Basis Unveils Web Interface For Sensor-Laden Fitness Band

The makers of the Basis fitness band were at Pepcom’s Digital Experience event showing off their namesake accessory, but that’s not all that they wanted to reveal. They also demoed their new web interface, which is meant to take all of data the Basis can collect and it turn into a meaningful way for users to track their activity levels. If you’re not familiar with the Basis, the first thing you notice about it is that it’s chock-full of sensors — on top of drawing data from ...
Sony Shares Holiday Sales Numbers For The PlayStation

Sony Computer Entertainment reported some solid sales numbers for its various PlayStation systems for the past holiday season today. Sony says that they moved a total of 6.5 million PlayStation 2/3/PSP/Vita units worldwide (Sony defines “holiday season” as between November 21 and January 5 in Asia, November 21 through December 31 in America, and November 18 through December 31 in Europe). To be more specific, the company sold: 500,000 units of the PlayStation Vita (which launched in Japan on December 7 and in Hong Kong and Taiwan ...
Turns out canned human brains are good for something

Scientists preserve brains or body parts for various reasons. Sometimes the person had an illness that bears further study with more advanced tools than an age supplies; other times the brain in question powered an extraordinary intellect. The brains we'll be talking about belong more to the former, and scientists have found that studying canned gray matter can provide a history of human mental health.
SolarKindle Cover Is Walking On Sunshine (Whoaaa!)

I’ve done my fair share of Kindle cover research, and to tell you the truth I wish this new cover from SolarFocus was around when I did. It’s the world’s first solar cover for the Kindle, with a solar panel built right in. The SolarKindle promises “up to three months of unplugged Kindle use under normal sunlight environment.” In my experience that means near a window, which should be easy enough. The cover also packs a reserve battery, which can either power an LED reading lamp (built ...
Sony Announces World’s First XQD Memory Cards

Are you ready for yet another memory card format? Dubbed XQD, the medium was first announced by Sandisk, Sony and Nikon in November 2010. And after the the CompactFlash Association finalized the specifications last month , Sony took the wraps off the world’s first XQD cards today. Two versions of the card will be available, in addition to an XQD-compatible card reader (USB 3.0) and an ExpressCard Adapter. Here are some details from Sony America: QD-H16 card, 16 GB, $129.99 QD-H32 card, 32 GB, $229.99 Card Reader, ...
Samsung Posts Record Q4 Numbers, 35 Million Smartphones Sold

Samsung has today posted record quarterly profits after selling 35 million smartphones in the fourth quarter, up from 27.9 million in the previous quarter. Operating profits have soared to 5.2 trillion won (US $4.47 billion), representing a 73 percent year-over-year increase. You can bet that the still-very-popular Samsung Galaxy S II has something to do with it, along with Google’s latest flagship device: the ICS-powered Galaxy Nexus. Of course, the revenue generated from Samsung’s processing chip and OLED display business didn’t hurt either, reports Reuters . What’s ...
The Samsung Note Is Definitively Not Coming To AT&T As Far As You Know

Remember the mini-slate Samsung released a few months ago? The Samsung Galaxy Note? Pretty cool little device. As we enter CES week , the press releases are flying fast and furious and this one caught my eye. It’s for a small company that makes accessories for gadgets and I suppose (I can’t find the original) it outlined Anymode’s plans for Samsung Note accessories. The release also noted that the Samsung Note would hit AT&T this year . There were rumors of this, but Anymode essentially confirmed it. ...
Scientists giving mosquitoes the genetic tools to combat malaria

Obviously, with science reaching the lofty heights it has, creating more mosquitoes was the only thing left to do. So that's what researchers at John Hopkins Malaria Research Institute did: genetically engineered the Anopheles mosquito's own immune system to block the transmission of the malaria-causing parasite into humans.