7 Types of New Gadgets That Will Define 2016

7 Types of New Gadgets That Will Define 2016

Imagine an umbrella letting you know not to forget it. Or an infant car seat that wants to make sure your baby is going to have the safest ride ever. These are just two of the highlights from 2016'sConsumer Electronics Show — the exhibition that defines technology trends and showcases gadgets for the year ahead.
Compared to recent years, the show's big themes weren't much different — there was still an emphasis on ideas like the smart home, virtual reality, and fitness gadgets. What was different was a greater push from companies to make these ideas more accessible to the average person with practical gadgets. Other areas of life, like beauty and parenting, broke out more high-tech possibilities than ever before. For instance, this year saw the first-ever Beauty Tech Summit at CES.
Ahead, check out our picks for what we think will define tech in 2016. Don't be surprised if you find yourself a few months from now thinking about buying a smart fridge or high-tech thermometer.

1Kids toys are getting more creative with technology.

Sure, kids can pick up a tablet or smartphone, but the true innovative toys are those that combine high tech and simplicity. The Moff band collaboration with Pac-Man is a perfect example of this. Kids wear the Moff band and swing their arms to play Pac-Man through an app — making them physically active while using a smartphone or tablet.

2Everyday items are getting smarter.

Another trend picking up at CES? Turning common products into smart gadgets. Take theoombrella, for example. The smart umbrella lets you know when it's going to rain and reminds you not to leave it behind. It might not be the most necessary thing in the world, but it's pretty impressive.

3Women's health is going high tech.

It's about time women's health took the floor at CES. Sure, we've had fitness trackers that appeal to women, but seeing products like the Pregnancy Pro stick by First Response that focus on reproductive health marks a step forward. It's the only test that connects via Bluetooth and offers several features in an app to take you through the steps of using it.

4Virtual reality is becoming more accessible.

Whether you're really into virtual reality or not, you can't deny it's going to become part of our lives. While Oculus Rift certainly has most of the world talking, other virtual reality products are making their way to the everyday person. For example, popular smartphone case company Speck announced its own line of Pocket VR ($70), complete with a phone case. The gadget lets you easily turn your smartphone into a way to use virtual reality without hurting your wallet.
5Urban commuters are getting better options to move around.

Last year, the "hoverboard" was a hit at CES. This year, we're seeing the rise of portable electric scooters for urban riders — like URB-E (pictured here) and Xcooter — that are sleek and compact and can be folded up to fit in a small apartment.

6Common health and wellness products are more advanced than ever.

Say goodbye to simple health products. These days, it's getting capabilities that connect to WiFi or Bluetooth. One item that stood out? The Withings Thermo. Not only does it read your temperature in two seconds, but it also keeps track of it on an app — all via WiFi.

7Practical beauty gadgets are hitting the market.

Beauty finally has a place in tech, although it still had a smaller presence at CES than other trends. Companies like FOREO are leading the way in connecting the two industries with itsIRIS Illuminating Eye Massager. The gadget is tiny enough to carry anywhere and works to massage your eye area.

PGS promises to put full PC games in your hands

PGS promises to put full PC games in your hands

With the rise of the smartphone, many have predicted the death of dedicated handheld games consoles. Since 2011, Nintendo has managed to sell almost 60 million 3DS units, while the PS Vita has spluttered along to just under 14 million, which pales into comparison with the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color, which combined sold over 118 million units, and the PSP, which sold over 80 million. Despite this, a new contender is throwing its hat into the portable ring, with an enticing claim of allowing gamers to play full PC games on the go.

The Portable Gaming System (PGS) looks like a cross between a smartphone and a 3DS, but it functions more like a shrunk-down gaming laptop. Packing an Intel Atom x7-Z8750 quad-core processor, a 16-core Intel HD Graphics accelerator and up to 8 GB of RAM, early tests show it performs reasonably well on triple-A PC games.

Using a performance testing rig with the same specs as the final PGS model, the team says the device managed around 30 frames per second on medium graphics settings at 720p for games like Batman: Arkham City, Dark Souls 2 and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and on minimal settings for DMC: Devil May Cry and Mirror's Edge.

Those aren't the kind of figures that would normally make a PC Master Race gamer giddy, but for a portable device akin to a phone, they aren't bad. And it does have very phone-like dimensions, measuring 164 x 84 x 18 mm (6.5 x 3.3 x 0.7 in) with a 5.7-inch display at a resolution of 2560 x 1440 – which is a little bigger than an iPhone 6 Plus, on all counts. It runs both Windows 10 and Android 6, and the team promises other smartphone features like Bluetooth, front-and-back cameras and GPS.

The PGS will come in two models, the Lite and the Hardcore, although looking at the specs and relative price there's almost no reason to bother with the lower end edition. A PGS Lite contains 4 GB of LPDDR3 RAM, while the Hardcore doubles that. Games are stored on a 128 GB solid-state hard drive for the Hardcore version, while the Lite model offers 64 GB of the cheaper eMMC flash storage. Considering the size of triple-A games nowadays, that could store as little as two or three games, so both are expandable via micro SD up to an extra 512 GB.

With a Wi-Fi chip inside, games could potentially be streamed from a desktop PC, PS4 or Xbox One, so you could play a game in bed while the console in the lounge does the heavy lifting, much like the Wii U's GamePad or the PS4-to-PS Vita Remote Play. Other little goodies are also built in, like a five-channel sound system, a secondary touch screen and a reported battery life of 5-10 hours of gaming.

To be honest, it all sounds a little too good to be true, especially at the planned sub-US$350 price point. We really want this to exist though, so we'll reserve final judgement for when (and if) we're ever able to get our hands on one.

The PGS is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, where backers can claim a Lite model for the early bird price of $230, and the Hardcore for $280. With more than three weeks left to go, it's already almost doubled its asking amount of $100,000, and if all goes to plan, the device should be in users' hands in March 2017. The developers outline the project in the video below.

Source: PGS Lab

Samsung unveils blazingly fast UFS cards

Samsung unveils blazingly fast UFS cards

Samsung is the first brand to market with UFS cards. 

As we demand more of our action cameras and drones, the need for faster spacious storage grows with it. Samsung is the first to offer a taste of the next-gen memory cards. Its new Universal Flash Storage cards are the same size as microSDs, but can match the blazingly-fast data transfer speeds of solid state drives.

The new cards are based on the new JEDEC Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 1.0 Card Extension Standard, which is aimed at upping data transfer speeds, as well as ending the need for different card type adapters. Samsung is claiming a sequential read speed of 530 megabytes per second (MB/s), which is up to 5 times faster than a typical microSD card, and in a similar league to SATA SSDs.

The result? Samsung says its latest storage options mean it would take about 10 seconds to read a 5 GB high definition movie, as opposed to 50 seconds for a UHS-1 microSD card with a 95 MB/s sequential read speed.

As well as improving the sequential read rate, the new standard offers dramatic improvements in random read rate. The 256 GB UFS card works at a rate of 40,000 IOPS, an improvement of more than 20 times compared to a typical microSD card's random read rate of 1,800 IOPS.

Write speed is also up dramatically, with Samsung promising 35,000 random IOPS from its 256 GB card. That's 350 times faster than a typical microSD card, while its 170 MB/s sequential write speed is almost double what you'd get from something like a SanDisk Extreme Pro.

When it comes time to transfer your files to a computer, the new cards offer better download time, less thumbnail loading time and less buffering from burst shooting. For fast and efficient data transfer, the card supports multiple commands and command queuing, while separately dedicated paths allow concurrent reading and writing.

Price and a launch date haven't been announced, though cards will be available in 32, 64, 128 and 256 GB variants. However, as the pin configuration on the back of the cards is different to microSD, the move to UFS may not be a perfectly smooth one.

Apple MacBook Pro ME293HNA (Core i7/8 GB/256 GB/Mac OS X Mavericks)

Apple MacBook Pro ME293HNA 

(Core i7/8 GB/256 GB/Mac OS X Mavericks)

Starting from

Rs. 129,900

Apple MacBook Pro ME293HNA Specifications

General Information
Laptop Type	Notebook
Laptop Series	Apple MacBook Pro
Operating System	Mac OS X Mavericks
OS Architecture	64-Bit
Weight	2.02Kgs
Dimensions	358.9 x 247.1 x 18 mm
Hybrid / Convertible
Memory
System Memory	8GB
Memory Slots	1
System Memory Type	DDR3
Optical Disk Drive
Optical Drive
Connectivity
Ethernet
Bluetooth	V4.0
Wi-Fi	IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n
USB
LAN
HDMI
Microphone Input
Memory Card Reader
Input Device
Web Camera	5MP
Keyboard Type	Full-size Backlit Keyboard
Pointer Device	Touchpad
Battery
Type of Battery	Lithium Polymer
Battery Backup	8 hr
Warranty
Warranty	1 Year International Carry In Warranty

Processor
Processor	Intel Core i7
Variant	4750HQ
Processor Speed	3.2GHz
Cache	6MB
Storage
HDD Capacity	256GB
Storage Interface	SATA
HDD Speed	5400 RPM
Storage Type	HDD
Display
Screen Type	LED
Screen Details	Retina Display With LED Backlit And IPS Technology
Multi-touch
Touchscreen
Screen Size	15.4 Inch
Display Resolution	2880 x 1800 Pixel
Graphics
Graphic Card Make	Intel
Graphic Card Model	Iris Pro Graphics
Audio
Internal Mic	Dual Microphones
Speakers	Stereo Speakers
Ports/Slots
USB Ports	2 X USB 3.0
Mic In
LAN
HDMI Port
VGA Port
Multi Card Slot
Lock Port

Motorola DROID Maxx 2

Motorola DROID Maxx 2

Expected Release date
in India29 Aug, 2016

Expected Price

Rs. 49,999

Lenovo-owned handset manufacturer, Motorola is known for manufacturing handsets that are known for offering best value for money as well as cutting-edge features. The handset manufacturer has already launched this year's iteration of its Moto G and Moto X smartphones as well as flagship Moto Droid Turbo Turbo 2. Now, the handset maker is all set to release the Droid Maxx 2 smartphone that is all about offering maximum performance to its users. Here is a brief overview of the handset to help you make the purchase decision.

Design

Motorola handsets have always been known for their premium and sturdy design, which helped them become a sturdy and reliable handset. Motorola Droid Maxx 2 also comes with the same design standard and looks quite similar to the recently launched Moto X Play with identical chassis and rear panel.

Display

Motorola has equipped the new Droid Maxx with an impressive 5.5-inch display that is ideal for watching multimedia. The resolution offered by the handset is full HD viz. 1920 x 1080 pixels, which means that the visual experience is not compromised by the handset. Also, the display of the handset comes protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass for durability.

Performance and Battery Life

Motorola has equipped its new handset with a powerful 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 Octa-core processor for a class leading performance. The processor of the handset is supported by 2 GB of RAM that maintains the performance consistency. Motorola has powered this handset with a strong 3630 mAh battery unit that easily lasts 48 hours as per Motorola.

Camera Technology

Motorola has established its reputation as a manufacturer of smartphones with brilliant imaging capacities and Motorola Droid Maxx 2 is no exception. The handset flaunts a powerful 21 Megapixels snapper on its rear panel that enhances the everyday photography experience. The front panel of the handset houses a modest 5 Megapixels selfie snapper.

Connectivity

On the connectivity front, Motorola Droid Maxx 2 comes with support for 4G LTE and 3G connectivity to support super fast Internet on the go. The handset also features connectivity options like NFC, Wi-Fi, microUSB, GPS and Bluetooth.

Verdict

Motorola has been delivering some really impressive smartphones ever since it was acquired by Google and than by Lenovo. Motorola Droid Maxx 2 is an ideal device for those who are looking for a powerful smartphone within mid-range with commendable battery backup.

Motorola DROID Maxx 2 Specifications

General Specifications
Brand	Motorola
Model	DROID Maxx 2
Color	Black White, Black Blue
Form Factor	Bar
Category	Smartphone / Phablet
Dual Sim
Sim Card	Dual Nano Sim
Waterproof
Fingerprint Scanner
Network	LTE + GSM
Operating System	Android V5.1.1 (Lollipop)
Dimensions	148 x 75 x 8.9 mm
Weight	169 Grams
Storage
Internal Storage	16 GB
Expandable Storage	Up To 128 GB
Card Slot	Micro Sd Card
Camera
Rear Camera	21 Mp
Front Camera	5 Mp
Flash	Dual Tone LED Flash
Rear Camera Features	Geo Tagging, Auto Focus
Video Recording	Full HD Recording, Full HD
Zoom	Digital Zoom
Data & Connectivity
GPRS
2G	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G	HSDPA 2100 MHz / HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
4G	LTE / LTE
WiFi	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth	V4.0
GPS	GPS/ A-GPS
USB Port	Micro USB V2.0
Edge
USB OTG
Entertainment/Multimedia
Radio
Headset
Audio Format	WAV, MP3
Video Format	3GP, DivX, MP4
Speaker

Processor & RAM
Processor	1.7 GHz Octa Core 64-bit
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 615
RAM	2 GB
GPU	Adreno 405
Display
Size	5.5 Inches (Large)
Screen	Full HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Screen Protection	Gorilla Glass
Sensors	Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Gyroscope
Resolution	1080 x 1920 Pixel, Full HD
Pixel Density	401 ppi
Colours	16M
Keyboard	Touch
Stylus
Other Input Features	Multi-Touch
Battery
Battery Capacity	3630 mAh
Battery Type	Li-Ion, Removable
Calling & Messaging
Phone Book	Unlimited
SMS
MMS
Instant Messaging
Email