic tools on different devices but users shouldn’t have to re-learn how to use Word, Excel or PowerPoint depending on which device they choose. It should be simple and intuitive to use a Microsoft Office app no matter which platform it’s on.

Microsoft’s move to a cloud-based strategy has an impact on how the mobile Office app earns money. While it works as a viewer for free, the single sign-up to Office 365 will open up all the features in the application.

Microsoft has made the basic functionality of viewing and editing Microsoft Office files free for everyone. You must subscribe to Office 365, though, if you want the full range of features and capabilities. That shouldn’t really be an issue for most people—Office 365 is a much better value than buying Microsoft Office the old-fashioned way.

Next OnePlus Handset Shows Up In Benchmarking Tests

Shenzhen-based manufacturer OnePlus is expected to release its second handset by the end of the year. Named the OnePlus 2, it appears that some handsets have browsed to the online benchmarking sites to see how they compare to the competition. 9to5Google has the details:

Rumors regarding the successor the popular OnePlus One smartphone began emerging earlier this year and now a mysterious device from the company has appeared in GeekBench test results. While the results don’t reveal much, the show what is likely the OnePlus 2. The device appears to be running Android 5.1 and features an 8 core processor, likely in the 4+4 setup, clocked at 1.55GHz.

The processor is most likely the Snapdragon 810,which has been said to suffer from overheating issues since its launch. The test results show the device as carrying the model number A2001. The original OnePlus One carried the A0001 model number.

The OnePlus 2 is expected to arrive during Q3 2015, and a potential budget-priced model may appear before the end of 2015.

Google Sends Out Android Wear Update

Paul Lamkin details the changes and additions in Google’s latest release of Android Wear. Taking the platform up to Android 5.1.1, the wearable OS with a large smartwatch footprint now features improvements in the app launcher UI, connecting directly over Wi-Fi to the internet, gesture control, and emoji support.

Rather than an awkward list of task-specific commands, Google has gone back to smartphone-esque basics with a simple, icon-heavy, app launching page – easily reachable with a simple tap of the home screen. From this apps list you can scroll left for your contacts (nicely sorted with your most popular first) and, from here, you can send a text or email; or kick-start a call to start on your synced smartphone.

When you do fire up an app you’ll also notice that, much like the watch face, the display will be blacked out after a short period of time. This ‘always-on’ app feature is very handy for things like shopping lists and will help to preserve battery power.

Android Wear interaction (photo: Ewan Spence)

MixRadio Launches On Android

While Microsoft is promoting the ability for Android (and iOS) developers to port apps to Windows Phone, it is busy porting apps the other way with MixRadio the next app to jump out of the silo towards the major platforms in the market (reports The Next Web). The ad-supported streaming music app is free of charge, and while there some restrictions in place (much like any other nine streaming application, e.g. limited skips per hour, and limited number of repeating artists per hour) it’s an interesting choice to help you explore the music:

MixRadio’s expansion comes amid a hotbed of activity in the genre. A Spotify event tomorrow will likely reveal news about that service, while listeners anticipate more information about Apple’s new Beats music service. MixRadio, which is ad-supported, is free of charge.

And Finally…

AdBlock has entered the browser wars on Android with the launch of a new browser that blocks advertising on your handset. The Next Web looks at the tech behind the browser:

ABP’s developers have launched Adblock Browser for Android, which is basically Firefox 37 for Android with ABP baked in. The app is currently in beta, and you’ll need to sign up to ABP’s Google+ community to download it… Adblock Browser for Android looks and feels about the same as Firefox’s mobile browser, but it doesn’t support other add-ons or Firefox’s Sync feature. ABP claims that users will enjoy increased battery life, save on data usage and avoid malware injected into ads.

‘Android Circuit’ will round-up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course read the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch.

Galaxy S6's Sales Disaster, New Samsung Galaxy Launch Date, Xperia Z4 Tablet Review

11:14 AM android, galaxy 6, samsung, smart phones, sony, xperia

Future of WiFi tecgnology

New technology could fundamentally improve future wireless communications

Novel full-duplex transceiver top device

A new electronics technique that could allow a radio device to transmit and receive on the same channel at the same time (“full duplex,” or simultaneous, two-way transmission) has been developed by researchers at the University of Bristol’s Communication Systems and Networksresearch group. The technique can estimate and cancel out the interference from a device’s own transmission.

Today’s cell phones and other communication devices use twice as much of the radio spectrum as necessary. The new system requires only one channel (set of frequencies) for two-way communication,so it uses only half as much spectrum compared to current technology.

The new technology combines electrical balance isolation and active radio frequency cancellation. Their prototype can suppress interference by a factor of more than 100 million and uses low-cost, small-form-factor technologies, making it well suited to use in mobile devices such as smartphones.

Significant impacts on mobile and WiFi systems

For future cellular systems (such as 5G systems), the new technology would deliver increased capacity and data rates, or alternatively, the network operators could provide the same total network capacity with fewer base-station sites, reducing the cost and environmental impact of running the network.

In today’s mobile devices, a separate filtering component is required for each frequency band, and because of this, today’s mobiles phone do not support all of the frequency channels available internationally. Different devices are manufactured for different regions of the world, so there are currently no 4G phones capable of unrestricted global roaming.

In Wi-Fi systems, the new design would double the capacity of a Wi-Fi access point, allowing for more simultaneous users or higher data rates.

Replacing these filters with the research team’s duplexer circuit would create smaller and cheaper devices, and would allow manufacturers to produce a single model for the entire world. This would enable global roaming on 4G and would further decrease cost through greater economies of scale.

The team had published papers about their research in the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications special issue on full duplex radio, and in this month’s issue of the IEEE Communications Magazine and has filed patents.

Abstract of Electrical balance duplexing for small form factor realization of in-band full duplex

Transceiver architectures utilizing various self-interference suppression techniques have enabled simultaneous transmission and reception at the same frequency. This full-duplex wireless offers the potential for a doubling of spectral efficiency; however, the requirement for high transmit-to-receive isolation presents formidable challenges for the designers of full duplex transceivers. Electrical balance in hybrid junctions has been shown to provide high transmit- to-receive isolation over significant bandwidths. Electrical balance duplexers require just one antenna, and can be implemented on-chip, making this an attractive technology for small form factor devices. However, the transmit-toreceive isolation is sensitive to antenna impedance variation in both the frequency domain and time domain, limiting the isolation bandwidth and requiring dynamic adaptation. Various contributions concerning the implementation and performance of electrical balance duplexers are reviewed and compared, and novel measurements and simulations are presented. Results demonstrate the degradation in duplexer isolation due to imperfect system adaptation in user interaction scenarios, and requirements for the duplexer adaptation system are discussed.

Abstract of Optimum Single Antenna Full Duplex Using Hybrid Junctions

This paper investigates electrical balance (EB) in hybrid junctions as a method of achieving transmitter-receiver isolation in single antenna full duplex wireless systems. A novel technique for maximizing isolation in EB duplexers is presented, and we show that the maximum achievable isolation is proportional to the variance of the antenna reflection coefficient with respect to frequency. Consequently, antenna characteristics can have a significant detrimental impact on the isolation bandwidth. Simulations that include embedded antenna measurements show a mean isolation of 62 dB over a 20-MHz bandwidth at 1.9 GHz but relatively poor performance at wider bandwidths. Furthermore, the operational environment can have a significant impact on isolation performance. We present a novel method of characterizing radio reflections being returned to a single antenna. Results show as little as 39 dB of attenuation in the radio echo for a highly reflective indoor environment at 1.9 GHz and that the mean isolation of an EB duplexer is reduced by 7 dB in this environment. A full duplex architecture exploiting EB is proposed.

Future of WiFi tecgnology

6:11 PM 5G, COMMUNICATION, duplex, electronics, WiFi, wireless

Native Fingerprint Authentication In Android M

Fingerprint Authentication

Google's yearly I/O conference is taking place at the end of next week, and if a recent report is worth taking into consideration, then we might witness the new fingerprint authentication feature being released with Android M

This year’s Google I/O conference will take place at the end of next week, on May 28-29, and it’s said to bring a lot of news regarding the upcoming Android M version. Google is also expected to discouss about aew Google Glass device, the updates on Android One, a new Chromecast and much more.

Now, a fresh rumor from BuzzFeed suggests that the upcoming Android M software version will feature native support for fingerprint authentication. Of course, there are already plenty of Android device which feature fingerprint readers but they are using software built specifically by the OEM. With this new native feature, Google wants to make it easier for phone-making companies to include a fingerprint scanner in their devices.

ArsTechnica too says that there have been hints in AOSP (Android Open Source Project, the Google leaded project for Android) that fingerprint readers were a planned feature. The publication says Google was working on the:

setup and enrollment process, a fingerprint lock screen, and a “service to manage multiple clients that want to access the fingerprint HAL API

Ron Amadeo with the publication further adds:

a Google-standardized API would encourage the entire Android ecosystem to finally jump onboard the fingerprint bandwagon. Widely used Google apps like the Play Store would support it, and it would even open up the possibility for Chrome to fingerprint website logins. A Google API would be stable enough and universally supported enough that third-party apps would begin to support it.

If Google does decide to announce fingerprint reader support at I/O, then chance are they will release preview build of Android M just like it happened with Android L back in 2014. But it also needs pointing out that Google currently has no device with a fingerprint sensor, even if the Nexus 6 was very close to getting one.

So, taking this into account, it makes sense for Google to announce this feature when it has a device with a fingerprint reader, as well, so that it could take the chance to promote it. But as Google usually releases its Nexus devices around fall, then we could wait for a little longer. Or, who knows, maybe they will surprise us and announce a new device at the event from next week. Whatever happens, we’re going to be here to report it.

Native Fingerprint Authentication In Android M

5:59 PM Android M, Fingerprint, GOOGLE I/O, NEXUS, smart phones

Brillo a Homekit From Google

Google appears ready to tackle Tizen, HomeKit with its own IoT platform

It's not terribly surprising that Google wants to connect everything to the web. After all, more web usage, particularly with Google search and apps, leads to more information for the company. And that in turn leads to more potential revenue through targeted advertisements.

What may be more surprising is a new Google platform specifically for the Internet of Things (IoT): The Information reported that Google is working on software called Brillo for that very reason. I would have thought Android, or at least parts of it, could be the underlying IoT platform.

Perhaps Android is too "heavy", however.

By that I mean the software has relatively hefty hardware requirements compared to a smart light switch, garage door opener, doorbell, or smart electricity meter. Brillo could run on devices with as little as 32 to 64 MB of memory while phones minimally have ten times or more memory.

Google actually headed down a similar path in the past. You'll be forgiven if you don't: The platform was introduced at the 2011 Google I/O Developer event and never amounted any tangible products.

The landscape has changed much in four years, however.

Now, we're on the verge of seeing products that support Apple's year-old HomeKit platform, for example. And at a January Consumer Electronics Show keynote address, Samsung announced its Tizen software would be central to the company's IoT strategy. There are now more competitors in this space and we're seeing actual progress in it.

Google itself has made some of that progress, at least on the hardware side. The company bought Next for $3.2 billion and later added DropCam to its acquisition list.

It could be that some of the old Android@Home bits will live on in Brillo but that's the least of my questions.

I'm wondering how open Brillo will actually be since Apple and Samsung are making a platform play here: It's near a certainty that you'll need an iOS device for HomeKit, for example.

Will Google, which touts more openness than its peers, lock users in with Android for Brillo or will it provide a truly open framework?

And how will Google entice hardware partners to embrace Brillo? Samsung faces less of a challenge here because it is its own best hardware partner: The company makes televisions, household appliances, computers and more that could work with Tizen.

As I said, Google has meandered down this road before. Let's see what it announces at next week's Google I/O event to see if the company is any farther along towards a final destination.

Brillo a Homekit From Google

8:37 AM Brillo, Google, GOOGLE I/O, homekit, Internet of things, IoT, Tizen

Are super cheap smartphones really worth it?

Systems developer Angus Gratton recently made a trip to Shenzhen, China where he purchased a $34 smartphone that boasted 4G connectivity, 8 cores, and Android 4.4 (Kit Kat). After running the Huami H3 through its courses, Gratton discovered that none of the above was true, but for $34, you might be surprised at what you get.

The software on the H3 runs painfully slow. Even scrolling down a list in the settings section causes skips and screen freezes. But, considering that the device is running Android 4.0.3 (not the claimed Kit Kat version) with only 200MB of RAM, it is chugging along reasonably well.

Gratton notes, “I’m amazed Android 4 is even halfway usable with such meagre RAM, given how terrible recent cheap smartphones with 512MB of RAM are!”

After digging around the software, Gratton discovered that quite a few of the original claims were incorrect. Not only was the About page modified with false information showing a faster processor with more cores, but the internal storage stats were falsified (only 1.2GB instead of the supposed 4GB) and the build strings that show Android’s Kit Kat as the operating system were all physically changed from their original build of Ice cream Sandwich.

Gratton also did a teardown of the H3 so we could see what is inside. The most interesting revelation is that none of the parts inside are from used phones. They all appear to be new chips, transceivers, and other bits of technology.

Overall, Gratton writes that, for the price, the H3 is “pretty remarkable.” Although he notes that it won’t be replacing his main phone. The device supports the idea that OEMs can make ridiculously cheap, carrier-free smartphones that work reasonably well, especially if they actually produce what they claim (or at least tell the truth about the tech specs).

While the price may be tempting (the Huami H3 has no carrier contract to lock you in), I’m not sure that one could consider this to be a useful smartphone as a main. It is nicely priced to be a working backup in case something went wrong with your main phone. It could even be hacked and repurposed as something else entirely. However, the headache that comes along with a device that can barely handle the software running it may not be enough to make you send your buddy into the “dodgy cell phone market” of Shenzhen the next time he takes a trip to China.

Are super cheap smartphones really worth it?

6:28 PM smart phones

KFC Food Tray Now Connects Your Smartphone Keyboard

Traytyper from KFC. type while you eat

KFC now offering an excellent innovation "TRAYTYPER" which helps you to type your message or chat with your friends and family while you finger licking chicken. Most of the people update their status on Facebook when they having lunch or dinner and using your smartphone at that moment will leave your shiny display covered in oil and sauce's, but thanks to KFC's new Tray pad which let you text, tweet and even get stuff done dinner without having to touch your smartphone display.

The Try Typer measures just 0.4mm thin, has a rechargeable battery built-in, and connects to almost any modern smartphone, tablet or laptop wirelessly. It's also Bluetooth enables so that you can type wireless.

How KFC's TrayTyper Works?

Simply power on the TrayTyper and pair with your smartphone before you start your meal. And you can enjoy your KFC chicken and chatting or updating status on social sites via TrayTyper

KFC Food Tray Now Connects Your Smartphone Keyboard

12:52 PM  KFC,  Traytyper, Gadgets, Gear

Find coupons for your favorite retailers

Where to Find Coupons for Your Favorite Retailers

In today’s society, the economy has placed a tremendous amount of stress on families to spend less and less, while saving more and more. Of course, this is anything, but easy. The truth of the matter is that most individuals will attempt to cut out items that they would normally buy. Thankfully, there are a number of different ways to save money, without cutting back. One way to do this is to use coupons. These are capable of helping consumers save a tremendous amount of money, while also allowing them to purchase their favorite items and brands. Below, you will be able to discover the different locations and ways to discover coupons.

Retail Websites
Before heading to your favorite retail store, you should take the time to explore their website. The majority of these retailers are willing to give their customers coupons and many do this on their websites. Suffice to say, they offer a wide variety of different coupons on their sites. With this in mind, you should browse their websites, find their coupon page and select those that suit your needs. After that, you’ll need to print the coupons and take them with you, when you go shopping. The clerk will be able to scan the discounts, at the register, and you will be able to save money instantly.

Visiting Brand Websites
At the same time, you likely have a handful of brands that you enjoy tremendously. You probably have a specific brand of soda, or milk, that you like to purchase. Sometimes, it is possible to obtain discounts from these companies, by visiting their websites directly. Although this isn’t always true, many of these companies offer discounts to their consumers, as incentives. Be sure to check out their websites, before visiting the store.

Weekly Ads
Weekly ads are not only useful, because they contain sale items, but they also contain coupons and discounts. This will arrive to your home mailbox on a weekly basis so the next time you receive one does not immediately toss it in the trash. Take the time to view every ad, so that you will learn where the most products are on sale for the week. This can truly save you around $40-$50 every time you go to the grocery store or home and garden store.

Newspapers
Sunday newspapers are filled to the brim with innumerable coupons. There you will find a large variety of coupons for different products, which may suit your needs. The next time you stop at the convenient store, be sure to pick up a couple of Sunday papers, so that you can save $25-$30 a week.

Coupons Websites
Of course, it is vital to take the time to check out the websites that are specifically designed for discount coupons. With this in mind, you might want to consider visiting the Kohls Coupons. If you happen to shop with this specific retailer, you will be able to save a tremendous amount of money, by checking out these websites and using their coupons. Either way, it is vital to take the time to explore the options above, until you find a sufficient amount of money saving offers and discounts.

Find coupons for your favorite retailers

8:36 AM coupons

APPLE'S HOMEKIT TO CONTROL YOUR HOME

Now Control Your Home with Apple's HomeKit : Promise comes True in June

A year ago, Apple announced it would make your home a lot smarter with its Siri-controlled HomeKit.

iOS 8 introduces HomeKit, a high-level device connectivity framework enabling apps to interact with physical accessories in the world around us.

App Developers

If your iOS app is primarily designed to provide home configuration or home automation services such as turning on a light or opening a garage door. HomeKit APIs used for communicating with HomeKit accessories.

Apple announced to make it soon. Now, it seems that promise is coming true in just a few weeks. Third-party devices enabled with HomeKit are slated to come to market in June, an Apple spokesman told the newspaper.

The HomeKit app works off of iOS and a remote control for operating home gadgets such as thermostats, garage doors, lights and cameras.

The comments from the Apple spokesman contrast with a report on Thursday that stated HomeKit would be delayed until September.

HomeKit is a framework in iOS 8 for communicating with and controlling connected accessories in a user’s home. You can enable users to discover HomeKit accessories in their home and configure them, or you can create actions to control those devices. Users can group actions together and trigger them using Siri.

Hardware Developers

If you’re interested in creating a HomeKit-enabled hardware accessory, you need to be an MFi licensee to access the resources for manufacturing hardware that integrates HomeKit technology. MFi licensees receive:

HomeKit technical specificationsMFi Logos and Identity GuidelinesHardware technical support

To join the MFi Program, you will need to create or register a business Apple ID, submit an enrollment form, complete a credit review, and execute an MFi License.

APPLE'S HOMEKIT TO CONTROL YOUR HOME

8:58 AM App, Apple, homekit, ios