Thanks to the latest smart home technologies, today’s older adults can continue to live independently while staying safe, secure and connected. The hype surrounding smart home technology often focuses on how it affects the millennial generation. But as Sunrise Senior Living points out in a recent blog post, in many ways, it is senior citizens who stand to gain the most from today’s smart home innovations. Automation and monitoring provide a customized home environment that promotes safety and security. Even better, a connected home means older adults retain a measure of independence even as they begin to require more care. “Tech advances are changing seniors’ lives and the lives of their caregivers by allowing them to live more self-sufficiently, whether living on their own   or in a senior living community,” writes Sunrise Senior Living blogger Hannah West. “Comfort is as much a priority as safety,” West concludes. Alone But Not Lonely As part of a graduate project at the Umeå Institute of Design’s Interaction Design in Sweden, designer Kevin Gaunt envisions a smart home designed specifically for older adults. Rather than catering to millennials who “effortlessly interact with technology,” Gaunt chose to focus on how the elderly could benefit from having a living space configured with the latest apps and devices. “As new technologies arrive, we tend to assume that – as in the past – younger generations will be the early adopters,” Gaunt tells Fast Company, but he believes older generations are the ones who will really benefit from new, inexpensive smart home technologies. In Gaunt’s vision, seniors will live in bot-controlled homes outfitted with sensors. As the bots interact with the home’s inhabitants, a sort of symbiotic relationship develops. The bots can help sseniors stay connected with the outside world through shopping,...

Apple’s October keynote was a relatively small event with low key news, but the new laptops announced were sufficient to keep the audience excited. New MacBook Pros are finally arriving, including one that’s thinner than the MacBook Air. It also boasts a new feature called the Touch Bar. The MacBook Pro, after 25 years on the market since the first PowerBook, has been slimmed down from the previous Retina MacBook Pro, the company cutting 14-17 percent of its thickness and almost a half-pound of its weight. It comes in 13-inch and 15-inch models, in silver or space gray colors. Specs-wise, the new machine is more powerful than ever before. The 15-inch Pro features a highly-capable Radeon Pro discrete GPU in every configuration, delivering up to 130 percent faster graphics performance than the previous generation. It feeds of a mighty 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 4GB of video memory and up to 16GB of RAM. It’s the first model that can be configured to 2TB SSD and is also the first time a MacBook Pro will not include standard USB ports, both sizes featuring just USB-C ports. This means that the MacBook Air is the only Apple laptop left with standard USB ports. It also means that the 4 Thunderbolt/USB-C ports will cause to people some consternation as the number of cables and accessories is going to skyrocket. However, Thunderbolt 3 combines ultra-high bandwidth with the versatility of the USB-C industry standard to bring one advanced port that integrates data transfer, charging and video output in just one connector able to deliver up to 40 Gbps of throughput. Dongles seem to be the future. The good news is that the headphone jack survived, but unfortunately and unexplainably, the MagSafe charging and the SD card...

This device, created by Houston, Texas-based startup Knocki, will take you back to your childhood adventures, reminiscing of the immense power secret knocks had, and, apparently, still have. Knocki is a puck-shaped Wi-Fi gizmo with built-in vibration-sensing tech that fastens onto furniture, walls and doors. It has the ability to translate taps and knocks into controls for the Internet of Things devices. Do you remember now the special patterns like two knocks, a pause, three more knocks which gained you entry to a members-only treehouse? Knocki showed early signs of a truly successful device after it blew way past its $35,000 target set for a Kickstarter campaign, to over $1.1 million committed. Where from comes this magnetism? The gizmo uses an adhesive tape to stick to whatever surface the user wants, their patent-pending SurfaceLinkTM is said to ensure a solid connection to a surface for transmission of gesture signals, but if you’re skeptical about the staying power of that adhesive strip, the company also provides mounting hardware for a more permanent installation. As far as configuration goes, it is said to be as simple as downloading the companion app on your iPhone or Android and entering your Wi-Fi credentials. From there, you should be able to assign up to 10 custom “knocks” to a single Knocki. The device isn’t always on, thus it conserves battery life—four AAA batteries will keep Knocki running for more than one year. Moreover, its simple sensor keeps production costs low. The simple system was designed to help kids, the elderly, as well as the physically and visually impaired control the new generation of IoT hardware, without having to waste more time with a smartphone. Furthermore, the team behind the product claims upcoming support with the likes of IFTTT, Nest,...

Currently, one of the greatest potential growth area in the technology industry, as well as one of the most neglected thus far, is battery life. Some improvements were made—we’ve seen the battery capacity increased and we’ve witnessed the apparition of new ways of charging batteries faster, but they still take a while to charge and are not exactly environmentally friendly. But things don’t stop here. A new solution seems to have appeared on the horizon, one made possible by a radical material shift. Scientists at the Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a new battery (well, technically speaking it’s a supercapacitor, we’ll develop more on this later), made from 3D printed graphene, which is said to hold a larger charge of energy, is recharged in only a matter of seconds and will last a lifetime. Take for instance the Pokémon Go app, it drains smartphones so fast that companies, aware of the power of this new app, are now marketing their products by hosting events where they give external batteries to players who present their devices showing under 10 percent battery life left. Initially, many place the blame on the app, but in fact, the problem is not in the app, but in the lithium batteries that can only take a very limited charge. Currently, the dominating energy storage device is the lithium-ion battery. These power nearly every portable electronic device, as well as almost every electrical car. Batteries store energy electrochemically, where chemical reactions release electrical carriers that can be extracted into a circuit. The supercapacitor uses a different storage mechanism—energy is stored electrostatically on the surface of the material, without involving chemical reactions. Given their fundamental mechanism, supercapacitors can be charged quickly, leading to a very high power density, and do...

The Internet-of-Things promises convenience and efficiency, but without security protocols, any connected home could end up the victim of hackers and other cyber-crime. Is your refrigerator running? No, this isn’t some rehash of a preteen prank-call; thanks to Smart Homes, it’s now a legitimate concern. While “the internet of things” promises to liberate us from the toil of monitoring our residential lighting and free us to manage appliances from the comfort of our smart phones, this convenience is not without risk. As a recent article in Wired points out, all those residential Wi-Fi connections have enabled “a new breed of over-the-internet attacks,” and Smart Homes are easy pickings for all manner of cyber-criminals. Connected and Vulnerable The ability of hackers to remotely access internet connected devices has plagued public utilities and healthcare providers quite a bit in recent years. In 2011, Russian hackers accessed the pump system of a Springfield, Illinois water utility, stealing users’ names and destroying a water pump. Earlier this year, ransomware knocked out the internal computer at the Lansing Board of Water and Light after an employee opened an email attachment. And the attacks are only increasing in volume and severity, trigger many security experts to raise the alarm and call for more stringent security systems. As Malwarebytes security researcher Jérôme Segura recently mused when considering the dangers of ransomware, “One can imagine how detrimental it would be if someone was in the middle of a major operation and suddenly all of their health records became unavailable.” In fact, the concern about Smart Home vulnerability is not theoretical. In May of this year, Cybersecurity researchers at the University of Michigan unlocked the front door of a Smart Home using specially developed “lock-pick” malware. By exploiting “over-privilege” – a security loophole...

With its user-friendly interface and advanced health and safety features, the Apple Watch Series 2 may be the perfect wearable for senior citizens. While wireless earbuds, dual cameras and the death of the audio jack dominated the post-game analysis of Apple’s 2016 Keynote, the Apple Watch updates demonstrate the genuine potential of today’s wearable technology, especially for senior citizens. While the first Apple Watch proved a bit of a disappointment, the Series 2 raises the bar with enhanced functionality and modern design. Combined with an updated watchOS and a slew of new apps, the Apple Watch Series 2 provides health and safety options perfectly attuned to the needs of today’s aging population. Safe and Sound The original Apple Watch arrived with plenty of choices for security-minded users. Over the last year, developers have been hard at work designing emergency alert apps. Dialing 911 during an emergency may seem relatively straightforward, but apps like HelpAround provide a sort of panic button that notifies authorities and a list of designated contacts when activated. Now the watch itself makes it even easier to reach out during a catastrophe. Pressing and holding the side button activates the watch’s SOS function, placing an immediate call to 911. The watch then automatically sends a message to designated contacts with location information and a map. After the call, the watch itself will display medical ID information, including age and allergies and other important information. The flashiest Apple Watch upgrades announced at the keynote include waterproofing and a new ceramic body almost impervious to the dents and scratches that plague most wearable devices. In terms of safety and security, but the device’s built-in GPS is what really shines. By incorporating the watchOS maps, the Series 2 can also display routes and maps...

OnePlus is no longer a new name on the market. The Chinese manufacturer premiered in 2014 with its first handset, followed up by last year’s OnePlus 2 and the even more budget-friendly OnePlus X. Now OnePlus 3 takes the center stage and so far, the premise is better than before—Oppo dropped the invitation system so that everyone can use their money to purchase it. Design OnePlus 3 doesn’t look bad with its curves and contours. It’s a grown-up, solid device that comes in an elegant aluminum unibody—a great and durable upgrade over the plastic-clad and glass-backed precursor versions. The design doesn’t bring anything new or original per se, in fact, the body looks a lot like that of an HTC phone. The only inelegant feature of the device is the raised camera lens, but it doesn’t damage too badly the overall design. The home button doubles as a fingerprint reader, something we’re seeing more and more now that Android Marshmallow included native support for them. There is no water resistance or some other protection from the elements, if in case you were wondering. A somewhat bizarre feature is the three-position notification switch on the side. It corresponds to the three modes of Android’s notifications: silent, priority-only and all notifications. The switch seems to be the only way to change notification modes on the OnePlus 3 (there is no software method), thus making it a “hard lock” into whatever mode the user chooses. The back plate cannot be swapped as with the OnePlus 2; if you’re interested in changing the way your phone presents itself, you can order official slim cases from OnePlus—bamboo, black apricot, carbon fiber and rosewood are among those available. Hardware What puts OnePlus 3 in the spotlight though is not the...

For seniors struggling to get to and from medical appointments, coordinating transportation just got a little bit easier, thanks to ridesharing companies like Lyft and Uber. For many, the first real taste of freedom comes with the acquisition of a driver’s license. Suddenly a whole new world opens up, one covered in blacktop and filled with endless possibility. But licenses don’t last forever, and eventually we are all forced to surrender the driver’s seat. While public transportation, bicycles, and even taxi services can help the “carless” get around, for many older adults giving up the car keys means giving up independence. But that’s all about to change! With the advent of Uber and Lyft, relatively budget-friendly, on-demand car service can be beckoned with the touch of a button. Because only 25% of American seniors own smartphones, in the past they’ve been left out of the rideshare loop. Recent efforts by Lyft and Uber aim to close that gap. In the last few years, both companies have embarked on programs designed to open up their services to older adults. No More Waiting Around According to Senior Housing News, 3.6 million U.S. citizens skip medical care and miss doctor’s appointments because they lack access to adequate transportation. For seniors, the inability to receive regular checkups and non-emergency medical care leaves them vulnerable to life-threatening complications. Many traditional transportation services available to seniors require advanced bookings, which can make impromptu appointments impossible. Pre-booked transportation services also operate within limited schedules, leaving seniors with no other option but to arrive hours early or wait around for a ride long after the examination is over. “The inefficiencies in this industry are enormous, and patients have no voice or alternative,” Anya Babbitt, Founder & CEO of SPLT stated in a...

According to the Consumer Technology Association, technology for the active aging presents a $24 billion market opportunity that could reach $42 billion by 2020. Most Americans over 40 probably remember the old Life Alert commercials featuring a kindly grandmother who suddenly – and quite dramatically – falls to the ground, writhing in pain. Unable to reach the phone, she uses her life alert necklace to call for help. Her line, “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!”, became a key catchphrase of the 1980s. In the past, equipping senior citizens with wearable emergency devices provided a sense of safety and security. But while those old ads featured frail adults prone to all manner of calamity, today’s senior citizen are healthier, more active, and increasingly tech savvy. Over the last decade, older adults and their families rely more and more on technology to stay connected and improve quality of life. As the authors of the March 2016 Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Report on Active Aging explain, “The world is aging, and so is America. Beneath the seismic shift in the U.S.’s demographics lies the aging population’s desire to live healthier and happier, stay active and independent, and pursue longevity and quality of life.” The New Retiree The modern senior citizen pursues an active lifestyle with time devoted to physical activity and social and community participation. There is also collective rejection of traditional assisted living within this demographic. As Health Populi explains in their analysis of the CTA report, these new senior citizens are committed to a “resiliently stubborn wish to age comfortably at home.” “This population rejects passive aging,” states the report. For today’s older adults, retirement goal revolve less around leisurely days of rest and relaxation and more on “a proactive way of living that...

With over 7 million downloads and counting, Pokémon Go fever has gripped the nation, but what does this latest fad tells us about life in the modern age? It’s solving crimes, causing accidents and ruining relationships. It’s pushing couch potatoes onto city streets and careening across highways. Installed on 10% of all Android phones (15% internationally) and downloaded on more than 15 million iPhones and iPads, Pokémon Go now resides on more homescreens than Candy Crush, LinkedIn and Tinder. There’s no denying the popularity and reach of Pokémon Go. Within 13 hours of launching, the app grabbed the No. 1 spot in iPhone app store. Even more astounding, Pokémon Go has already generated $14 million in revenue within its first week of existence, pushing Nintendo’s stock up 24%. There’s no doubt Pokémon Go is a phenomenon. All that’s left is a deal with McDonalds (done), a cover on Rolling Stone and a skit on Saturday Night Live. But what exactly is Pokémon GO, and how does the mania reflect the increasing influence of mobile technology and the millennial bottleneck on modern society? Snapshot of Trend Pokémon Go plays upon the legacy of Nintendo’s original Pokémon franchise, which debuted in the late 1990s as a game designed for the Nintendo Gameboy. The basic premise involves collecting various Pokémon creatures and pitting them against each other in battle. Pokémon eventually evolved into a several spin-off games, movies and even a television show. While the original Pokémon restricted play to the gaming console, Pokémon Go users must now leave their house in order to play. The app uses an augmented reality via a gadget’s camera to combine gameplay with the real world, tracking user locations to reveal designated Pokéstops, Poké Balls and Pokémons ready for capture. Once...

A laptop doesn’t have to be bulky to be powerful. It doesn’t have to be ugly for that matter, either. Slowly more attention is invested in the appearance of the devices in our life. Apple’s inclination towards attractive designs has proved to be a win and an example to follow. So things are changing. HP prepared a stunning surprise launching its latest ultra-portable laptop, Spectre. It has an aluminum, carbon fiber and copper body that’s only 0.41 inches thin with a 13.3-inch, edge-to-edge display covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and Bang & Olufsen audio with lace-like speakers. The laptop comes in a smoky gray color with gold accents—the entire hinge is a bright, jeweled gold which was moved in from the rear edge, inset by a bit. HP packed a beautiful surprise under the hood: instead of powering Spectre with Intel’s lower-power Core M line of processors—like the 12-inch MacBook and Samsung Galaxy TabPro S did—they’ve used the current-generation mainstream Intel Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs combined with 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. This amount of power needs cooling—the fans are much smaller (and quite silent) and pull the air in and through the laptop, rather than exclusively pushing hot air out. It’s a version of a cooling scheme from Intel which they call hyperbaric cooling. To better power the laptop, HP found inspiration in Apple and used a set of four differently sized internal battery packs flattened down into multiple separate thin cells, to fit across most of the bottom footprint. The company claims the battery life goes up to 9 hours and 45 minutes. The HP used a standard island-style keyboard that’s backlit. They feel a bit shallow with a shorter key travel due to the base’s thin...

Socrates famously declared, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Sony appears to have taken the old philosopher’s adage to heart. With the company’s trio of Xperia products – the Eye, the Projector and the Agent – consumers may soon be able to track, record, store all the minutia of their daily lives. All three products debuted as concept devices at the 2016 Mobile World Congress (MCW) in Barcelona earlier this year. The MWC, which typically takes place in February, is a prime time for major manufacturers to reveal new products and projects. Probably the simplest and least intrusive of Sony’s Xperia trio, the Eye takes the form of a wearable camera. The Eye resembles a small mp3 player, and wearers need only don the device before blissfully going about their day. Though it’s currently just a “conceptual vision” with no release date, Sony’s prototype updates the typical lifelogging camera with its voice and facial recognition capabilities and it’s “intelligent shutter technology” which allows the camera to pick and choose which moments to photograph. In a video for the products, a father passively watches his family open a gift box; his hands are unencumbered as the Eye quietly captures the scene for prosperity. The Xperia Projector is less surveillance minded than the Eye, but its intuitive interface also depends on what it can glean from its environment. Loaded up with data on appointments, locations, contacts and other facts and figures, the Projector transforms all that information into an interactive UI projected onto any surface, including walls and tabletops. Altering the projections is as simple as moving your fingertip across the images. In the future, this modest digital hub will be able to provide a personalized and customized experience for the whole family. Rounding out...

Google’s playfulness in domains ruled by curiosity and ambition is never-ending. The giant seems to be working on a new and very secretive project dubbed SkyBender, as reported by The Guardian. This is a new Internet-in-the-sky program designed to bring the next-generation 5G network. Unlike Project Loon, but part of the Google Access team that includes the balloon project, SkyBender wants to use outfitted drones with millimeter wave transceivers. First, let’s have a look at these millimeter waves—they are longer than infrared waves or x-rays, but shorter than radio waves or microwaves. The millimeter wave region of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponds to radio band frequencies of 30GHz to 300GHz, sometimes called the Extremely High Frequency (EHF) range. These are thought to be the future of high-speed data transmission technology and the backbone of 5G mobile networks. Millimeter waves have a shorter range than that of the mobile phone signal, they fade sooner and are easily disrupted by weather conditions like rain, fog, and snow. However, using the so called phased array antennas and focused beams, Google and others could potentially focus the transmissions over greater distances. But this requires a lot more power. The FCC said that 5G millimeter wave networks could hit speeds between 1GBps and 10GBps, or up to 40 times more than today’s 4G LTE systems. In case you’re wondering why millimeter waves, Jacques Rudell, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle and specialist in this technology, justified to The Guardian: “The huge advantage of millimeter wave is access to new spectrum because the existing cellphone spectrum is overcrowded. It’s packed and there’s nowhere else to go”. Google is not the first to work with millimeter wave technology and drones. In 2014, DARPA—the research arm of...

Aside from the ongoing battle with the Department of Justice and its commitment to customer data privacy, Apple found one hour in March to introduce a few springy updates—a new iPhone, new iPad, news on the Apple Watch, Apple TV and CarPlay, and a new iOS version. The world today has smartphones that come in two sizes—big and huge. It is hard to turn to smaller devices after going big. Yet, the new iPhone SE seems to be the first one made for those with thumbs lacking the wingspan of albatrosses. As the company said, “this light and compact phone is designed to fit comfortably in your hand”. Steve Jobs’ words come to mind regarding phones and how they should match the ergonomics of your hand. In 2010, as competitors were selling larger devices, he mocked a big phone: “You can’t get your hand around it… No one’s going to buy that.” But in 2014 Apple changed its mind and released iPhones with 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, up from 4 inches for older models such as the iPhone 5 and 5S. Yet more than 30 million consumers bought the older four-inch iPhones last year, according to the company. “Some people even pleaded with us to please keep the four-inch products,” said Greg Joswiak. Apple made now another U-turn with this new 4-inch phone (was Steve Jobs right after all?) The iPhone SE will be released on March 31. It has the style of iPhone 5S released in 2013 (adding the new rose gold color), but the inside hides most of the upgrades launched with the iPhone 6S released in 2015. Yes, only most of them. The iPhone SE comes equipped with the same powerful 64-bit A9 processor as the 6S, which makes it...

Ever wonder what the future looks like for New York City’s payphones? Well,  you won’t be seeing them for too long as they disappear like the extinct species they’ve become. But a new public utility kiosk is coming along to take their place. LinkNYC, a consortium of experts in technology, media, user experience and connectivity that includes Intersection, Qualcomm, and CIVIQ Smartscapes, has plans to replace them with a high-tech sibling. The launch has already begun with a beta phase rolling out a fiber optic network of kiosks equipped with different types of free services such as high speed internet, web browsing, cell phone charging and calls to within the U.S. Additional apps, features and services will be rolled out on an ongoing basis over the next few years. “It’s going to be the largest and fastest public Wi-Fi network in the world,” Collin Odonell, managing member of CityBridge, said in a prepared statement. “It’s really the first of this kind of network and it’s going to transform the streets and people’s way to access information.” Privacy and security is the main concern, especially when the subject is some public Wi-Fi network. LinkNYC claims it offers two types of networks: a public Wi-Fi one and a private encrypted one. The private, fully equipped network is accessible only by devices that support Hotspot 2.0 (currently, LinkNYC only supports Apple gear). On its public network, LinkNYC will be able to track the user’s MAC address (which won’t be tracked either, claims LinkNYC). In addition, users will have the option to clear their sessions once they’ve done using the kiosk. Please keep in mind though that it’s still very risky to log in to bank accounts over public networks and that even though the user information won’t...

Never a dull moment. Technology never stops evolving, thanks to dedicated innovators from all over the world. Now, here’s something that could make Nikola Tesla’s dream a reality: Wi-Fi powered electronics. In this era, we’re surrounded by Wi-Fi almost everywhere we go  – local area networking technology allows electronic devices to connect to the network. However, some raised the question: are we using this technology to its full potential? Every time I think of Wi-Fi, my subconscious shares a second with Nikola Tesla, the man who was keen on making wires redundant. Researchers at the University of Washington wish to fulfill Tesla’s dream with PoWiFi. The engineers released a new type of technology that uses a Wi-Fi router—a source of ubiquitous, but untapped energy in indoor environments—to power devices. This new system, dubbed Power Over Wi-Fi (PoWiFi), is one of the most innovative technologies of the year—Popular Science included it in the annual “Best of What’s New” awards. The researchers recently published a paper that shows how they managed to harvest energy from Wi-Fi signals and then to power a simple temperature sensor, a low-resolution grayscale camera, and a charger for a Jawbone activity tracking bracelet. The final paper will be presented next month at the Association for Computing Machinery’s CoNEXT 2015 conference in Germany, on emerging networking experiments and technologies. “For the first time we’ve shown that you can use Wi-Fi devices to power the sensors in cameras and other devices,” said lead author Vamsi Talla, a UW electrical engineering doctoral student. “We also made a system that can co-exist as a Wi-Fi router and a power source—it doesn’t degrade the quality of your Wi-Fi signals while it’s powering devices.” What this means is that electricity flows wirelessly through the air, but don’t...

The mobile payments war is far from over. In fact, it just got much more interesting since Walmart entered the scene—yes, mega retailer Walmart announced recently that it plans to offer mobile payments to its shoppers. Walmart Pay has launched as a feature in the retailer’s existing smartphone app. That will be compatible with all credit cards, debit cards, and Walmart gift cards. Considering that the company accounts for about 10 percent of the retail sales in the country, the service can potentially pose a challenge to Apple Pay and Android Pay. “Walmart Pay is the latest example – and a powerful addition – of how we are transforming the shopping experience by seamlessly connecting online, mobile and stores for the 140 million customers who shop with us weekly,” said Neil Ashe, president & CEO of Walmart Global eCommerce. Open, Scan, Done Walmart’s payment method won’t be using the near field communication (NFC) technology (adopted by Apple, Android, and other “tap to pay” systems). Instead, it enables payments by scanning QR codes at point of sale terminals in the store. Additionally, the user will have to set a 4-digit passcode (or use Touch ID, if you have an iPhone) to authenticate purchase. Once set up, the user can pay for purchases in the checkout line by selecting Walmart Pay from the app’s “Shop” menu. Here’s a catch: since its system relied in a smartphone’s camera, rather than an NFC chip, it’s compatible with a larger number of devices—Apple added NFC capabilities starting with iPhone 6 and let’s not forget that many lower-end Android handsets don’t support the feature, either. Walmart’s move doesn’t come as a surprise. The company claims it already has 22 million people using its app every month, so building payments into...

Expandable furniture helps micro-apartment inhabitants make the most out of limited square footage with the push of a button. Trundle beds and convertible couches may define making the most of a small living space, but what’s been lacking is automation and modernization. Enter Ori, robotic furniture that appears, and disappears, with the push of a button. Modular Momentum The brainchild of Hasier Larrea, Ori furniture takes the guesswork out of transformation, seamlessly morphing floor units and wall installations into beds and pop-out closets. Ori offers a full-scale bedroom with a retractable bed that can be changed into an office or a closet, along with a full media console/credenza. Other versions include a walk-in closet, couch and various flavors of storage space. All the systems can be integrated into new and existing floorplans, which allows the Ori system to fit comfortably into any new building development or retrofit. During her tenure as the leader of the Architectural Robotics research area at the MIT Media Lab, Larrea married her robotics tech with Yves Behar design. The final product involves modular, transformable furniture Larrea and her team hope will debut early next year. “Larson’s team at the Media Lab developed the technologies behind Ori as part of the CityHome research,” Larrea told Mashable in a recent interview. “Then we created some initial functional prototypes … and went to [designer] Yves Béhar to help us ‘transform’ this initial concept from a robot/machine to a customizable system that people would love to have in their homes.” Space on Demand Ori’s first piece available for purchase includes a trundle style bed that rolls out from the bottom of a large wall of shelves. Specially designed actuators, electronics and software created by researchers at MITs CityHome project allows Ori’s furniture  to almost...

Many of us purchased (or were gifted) new smartphones. Many with new smartphones have the new iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus. Like the iPhone 6, the newer version can be a little slippery – it’s rather thin and without sharp edges. Now it’s time to find suitable protection for it, as no one wants to experience that uh-oh moment when your iPhone slips out of your hand and goes falling to the hard floor. Smart Battery Case Apple Silk Innovation PureView Case with Customizable-Backpanel Pong Sleek Case Leather Wallet Case Incipio Feather Shine Incipio Edge Chrome Casetify Acme Charge Case Alto Case Radius v2 Tech Armor Active Series We’ve made a list of the top choices. Any favorites that are left off? Incipio Feather Shine is a sophisticated case made of rigid ABS polycarbonate frame with a premium brushed aluminum style finish. It protects the device against dents and scratches while looking dashing. It’s available in six colors on Incipio’s website. Incipio Edge Chrome mixes durable protection with fashionable flair. Its frame is made of Plextonium™ polycarbonate that covers all edges. Moreover, the case is comprised of two-piece sliding design for docking and device removal. Silk Innovation PureView Case is an ultra slim protective case against drops, dings, and scratches. It combines a sleek, shock-absorbent rubber bumper with a crystal clear polycarbonate back shell. Users can personalize it through customizable inserts that fit behind the clear back shell. Casetify also allows its customers to turn their photos into a case, besides the designer collection. Radius v2 looks like a stripped down bumper with snap-on convenience that protects the corners and rear of the iPhone, the areas most susceptible to damage when dropped. This minimal design makes Radius v2 extremely light. Color options include...

China’s OnePlus has been enjoying the spotlight since the OnePlus One smartphone debuted more than a year ago. The handset surprised and impressed with its hard-to-refuse price point: a top-end phone is rarely under $300. A year later, OnePlus did it again with its follow-up OnePlus 2, improving the technology, but keeping the price relatively low. Now comes version No. 3. OnePlus X is a completely different species—it’s OnePlus’ first truly mid-range smartphone that feels like it should be $500, but costs only $249. “The X line will always be the line where we can experiment a bit more.” The X line trades a bit of power, battery life and even screen size for a design that feels comfortable and looks premium. OnePlus X will be available in two versions: Onyx and Ceramic. The latter is the premium model of the two, made using a laborious crafting process that takes 25 days. It all begins with a zirconia mold fire-baked up to 1,482oC for more than 28 hours. The next two days it is left to cool and then sent through a rigorous polishing process. OnePlus is making only 10,000 of them starting at about $414, and only for European customers. The device resembles the famous boxy design of the iPhone 4 with some modern traits. At 0.27 inches it’s the thinnest OnePlus handset so far and the 5-inch display sits comfortably in the palm of the hand. The device has micro cuts in the metal frame that runs around its circumference, adding to the grip. This time, OnePlus uses a 5-inch AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 resolution with 441ppi, instead of an LCD one. On paper, this suggests that the device will display deeper blacks and more vibrant colors. A bit of...

Google’s handset family welcomed a sibling that’s first of its kind: first one made of metal, first one made by Huawei, and the first one to include fingerprint reader and Android 6.0 known as Marshmallow. Nexus 6P is the new 5.7-inch device compatible with all major carriers, besides Google’s own unique Google-Fi wireless service that allows the user to transition between carriers without swapping hardware. The “P” in the name stands for Premium—due to its metal unibody design that’s placing it in direct competition with the aluminum iPhone 6S Plus and glass-and-metal infused Samsung Galaxy Note 5. It’s relieving to see how Huawei built the 6P to look and feel different than any other Google-commissioned phone—ditching the cheap plastic in the Nexus 5X (built by LG) for the metal design. At 5.27 x 3.06 x 0.28 inches, the device is slightly taller than Nexus 6, but notably narrower and thinner. Furthermore, even though Huawei raised the bar on the phone’s specs, Nexus 6P weighs only 6.27 ounces; the way they’ve fit everything in though is another story—the 12.3MP camera creates an unsightly-looking rear bulge with a black strip where the lens, flash, and an array of antennae are positioned; luckily this seems to be the only eyesore aspect of the device. On the bottom of the phone sits a reversible USB-C port, replacing the micro USB in favor of faster charging. A 3.5mm headphone jack sits at the top and the stereo speakers are now placed to the front. Nexus 6P has an AMOLED display with 2,560 x 1,440 resolution at 518ppi, looking brighter and more colorful than the previous Nexus 6, but also extremely saturated. On the exterior, Nexus 6P comes in the traditional white, silver and black. The 12MP camera shoots sharp,...

Have you ever imagined a smartphone shaped differently than… a smartphone? I never thought I would appreciate a phone that rids of the ever-growing rectangular shape. But I do! In fact, it’s almost impossible to watch the video below and not wish to have a bipedal robot phone yourself. Sharp Corp. of Osaka, known as a brand-name for announced at the recent Ceatec technology show on the outskirts of Tokyo it would introduce a new mobile communication device in 2016 that is a tiny android robot—an android smartphone, literally. Its name is RoBoHoN and it was designed by renowned robot creator Tomotaka Takahashi. RoBoHoN is an adorable eight-inch-high robot with a 2-inch screen on the back, a camera and projector built into its face, and articulated animated arms and legs. It talks, walks, dances, and connects to LTE. Moreover, it’s capable of identifying people by their face or voice and will communicate verbally with its owner—it understands voice commands, will announce when there is a new message, and will also tell them to smile for the camera—a cute replacement for the selfie stick. There’s more to the little fellow than just that cute face. The device runs on a version of the Android mobile system (probably Lollipop), although it is not decided if it will use it going further or another operating system. It weighs a little under a pound and is small enough to be carried in chest pockets. According to the company’s statement, because of its form and the ability to naturally communicate with its owner, users should be able to feel a special bond with the device. Its main board is kitted out with 3G, LTE and Wi-Fi radios. Its core is made of a quad-core Qualcomm MSM 8926 clocked at...

On October 6 Microsoft took its fall hardware collection to New York, raising many eyebrows with its first laptop ever—the Surface Book. The long-awaited device (so long, that many believed it would never happen) bears the genes of the Surface family with its 2-in-1 mobile experience. Yet, it adds something the previous models lack: a stiff hinge. The Surface Book is still a tablet with a separate keyboard, but there’s no kickstand. The Dynamic Fulcrum hinge (which resembles a tiny metal gauntlet) holds the screen up and allows positioning it at any angle. The screen is firmly anchored into the keyboard/battery base; it can be ejected either through the physical eject button or through the one included in the software. The result is an incredibly thin but generous 13.5-inch, 3000×2000 screen, a standalone tablet. And this is not all—the screen can be reattached backwards to the laptop base, allowing to fold the tablet over the keyboard. It is what Microsoft calls the “drawing mode”. The look of the Surface Book will be divisive: the dynamic fulcrum hinge doesn’t completely close, the screen isn’t flush against the keyboard—look from the side and there is a gap. This might be unpleasant for some, despite the rest of the polished features. By far, this is the most beautiful Windows laptop ever made; it feels solid, well-engineered and designed, even though some might make a wry face when seeing its unadorned, almost industrial look. Microsoft’s newest star has an angular silver magnesium casing adorned with just two physical buttons—for volume and power. It measures 12.30” x 9.14” x 0.51 – 0.90” and weighs 3.34 pounds, including the keyboard. The screen sports 6 million pixels, 267 per inch, surpassing MacBook Pro’s 227ppi and making colors pop. The Surface Book...

Apple’s annual fall product preview featured a colorful array of unprecedented announcements kept 6,000 in-person attendees and thousands more online viewers interested for more for almost two hours. “To wear it is to love it.” Everyone knew there would be a new pair of iPhones—the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus—but this is not how the evening started. First came the Apple Watch, now best buddy with high-end fashion house Hermès, in an entirely new collection that features hand-stitched leather straps and a special watch face. The couture device will have a selection of three bands with the stainless steel face: a single leather loop, a double loop, and a cuff. The double loop one comes only with the 38mm face, while the thicker cuff only has the 42mm version. The band leather is available in different colors. Apple also announced new gold and rose gold colors for the Apple Watch Sport, a take on the pricey Apple Watch Edition series, but in anodized aluminum. Moreover, an expanded range of pastel Sport Band colors were presented under the fall collection. This can only mean that more colors are in the works for next year. Starting September 16, the wearable software will be updated to Watch OS 2, providing support for native third-party apps named “third-party complications” that bring notification and other third-party app data on to watch faces, as well as some overall performance improvements. More on that when it’s out. “Thin. Light. Epic.” Then there was the iPad Pro. This (not so) little (anymore) device grew up into a fabulous 12.9-inch screen, with plenty of surprises. Very comfortable for gaming, entertainment, and serious work tool, the new iPad is accessorized with a full-size keyboard and a multi-tasking tool. And if you thought that MacBook...

QuadHD displays are yesterday’s hot thing. The new point of attraction is 4K. At IFA 2015, Sony introduced its Z5 family—Z5, Z5 Compact, and Z5 Premium phones—with Z5 Premium sporting the world’s first 5.5-inch 4K (3,840×2,160) with 806ppi display, “next-generation” cameras, and some teensy-weensy fingerprint scanners. This is the first time ever that Sony has launched a trio of phones at the same time. They all share many features, but there is one thing that differentiates the Premium from the rest. The 4K display is a truly ridiculous world-beating panel, with vibrant colors and deep blacks. Unfortunately, the new screen tech was saved only for the Premium, while Z5 stays with the 5.2-inch 1080p unit and the Z5 Compact gets only a 4.6-inch 720p display. Aside from the 4K monster, the Z5 Premium flaunts a mirrored glass back in black, gold, and chrome. Z5 comes in white, black, gold, and subdued green with a frosted glass back, and Z5 Compact seems to be designed for the younger customer base, dressed in white, black, but also yellow and coral; these too with frosted glass at the back. If you’re picky about the size of the device you’re choosing for yourself, you’re in luck: Z5 Premium has 5.5-inch display and is 7.8mm thick, the Z5 has a 5.2-inch display and is 7.3mm thick, and the Compact has a 4.6-inch display and is 8.3mm thick. What’s your size? Specs-wise, the trio shares pretty much the same features. All three have inside Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor, up to 32GB of internal storage (expandable to 128GB by microSD), high-res audio chips, “up to two-day battery life,” and a fingerprint sensor built into the power button on the right edge of the phone, a position that feels more natural than...