Adidas smartwatch has pulse sensor

17 October 2013 Last updated at 08:47 ET By Leo Kelion Technology reporter

A watch with a colour touchscreen and built-in heart monitor that studies the wearer's pulse to create training programmes has been unveiled by Adidas.

The gadget - which is being targeted at runners - also includes a GPS location chip to maximise the accuracy of its readings.

It marks a move by the German firm into the smartwatch sector, although the device does not run third-party apps.

The news comes the same week as rival Nike updated its own activity tracker.

The two companies - which are best known for their sports clothing and shoe ranges - are taking different approaches with their flagship products.

At $399 (£350 in the UK) Adidas's Micoach Smart Run is more than double the price of Nike's $149 Fuelband SE. But it offers a wider range of sensors as well as the ability to play MP3 audio files to wireless headphones via Bluetooth.

It also has the advantage of offering partner apps for Android, Windows Phone and iOS devices. By contrast, Nike only offers a Fuelband app for the iPhone.

The US firm does, however, offer a separate Nike-branded watch made by the Dutch firm TomTom that features a GPS chip and can be paired with a heart rate strap made by another company.

Battery life

Adidas announced its new product at Gigaom's Mobilize conference in San Francisco.

It said athletes could use the watch to create a coaching programme to improve their fitness levels and would then receive feedback via animated graphics on its screen, vibrations, and audio commands - using paired headphones - telling them to speed up or slow down.

The new device is bigger than less advanced digital watches and screenless activity trackers also sold by Adidas, but its 1.45in (3.7cm) display is smaller than the screens on Samsung and Sony's new smartwatches.

The Galaxy Gear and Smartwatch 2 both offer a range of activity apps of their own as well as other Android software, but rely on being paired with a smartphone for much of their functionality.

Adidas says its product's battery lasts about 14 days when its tracking sensors are switched off. However, that drops to just four hours when it is switched into "training mode".

Motorola's Motoactv watch may be its closest competitor. The gadget also features a GPS chip and MP3 player, but not a pulse rate sensor of its own.

Killer app

Consultancy Juniper Research recently predicted the wider wearable tech market will grow from $1.4bn of sales this year to $19bn by 2018.

However, it suggested that sales of specialist fitness tracking equipment and watches that are, in effect, slaves to smartphones will be cannibalised by more powerful standalone devices.

"The products currently available in the market only appeal to a niche demographic, but as we move towards the age of a true multifunctional smartwatch we expect them to become more appealing," said its senior analyst Nitin Bhas.

"We believe players like Apple, Google and Microsoft will release devices that can acts as a fitness tracker, as a digital wallet, as a way of offering ticketing and coupons, and all sorts of other things. To be honest, the market is still waiting for a killer app.

"There is an opportunity for Adidas here - but along with start-ups entering the wearable tech sector, it has a very narrow window and is likely to struggle as the marketplace becomes increasingly crowded."

Adidas said it would start selling the new watch next month.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Windows 8.1 gets global release

17 October 2013 Last updated at 06:33 ET

Microsoft has released the Windows 8.1 update for its flagship operating system.

The download seeks to address some of the criticisms levelled at the original version of Windows 8.

In particular, the update restores the start button and allows a computer to boot up with a traditional desktop interface.

The launch comes at a critical time for Microsoft as it seeks a new boss, with PC sales experiencing a long decline.

Windows 8 sought to bridge the gap between touchscreen devices, such as tablets and smartphones, and more traditional form laptops and desktop machines. As such it had an interface built of tiles that could be tapped or swiped to open applications.

However, many people found the tiled interface did not work well for some of the things they were used to doing with a computer.

The changes in 8.1 include:

• start button - tapping once on this brings up the tiled interface and a long press opens up system controls
• desktop mode - lets people avoid the tiled interface entirely
• keyboard shortcuts - removes the need to toggle between different on-screen keyboards when typing numbers and letters
• gesture control - some applications, such as those for cooking, can now be paged through without touching a screen
• tile sizing - the blocks on the touchscreen interface can be in one of four sizes
• web browsing - Windows 8 machines will now display separate web pages side by side

A host of other changes, including better support for multi-tasking and improved links to Microsoft's Xbox game console, are also in the update.

Shrinking sales

Windows 8 was created to capitalise on the growing popularity of tablets and other portable gadgets. Microsoft needs to get people using its software on these machines because sales of desktop machines are in sharp decline.

Global shipments of PCs hit a five-year low in early October, according to figures from market research firm Gartner. Sales of PCs had now fallen for six quarters in a row, it added. The downward trend in sales statistics were confirmed by IDC, which added that the decline would probably continue into 2014.

The shrinking sales are important for Microsoft because traditionally the bulk of its revenue comes from people and companies buying laptops and desktops and office software to run on them.

It is not clear that Microsoft is adjusting to the changes in the types of gadgets that people use. In July, Microsoft wrote off $900m (£559m) following poor sales of its own-brand Surface touchscreen devices.

At the same time, Microsoft has undergone a major reorganisation and has bought phone maker Nokia. It is also launching a new version of its Xbox games console and has begun searching for a new chief executive.

Servers ready to dispense the update were turned on at 07:00 New York time (12:00 BST). The update is free to those already running Windows 8. Charges will apply if users upgrade to 8.1 from Windows 7. The update comes just over a year after the launch of Windows 8.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

EE rapped over 'misleading' maps

17 October 2013 Last updated at 06:52 ET

The Advertising Standards Authority has ordered EE to change its mobile coverage checker after a customer complained it had wrongly told him he would receive excellent service in his area.

The checker must make it clearer that it is only a guide, the ASA said.

The decision is likely to have an impact on other mobile operators offering similar maps.

Mobile coverage can vary widely from street to street.

It depends on a variety of factors, including the density of buildings and the number of trees in the area.

Amend language

Despite the fact that the EE coverage map has an addendum which states that it is "only a guide and not guarantee of service availability in a particular location", the ASA still felt the ad was misleading

Its ruling stated: "We noted that the claims under the coverage results were presented in language that was not conditional and consider the overall impression of the ad was such that it was likely to be understood to mean that fast reliable internet access and high quality calling was available... to consumers in the relevant postcode."

In response EE said: "The Coverage Checker offers a prediction of our network coverage across the UK. In this instance, we deemed coverage to be Excellent in the postcode as confirmed by testing that found over 98% of the postcode had an excellent signal."

"We take on board the ASA's ruling and will amend the disclaimer language as necessary," it added.

EE customers are given a 14-day cooling off period if they are not happy with the mobile service after signing a new contract.

Daily improvements

O2 also points out that customers have a seven-day window to cancel their service if they find it is not as good as expected.

"Our coverage maps are created on accurate predictions of the network, but unfortunately they can't always take into account a number of factors affecting signal like building structures and natural landscape," the mobile firm said in a statement.

"We're making daily improvements to our network and our coverage maps for 2G, 3G and 4G are updated to reflect these on a weekly basis."

Most operators have ambitious plans for 4G coverage, both indoors and outdoors, with most planning to reach around 98% of the population by 2017.

But it is notoriously hard to produce accurate mobile coverage maps. All the operators produce their own and use different metrics for measuring coverage. Some have called on Ofcom to produce its own coverage map, something that the regulator has rejected.

There are a few independent coverage maps available from firms such as RootMetrics and OpenSignal.

Matthew Howett, analyst with research firm Ovum said: "While the operator's own coverage checkers are usually very accurate, they don't all necessarily measure the same thing. For instance some might only be for outdoor coverage, whereas others will also give you an idea what you can expect indoors.

"Given these peculiarities, they are useful only up to a point for consumers when making comparisons between networks," he added.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Major piracy site to be shut down

18 October 2013 Last updated at 07:34 ET By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

IsoHunt, a popular website offering BitTorrents of mostly pirated material, is to shut down following a court settlement.

The site's owner, Canadian Gary Fung, has agreed to pay $110m (£68m) to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

MPAA chairman Chris Dodd said the move was a "major step forward" for legitimate commerce online.

In a blog post, Mr Fung said: "It's sad to see my baby go."

The site is currently still online, but will soon be shut. It is one of the most popular sites of its kind on the internet.

A group of companies, including Disney, Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox, accused the site of wilfully infringing copyright by listing millions of popular movies and TV programmes - in a court battle that has lasted for more than seven years.

Now Mr Fung has agreed to settle. He added: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race and I have remained faithful. 10.5 years of IsoHunt has been a long journey by any business definition and forever in internet start-up time.

"It started as a programming hobby in my university days that has become so, so much more."

Court documents acknowledged that it is unlikely that Mr Fung's company could pay $110m, and that the MPAA would probably receive between $2m and $4m.

Degree of separation

Like a similar site, The Pirate Bay, that has been blocked in the UK by a court order, IsoHunt did not host pirated material itself.

It instead acted as a directory of sources from which to download illegal files.

Continue reading the main story

The successful outcome of this landmark lawsuit will also will help preserve jobs and protect the tens of thousands of businesses in the creative industries"

End Quote Chris Dodd Motion Picture Association of America

According to court documents, Mr Fung's defence hinged on this degree of separation - and argued that it was the users of IsoHunt responsible for distributing pirated material, not IsoHunt.

The Californian court disagreed.

"It sends a strong message that those who build businesses around encouraging, enabling, and helping others to commit copyright infringement are themselves infringers, and will be held accountable for their illegal actions," said MPAA chairman Mr Dodd.

"The successful outcome of this landmark lawsuit will also will help preserve jobs and protect the tens of thousands of businesses in the creative industries, whose hard work and investments are exploited by sites like IsoHunt."

'Reluctant revolutionary'

Ahead of the ruling, Mr Fung had taken to social news site Reddit to take part in an AMAA - Ask Me Almost Anything - session.

In it, he described himself as a "reluctant revolutionary", and backed calls for copyright reform.

He said he did not hold a disregard for the law, and acted upon requests to remove links to pirated content when the company was made aware.

He also said the industry could render sites like IsoHunt obsolete if it offered simultaneous releases worldwide, as well as digital offerings that were cheaper than physical copies.

His thoughts echoed findings by a trio of researchers at George Mason University in Virginia, US.

Their site piracydata.org has been collating the weekly top 10 most-pirated films and investigating whether legal digital methods were available.

They found that half of the movies in the list were not available to access legally online. Furthermore, none of the 10 titles could be streamed - arguably the most straightforward way to consume media online.

However, in contrast, efforts by Fox to curb piracy of TV series The Walking Dead fell flat.

Despite the first episode of the latest series being made available to stream free online, the programme was still illegally downloaded more than 500,000 times, according to data gathered by Torrentfreak.com.

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

23.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ship trackers 'vulnerable to hacks'

18 October 2013 Last updated at 13:28 ET By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

A system used globally to track marine activity is highly vulnerable to hacking, security experts have warned.

Weaknesses in outdated systems could allow attackers to make ships disappear from tracking systems - or even make it look like a large fleet was incoming.

Researchers at Trend Micro said their findings showed the danger of using legacy systems designed when security was not an issue.

But one vessel-tracking specialist said spoof attempts could be easily spotted.

Lloyd's List Intelligence's Ian Trowbridge said that in addition to the vulnerable technology - known as the Automatic Identification System (AIS) - other measures could be used to identify marine activity.

"The spoofing would immediately be identified by [Lloyd's List Intelligence] as a warp vessel," he said, "providing unexplained position reports outside of the vessel's speed/distance capability and thus subject to further investigation and validation."

'No checking'

The AIS system is used to track the whereabouts of ships travelling across the world's oceans.

For ships over a certain size, having AIS fitted is mandatory under international maritime law.

Continue reading the main story

It has long been thought that the pirates are basically using AIS as a shopping list"

End Quote Rik Ferguson Trend Micro

It is designed to transmit data about a ship's position, as well as other relevant information, so that movements can be seen by other boats as well as relevant authorities on shore.

One other use is to alert nearby ships when a man or woman is overboard - an alert that can easily be spoofed, says Trend Micro's Rik Ferguson.

"It boils down to the fact that the protocol was never designed with security in mind," he told the BBC.

"There's no validity checking of what's being put up there."

Using equipment bought for 700 euros (£600), the researchers were able to intercept signals and make vessels appear on the tracking system, even though they did not exist.

In one example, the team was able to make it look as if a ship's route had spelled out the word "pwned" - hacker slang for "owned".

Somali pirates

The information broadcast by AIS is public - but when the system was first put in use, in the early 1990s, the technology required to receive the information was prohibitively expensive for those not directly involved in the industry.

But now, a typical internet connection can be used to see the locations of boats, as well as an indicator of what type of cargo they may be carrying.

There has been speculation that Somali pirates have been making use of the system.

"It has long been thought that the pirates are basically using AIS as a shopping list," Mr Ferguson said, "seeing what's coming into local waters, and what cargo it may have."

However, Lloyd's List Intelligence noted that captains are permitted to disable AIS if they feel their crew could be endangered by it.

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

23.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Google shares hit record highs

17 October 2013 Last updated at 16:55 ET

Google has reported a profit of $2.97bn (£1.84bn) during the July -September period, beating expectations.

The company missed forecasts during the last quarter.

However, a closely watched measure, cost per click - how much advertisers pay to place an advert - declined by 8% from the same period last year.

Shares in the company jumped to an all time high in after hours trading, rising 6% to $941.25.

Google boss Larry Page said in a statement that: "Google had another strong quarter with...great product progress".

Overall, paid clicks increased by 28% from the same time last year, and were up 8% from the previous quarter.

This is taken as a good sign by analysts, as advertising makes up the dominant share of Google's profits.

The company's troubled Motorola unit continued to be a drag on the figures, however. It lost Google $248m, despite the launch of the flagship Moto X phone in August.

Mobile battle

In a call to discuss earnings with investors, Mr Page highlighted just how dominant mobile has become among consumers.

He said that 40% of users reached YouTube through their mobile phones compared to just 6% two years earlier.

Analysts were closely watching how Google is faring in this mobile transition, particularly as it relates to advertising.

Google charges less for mobile than for its traditional web browser ads, which is why even though ad sales increased throughout the quarter, the cost per click figure declined.

Research firm eMarketer estimates that the mobile ad market worldwide will grow 89% to $16.65bn this year; up from $8.8bn in 2012.

Google's market share in the ad market is 6.9%. This has recently slipped slightly as rival Facebook has made inroads. Facebook now has 14.9% of the market, a jump from 9% last year.

In a personal move, Mr Page said that he would no longer be participating in every earnings call. While he said this move was intended to better prioritise his time, many observers noted that his voice remained strained after surgery to repair an injured vocal chord.

23.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

No secret files in Russia - Snowden

18 October 2013 Last updated at 04:15 ET

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Edward Snowden said he had acted in the public interest

US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has insisted he took no classified documents to Russia when he fled to Moscow from Hong Kong in June.

He told the New York Times he had given all the papers to journalists in Hong Kong and had kept no copies.

Mr Snowden, who worked for two US spy agencies, also said no confidential information had been passed to China.

The US authorities want Mr Snowden extradited to face trial, but Russia has refused to hand him over.

The Russian authorities gave him a one-year visa earlier this year after he claimed asylum.

Mr Snowden told the US newspaper that he did not take any of the documents because it would not have been in the public interest.

"What would be the unique value of personally carrying another copy of the materials onward," he said.

Claims had surfaced in media reports that China was likely to have gained some intelligence from the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor before he left Hong Kong.

Some analysts had suggested he was working with Chinese intelligence, while others said he was working with the Russians.

But Mr Snowden rebuffed these claims, saying: "There's a zero per cent chance the Russians or Chinese have received any documents."

He said his last job for the NSA had focused on China, and he had "access to every target", so he felt confident that the data was safe from Chinese agencies.

The New York Times report said its interview was conducted over several days via encrypted networks.

The information leaked by Mr Snowden has led to claims of systematic spying by the NSA and CIA on a global scale of governments, businesses and members of the public.

Targets have included rivals like China and Russia, as well as close allies like the EU and Brazil.

The NSA was also forced to admit it captured email and phone data from millions of Americans.

23.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Myst creators seek cash for new game

18 October 2013 Last updated at 06:23 ET

The creators of legendary adventure game Myst are seeking cash for a new game via Kickstarter.

Cyan Worlds is looking for $1.1m (£679,000) from the crowdfunding site to develop a game called Obduction.

The game-maker said its new title would be a spiritual successor to its earlier point-and-click adventure games Myst and Riven.

If Cyan reaches its funding target it plans to release PC and Mac versions of Obduction in mid-2015.

Hand waving

Released in 1993, Myst was a huge hit thanks to its sumptuous look, detailed world-building and intricate puzzles.

On its Kickstarter page, Cyan said Obduction would continue with these traditions but update them to take advantage of the power of modern computers.

It said the game would use the Unreal 4 game development engine to create a detailed far-flung world that players find themselves upon at the start of the game. Playing Obduction involves exploring the world, solving puzzles and working out why the player has been abducted and taken to the alien planet.

The cash being sought was for the most basic version of the game, said Cyan. Cash raised beyond the original total would go towards making the game world bigger and moving the title to other gaming gadgets beyond PCs.

Cyan said it was turning to Kickstarter because it allowed the company to connect with fans, meant it had control of development and ensured everyone involved had an intimate link to the project.

Nathan Grayson at PC game news website Rock, Paper Shotgun said the "meagre" information provided by Cyan did not give a good idea about how the final game might turn out. He wondered if the game would reach its funding target despite getting pledges of more than $100,000 within a day of being kicked off.

"Obduction really does feel like it'd be a shoo-in if it wasn't currently a pile of napkin scrawlings and a series of excited hand gestures," he wrote.

23.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

LED 'li-fi' step closer, says China

18 October 2013 Last updated at 07:56 ET

Wi-fi connectivity from a light bulb - or "li-fi" - has come a step closer, according to Chinese scientists.

A microchipped bulb can produce data speeds of up to 150 megabits per second (Mbps), Chi Nan, IT professor at Shanghai's Fudan University told Xinhua News.

A one-watt LED light bulb would be enough to provide net connectivity to four computers, researchers say.

But experts told the BBC more evidence was needed to back up the claims.

There are no supporting video or photos showing the technology in action.

Li-fi, also known as visible light communications (VLC), at these speeds would be faster - and cheaper - than the average Chinese broadband connection.

In 2011, Prof Harald Haas, an expert in optical wireless communications at the University of Edinburgh, demonstrated how an LED bulb equipped with signal processing technology could stream a high-definition video to a computer.

He coined the term "light fidelity" or li-fi and set up a private company, PureVLC, to exploit the technology.

"We're just as surprised as everyone else by this announcement," PureVLC spokesman Nikola Serafimovski told the BBC.

"But how valid this is we don't know without seeing more evidence. We remain sceptical."

This year, the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute claimed that data rates of up to 1Gbit/s per LED light frequency were possible in laboratory conditions, making one bulb with three colours potentially capable of transmitting data at up to 3Gbit/s.

Unlimited capacity

Li-fi promises to be cheaper and more energy-efficient than existing wireless radio systems given the ubiquity of LED bulbs and the fact that lighting infrastructure is already in place.

Visible light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum and 10,000 times bigger than the radio spectrum, affording potentially unlimited capacity.

But there are drawbacks: block the light and you block the signal.

However, this is also a potential advantage from a security point of view. Light cannot penetrate walls as radio signals can, so drive-by hacking of wireless internet signals would be far more difficult, if not impossible.

Prof Chi's research team includes scientists from the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the report says.

She admitted that the technology was still in its infancy and needed further developments in microchip design and optical communication controls before it could go mass market.

Her team is hoping to show off sample li-fi kits at the China International Industry Fair in Shanghai on 5 November, the report said.

23.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Google shares rise above $1,000

18 October 2013 Last updated at 16:52 ET Continue reading the main story

Google shares have topped $1,000 (£617) for the first time, jumping 13.8% on Friday after the company reported better-than-expected earnings.

Shares in the online giant closed 122 points up at $1,011.4, and have risen 42% since the start of 2013.

Friday's share price rise followed the company posting a 36% jump in net profits to $2.97bn for the July-to-September period on Thursday.

Google's revenues also beat forecasts with a 12% rise year-on-year.

"We are closing in on our goal of a beautiful, simple, and intuitive experience regardless of your device," Google's chief Larry Page said in a conference call with analysts.

Continue reading the main story

Look at a graph of Google's share price and you'll see a mountain range with two prominent peaks - one back in 2007 when it climbed above $700, another today as it breaks through $1000.

When it floated in 2004, early scepticism about the search giant's real value was quickly dissipated, as investors marvelled at the fast growing earnings from its advertising formula.

Then, from 2007 the shares halved in value as doubts surfaced about whether the growth story could continue.

But, over the last four years, as Google has shown that it can be as big a force in mobile advertising as it has been on the desktop, confidence returned sending the shares ever higher.

And 18 months after Facebook floated, its story is looking rather similar.

Facebook shares, which halved in value in the months after its stock market listing, reached a new high today - and again it's the social network's proven ability to make money from mobile advertising which has restored confidence.

Two companies battling for the upper hand in a vast new industry - but right now investors are betting that both can deliver spectacular growth.

The strong earnings report also helped other online companies, with Facebook shares adding 4.4% to a new high of more than $55. Amazon rose 3.4%.

Google's market value is about $334bn, which is still well below Apple's $461bn.

Google was floated in August 2004 at $85 a share, giving the company a market value at the time of $23bn.

The company reported its quarterly earnings on Thursday after US markets had closed.

Google said that paid-for clicks increased by a quarter during the July-to-September period, from a year earlier, the highest rate of growth in the past year.

This offset an 8% fall in average cost-per-click, the price advertisers pay Google when consumers click on their ads.

"We view solid paid clicks growth to be a good indicator of demand, driven by the continued shift to mobile," JP Morgan analysts said in a note.

Video ads

Several brokers have raised their share price target for Google on the back of the company's new initiatives to attract advertisers.

In February, the company launched a service to help advertisers market through a mix of smartphones, tablets and desktop computers. And analysts believe there is still significant potential to generate revenues from its video-streaming website YouTube.

YouTube-branded video-ads surged more than 75% in the quarter from a year earlier, with 40% of traffic now coming from mobile devices.

"We estimate that Google's key YouTube asset generated approximately $4bn in revenue in 2012, positioning Google extremely well for the strong growth in video advertising," RBC Capital Markets analysts wrote in a note.

Analysts at Jefferies said Google is best positioned to benefit from mobile devices with one billion activations of its Android system. Google sells applications and content through its Google Play store.

23.52 | 0 komentar | Read More