Geek News

If you’re looking for a gaming headset that’s only a little bit goofy but does the job, consider the new Sennheiser GSP 600, which comes with a new speaker system, new ear pad design with deep memory foam, and improved aluminum voice coil speakers. The GSP 600 builds on Sennheiser’s Game Zero gaming headset and comes with better performance, an improved mic, and increased comfort and durability. The company promises “an exceptional audio experience with an increased sub-bass range.” The newer headset looks to be a bit big and clunky , but Sennheiser says it’s ergonomically shaped and provides improved noise insulation (with high-end noise cancellation) and wearing comfort. The headband is adjustable so you can even customize contact... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2EqnjLT"

Peloton is getting into running for the new year. The New York-based maker of a cultish, Internet-connected indoor cycling bike has just revealed an Internet-connected treadmill, one it says is “the most technologically advanced, innovative and immersive” treadmill on the market. Like the Peloton cycling bike, the Peloton Tread will stream live daily classes – up to 10 a day, with 5,000 available demand – on a 32-inch HD touchscreen attached to the treadmill. These running classes are lead by real instructors, just like its current classes. But Peloton says the Treat isn’t just about running; it’s supposed to offer cross-training-style classes as well, as well as guided hiking and walking workouts. Unlike traditional treadmills, which... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2CUnzGV"

It wasn't that long ago that the BlackBerry brand seemed stagnant, but devices like the KEYone and the more recent Motion seem to have gotten some people feeling the faith once more. Based on a strong response from long-time fans and users who switched from other smartphones, TCL's BlackBerry Mobile has promised to release "at least" two new smartphones in 2018. We're not talking about Bronze Edition-style color variants, either — these will be entirely new devices, and both of the phones BlackBerry Mobile has in mind will pack physical keyboards. "We're very confident in our ability to grow the keyboard market," said Gareth Hurn, BlackBerry Mobile's Global Head of Device Portfolio, in a conversation with Engadget. Representatives for the TCL-controlled brand were otherwise tight-lipped regarding specifics, but BlackBerry Mobile strongly believes there's a place in the market for the kind of productivity and convenience only physical ke...

BlackBerry's KEYone was a remarkably solid return to form, and it arguably got even better when it received an all-black makeover . Now, BlackBerry Mobile is prepping one more new color variant — the KEYone Bronze Edition — before it gets back to work developing all-new devices to launch later this year. Bronze might seem like a strange choice for a smartphone color, but it looks much nicer than we expected. It's subtle and subdued, and under the right light the matte metal looks more like gold. Even so, not everyone is going to love the way the bronze frame looks pressed up against the phone's many black flourishes. Otherwise, it's the same KEYone BlackBerry fans have grown to love... save for one notable tweak. Unlike the existing versions, the Bronze Edition drops the spot for a microSD card on the SIM tray to accommodate two SIM cards. It's a move meant to court frequent international travelers, and while the shift is a little frustrating, users are still le...

Although CES 2018 has almost every electronics company in the world announcing new devices, most phone makers are saving their big reveals for the upcoming Mobile World Congress in February. It's no surprise, then, that Alcatel didn't have new devices ready to unveil. But the company did give us a preview of the low-cost handsets it plans to give more details about later this year. The new phones will not only use (parent company) TCL's screens with 18:9 aspect ratios and feature sleek designs, but also use a simplified naming system. We saw prototypes of the Alcatel 1x, 3v and 5 -- which are potential models of the sub-$100, sub-$200 and sub-$300 series respectively. For a sub-$100 phone, the 1x felt surprisingly luxurious. It has a soft, almost sandpaper-like texture on its curved back that makes it feel like an unfinished pebble. There was also a fingerprint sensor below the rear camera on our preview unit, which is a nice amenity at the price. Beyond those two phys...

Environment The Arctic is heating up way faster than the rest of the world. It's been mind-bogglingly warm in Alaska over the past few years. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2CX6GLC"

Concussions are becoming an increasingly large area of concern for professional athletes in a number of sporting disciplines. It's one of the reasons that Prevent Biometrics is putting its Head Impact Monitor System on sale. HIMS is a smart mouthguard that offers empirical evidence if a player has received a head injury. Rather than using a series of observational tests , which can prove ineffective, the system operates in real time. That way, as soon as a collision is detected, players can be hooked for medical treatment. The company has been testing its system for a while, and was previously available to selected teams across 2017. Now that beta testing has finished, selected schools and youth associations will be able to buy the hardware in the near future. The hope is to have the hardware ready in anticipation of the 2018 football season, with each mouthguard costing $199, and the storage case an additional $39. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018. ...

Casio's beloved line of G-Shock timepieces is widening to include the new GPR B-1000, a GPS-equipped timepiece that could just save your life. The watch, which forms part of the Rangeman line, is capable of standalone GPS navigation for up to 33 hours on a single charge. But more importantly, if you're in the wilderness for longer than that, you can use the built-in solar panel to keep the GPS running for longer. Which should mean that there's no excuse for Blair Witch-style idiocy so long as you've got one of these on your wrist. The solar panel in the face keeps the dial running at all times, and is also used as an auxiliary charger for the smarter watch functions. Leave the watch in bright, direct sunlight for four hours, and you'll get an hour or so of GPS navigation. If you're at home, however, you can simply dump the G-Shock on its wireless charging plate and it'll be back to full strength in just five hours. The wireless charging is possible beca...

Voice control was all the rage at CES 2017 and this year's show appears to continue the trend. This time, another big name in audio is getting into the game: Klipsch . The company will have options for both Alexa and Google Assistant, so you'll have some choice when it comes to the new feature and new audio gear. For Alexa integration, Klipsch is employing Amazon's Connected Speaker APIs to enable you to control its speakers with commands spoken to any device equipped with the virtual assistant -- like the Echo or Echo Dot. Any of Klipsch's Stream wireless multi-room speakers can take advantage, including Reference RSB-14 and RSB-8 sound bars, the Three Heritage wireless speaker, RW-1 wireless speaker and both the Gate and PowerGate amps. While there's no definite arrival date just yet, the company says current owners can expect a free firmware update to deliver Alexa controls in "early 2018." As far as Google Assistant goes, Klipsch will debut new ...

HTC just announced a new Vive Pro with higher-resolution displays and built-in headphones. HTC has increased the resolution of the dual-OLED displays to 2880 x 1600 (1400 x 1600 per eye, and 615 ppi), a 78 percent increase from the 2160 x 1200 (1080 x 1200 per eye) resolution in the current Vive. The result is noticeable. During my brief time with the HTC Vive Pro today, I was able to read text far more easily, and graphics looked a lot crisper. The only thing HTC still needs to improve is the field-of-view in my opinion. It still looks like you’re looking through a pair of goggles at times, although the resolution bump makes it feel like you’re not looking at pixels on a screen so much anymore. Aside from the resolution bump, the design... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2EoLAlK"

Nextbit, the company behind the Robin , a phone touted as never running out of space, is shutting down its cloud storage service. Smart Storage was a major feature of Nextbit OS that allowed the Robin to seamlessly expand local storage by syncing apps, photos, and other content to the cloud. Now, Nextbit says the Smart Storage service will shut down on March 1st — the latest milestone in the Robin’s drawn-out decline. Nextbit emailed users with the news, saying that from March 1st all Robin phone owners would be signed out of Smart Storage. To secure their data, they’ll either have to sync it to their phone, or head to Nextbit’s download tool at cloud.nextbit.com . This feature will be available until April 1st, after which Nextbit says... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2CTvp2x"

Hulu has renewed two of its nerdier original shows. Both Runaways and Future Man will get second seasons of 13 episodes each. Given that they debuted in the previous months, it's unclear when viewers will get to see them. Runaways adapts Marvel's comic of the same name about a group of misfit kids fleeing their parents, who they discover are more than they seem. While not really superhero fare, the diverse cast and teen dramatics distinguish the show from others based on graphic works. Future Man , on the other hand, is a part-time satirical adventure with sophomoric humor thanks to creators Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg ( Sausage Party , Superbad ). The show follows a janitor whose video game victory gets him chosen by time-traveling warriors to save the future -- a Last Starfighter reference that begets many more sendups of 80s nerd culture. For once people on the internet are getting what they asked for. #FutureMan Season 2, coming to @Hulu in 2018. http://pic.tw...

As sleek and powerful as Apple's latest MacBooks are, one of their shortcomings is the lack of ports and slots, like an SD card reader. And while that's easily fixable with a dongle, things can get tricky if you simultaneously want to charge your computer or pair it to your TV with an HDMI cable. With that in mind, Kingston today launched its 7-in-1 USB Type-C hub, the Nucleum , which aims to save you from having to live the #donglelife. The device has two USB-C ports (one for power, the other for data), HDMI, a couple USB-As, as well as SD and microSD card slots. Naturally, since the product is being geared toward newer MacBook owners, it sports a silver finish that'll match your Apple laptop. It'll definitely come in handy to many people, so if you're one of those, you can get it now from Kingston's site for $80. Jessica Conditt contributed to this report. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018. via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt...

As people get more concerned about the air that they're breathing, so the case for buying a smart air purifier becomes more pressing. That's what has prompted 3M to build the Filtrete Bluetooth-enabled residential air filter that can let you know when it's time for a change. The idea being that the filter itself can alert you — via an app for your smartphone — when it's time to run to the store and buy a $30-ish replacement. The filter itself is available in a variety of shapes and sizes, but with a wee bump nestled on the front, which houses the Bluetooth radio and sensors. The system doesn't just act as a prompt for spending more money, and can also offer up real-time data on the air that you're breathing. At least, that's something you can do so long as you spend more cash on a compatible air quality monitor, although that's likely to come with its own app. The platform can also offer up helpful hints on how better to improve your indoor air qual...

Alexa and Google Assistant are appearing on what seems like every single gadget at CES 2018, but Cortana's absence from the party has made it the butt of jokes . Luckily, Qualcomm has announced that it's Smart Audio Platform, which includes microphone, speaker and voice recognition tech, now supports Cortana. That will make it a lot easier for smart speaker manufacturers to build devices around the neglected bot, instead of Google and Amazon's more popular platforms. Microsoft's Cortana has recently landed on Harmon Kardon's Invoke speakers (below) and its own Cortana thermostat . Apart from those wins, however, it's getting badly beaten in its race with Amazon and Google to get voice AI onto gadgets. The company even made an unusual pact with Amazon to develop tech that would allow Cortana and Alexa to work together by the end of 2017, but that date has come and gone with no word on progress. At the same time, Alexa just stole some (more) of Microsoft...