Why Apple MacBook’s Force Touch is the Trackpad of the Future

Steve Jobs had a vision, years ago, that the mouse needed only one button, and it seems his vision is finally realised with the newest addition to its ecosystem, the Apple MacBook. One of the most nerdy aspects about the newly unveiled device is the fact that it comes with a Force Touch trackpad. Force Touch was first introduced months ago with the Apple Watch.

So, what exactly is ‘Force Touch’ technology?

Simply put, it is the mechanism which senses pressure. It is an entirely novel innovation that merges the previously released Multi-Touch with force sensors. That means besides sensing the multiple points of contact on your screen, the new feature can also gauge the amount of pressure put on each contact; detecting the subtle difference between the quantity of pressure imposed. This makes the technology infused devices smarter than any other smartphones and smartwatches in the world.

The current generation of MacBook’s use a ‘Diving Board’ design. The top part of the trackpad remains stable, any part of the lower end can be used to click or right click. The new Force Touch trackpad, gets four new sensors – allowing you to click using any part of the designated surface.

Through the sensors on the trackpad of the gadgets, it can judge a light tap and a deep press, bringing a broad range of contextual controls right to your fingertips. The actions can be categorised in three forms: Force click, Accelerator and Pressure-sensing drawing.

The Force click gives users access to different websites without switching to the other pages. It can bring up the Wikipedia by clicking a word, preview a file in the Finder, and create a new Calendar by applying a little push on the trackpad. You will be in control of adding new shortcuts to apps, such as bringing up the a map of the location just by force clicking the address.

 

The next is accelerator that accelerators the speed of a QuickTime movie. Press harder to fast-forward the shot quickly and if you wish to proceed gradually, steadily apply force on the trackpad. One can also zoom in Maps through the same tactic.

 

The next forte of Force Touch trackpad is pressure-sensing drawing. Draw a signature on the device just like a pen on paper. Put more pressure for a bold stroke and press lightly to get a thin line. This drawing can be used as an attachment for emails.

Apple has slipped the technology in Macbooks and the Apple Watch for now, but it has been learnt that the next iPhone is likely to come with the same feature. This tech has led to the death of the  We can’t wait to try out the Torce Touch for ourselves.

Thanks to Apple Watch, Swiss Watchmakers Headed Towards Troubled Times : Swatch Inventor

Apple’s has finally brought its long awaited Watch to the market, and there have been mixed responses to the new offering.  Now the co-inventor of the Swatch watches says that the new device from Apple can cause serious troubles for Switzerland’s famed watch industry.

Swatch co-inventor Elmar Mock has said that the Apple Watch might put a lot of pressure on traditional watchmakers in Switzerland, and he anticipates an ice age for the industry soon. He said that anything in the range of $500-1000 should be a cause of concern for the industry.

Wristwatches are one of the many prominent offerings from Switzerland along with cheese, chocolate and, of course, the banking system for stashing huge funds. The watch making industry employs tens of thousands of workers and the smartwatch craze might affect their livelihood.

 

Mr. Mock said that the Swiss watch industry hasn’t been innovating enough to keep up with the new challenges from the tech industry. He cited the quartz crisis of 1970’s and 80’s when cheap watch offerings from Japan took over large market shares from Swiss watchmakers. He said that the Swiss industry has the technology to deliver competent product in the age of smartwatches, and they should take proactive efforts to tackle the assault from the tech industry. Elmar Mock warned that if corrective actions weren’t taken, the watch industry might face severe troubles in two to three years.

 

Smartwatches as a segment has a long way to go, and the most glaring deficiency of these devices is the battery life that mostly tends to last a day or two. It adds on as an extra device that regularly demands its moment on the charging plug while a regular watch runs for months or even years on a single battery. This is one of the major causes that discourages folks from buying these new devices. So the watchmakers should anticipate a comfortable run till the time the tech companies figure out the battery side of things.

Google to Finally Add That One Important Missing Feature on Android Wear Smartwatches

Google has decided to fill the gap that makes its Android Wear software fall second in the wearables segment. According to a report by The Verge, the search giant is planning to bring Wi-Fi support to Android Wear software running on smartwatches. If the report is to be believed, then the extended support may come with the next software update.

The next update will diminish the fine line between the Apple Watch and Android Wear-powered wearables. Users can turn on Wi-Fi, and the Android Wear-powered smartwatches will get notifications and run Google Now even if the Bluetooth connection is not available. The new update will bring two additional tweaks – gesture control and improved UI.

The former tool allows users to swipe notifications and Google Now cards on the screen of the device without using the other hand. Despite, one can flick their wrist to do the same. The redesigned user interface was much needed in the Android-powered wearables. With the help of the tweaked UI, one can have easier access to applications and contacts. It will also get easier to switch between apps.

There are certain devices that come with built-in wireless, but because of this missing feature, the use of Android Wear-based wearables is limited. The new update will give a new dimension to a broad range of smartwatches like the Moto 360, the Asus ZenWatch, and the Samsung Gear Live.

 This makes the upgrade of the Android Wear software much more crucial as users may consider switching to Apple Watch. Meanwhile, there is no information on when the company planning to release an update.

Apple Wins Patent for Flexible Sidewall Display That Can Replace Physical Buttons

Just when we thought Apple had revealed everything they built recently, an interesting piece of news surfaced that brought the tech giant back into the limelight. A patent has been granted to Apple Inc. by the USPTO that speaks of a device with a flexible sideway display.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a series of granted patents to Apple that highlights a flexible sidewall display equipped with a mobile device.  The patents were originally filed back in 2013. This flexible side display could replace physical buttons with virtual buttons in future devices.

The patent says that the new flexible display may include one or more flexible layers, which may be mounted under a transparent screen cover of clear glass or plastic. There would be a touch-sensitive layer at the bottom of the flexible display for users to provide input, and also it will give users a clue of what the buttons are or what would be its functions.

 

The patent also notes that the flexible surface will be flat and can be placed anywhere on the front, rear, or sidewall surfaces. It is also said that the tech can replace the physical buttons or may act as a dummy structure. The functions of the virtual buttons will not be fixed, and their operations may be altered based on user input.

New Olympus Stylus SH-2 Comes With Impressive Night Modes

For all those photographers who actually want to get a better view of the nighttime skies, Olympus has a new compact edition camera for you. It has almost been a year since Olympus launched the first version of its stylish compact camera Stylus SH-1. This time they took it to the next level with the launch of Stylus SH-2.

The basic difference that sets this apart from its predecessor is that it has supporting features for shooting RAW images and time-lapse movies. It also happens to have several shooting modes to improve the low light photos and videos. It also has a live composition feature that sets it apart from the nightscape modes.

 

The stylus SH-2 has a 1/ 2.3 inch 16 megapixel BSI CMOS Sensor with a 24x (f3.0-6.9 25-600mm) Optical Zoom lens which can open as wide as 24 mm and also has a 460K dot-resolution touchscreen. It has a 5-Axis system borrowed from the OM-D E-M1 and the 5-Axis IS should provide steadier and sharper images than many compacts. Particularly in low light conditions and especially when you are using telephoto lens. It can also prove to be rather handy while shooting videos.

Like the SH-1, the SH-2 shoots full HD videos at 1080/60p along with the perfect capture of the stereo sound, has Wi-Fi (though no NFC) to pair with smartphones and retains the 3-inch touchscreen. For enthusiasts, Olympus also includes a full manual shooting mode in case one actually wants to go beyond the automatic options and with a single click on the camera’s record button in Nightscape mode one will get the optimum results required for dark scenes.

The only let down features is the absence of NFC and the aperture range which is not at all ideal for low-light shooting with the zoom lens.

Design wise the SH-2 is nearly identical to the previous version, with the exception of different looking chenille covering on the body which is made up of aluminum alloy with a sheet of leather stitched in the front and weighing only at 10 ounces, this particular camera can prove to be an ideal one for travelling. SH-2 is supposed to hit the markets in April at a price tag of 400$ (Approximately Rs. 25,000 in INR value).

Timex Run x50+ is a Training Tool That Works With Both Android and iOS

Major smartphone brands like Sony, Samsung, Motorola, and recently Apple, have jumped into the smartwatch division and have left behind the traditional watchmakers. The iconic timepiece brand Timex is putting all efforts to restore its image and has added a device to its connected devices portfolio.

The new Timex IRONMAN Run x50+ is a tech-driven smartwatch made especially for athletes. It is basically for folks who undergo aggressive training and want the features of a smartband in a smartwatch.

The International Marketing Manager of Timex Sports & Outdoors, Bart van Schijndel, said –

"For nearly three decades, Timex has provided athletes with technology solutions to enhance their training experiences. The brand is excited to launch the new Run x50+ watch – an evolved training tool for runners of all levels."

The Run x50+ sits comfortably at the wrist and connects to your phone, whether Android or iOS. It lets you stream and control the workout information through the fitness apps in the smartphone. For now, the feature is limited to iOS only, but it will soon arrive for Android handsets as well. One can get notifications like incoming calls, text alert, Facebook notifications, emails, and more on the sunlight-readable display.

Other pivotal features include volume control, pause, play option that can be controlled through the Run x50+ on a smartphone. The free Timex Connected app lets you set watch features. You can set appointment reminders, phone finder and watch finder as per your convenience. The latest addition to the Iron Man series can survive water splashes and go deep in water up to 5 metres.

Timex hasn’t provided any information on the price and availability of the watch, but we expect it’ll arrive in India soon.

Upcoming HTC E9 Specs Leaked, Sports 3GB RAM and Bigger Camera

HTC recently unveiled their flagship or the year 2015 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The device was an upgrade over the previous generation devices and addressed the criticisms against the earlier device. HTC is now reportedly about to launch the One E9, which will be a successor to the E8 launched last year.

According to various rumors, the HTC One E9 will be a major upgrade over the last year’s version and will be competing in the market as a phablet. The device is expected to be launched in the mid to high range segments.

The reported image of the new HTC One E9.

The E9 is touted to sport a 5.5 inch Quad HD display which would make it the first HTC device to feature the ultra high definition display. Even HTC’s latest flagship, the One M9 sported a Full HD display.

The biggest change is HTC’s bet on MediaTek 64-bit 8-core processor for the new device instead of the usual Qualcomm Snapdragon line of chipsets. The E8 flaunted a Snapdragon 801 chipset. The handset is also expected to feature 3 GB RAM, 32 GB of storage with expandable storage and will be juiced up by a 2800 mAh battery.

On the camera front, the E9 is said to sport the 20 MP shooter we saw on the new M9. According to the leaked image, the device now features a massive camera on the back. For the front camera, it is said that the standard model of the device will house a 13 MP shooter on the front while a premium version of the E9 will sport a 4 MP ultrapixel camera.

Now these reports are still based on rumours so we cannot confirm the authenticity of these reports. The E9 does look like a considerable upgrade over the One E8, but we have to wait for official confirmations to be sure. Overall, like e8 was a stripped down version of the M8, the E9 seems like the slightly pocket-friendly version of the One M9.