Owner-pet blues softened with PetBot, dogs send selfies

  If your dear companion is your dog, then you will be interested in learning more about how you can stay connected through something called PetBot, now on offer in an Indiegogo campaign.Its designers cover all the bases here, for pet owners who leave their pets alone and worry about them, to the pet's having separation anxiety, pet depression, and missing the owner.

  PetBot lets your pet send you a selfie, allows for safety alerts and even trains and entertains your pet remotely. There is a treat dispenser, and users can record their own voice, to call the pet over. Once the pet comes over to the unit, the device can take a selfie and the owner can dispense a treat from a smartphone. Steven Loeb in VatorNews said, "It basically incentivizes animals to take pictures of themselves," said Loeb.

  PetBot's team has an $80,000 goal to make it happen. The Canada-based creators ask that people "help us make pet care smarter!" They want to ship PetBot next year

  Users can access PetBot access either with an Android or iOS device. The system's treat dispenser provides for a controlled number of sweets, to avoid overfeeding. The device streams live video or records pet selfies.

  Scheduled activities help the pet avoid separation anxiety and "pet depression." Geek.com mentioned some activities that can be scheduled, including dispensing treats, playing soothing music, and your own voice.

  You can upload audio of your pet's favorite sounds.

  PetBot's team refer to their system's built-in "petificial" intelligence. They do not treat the word too casually, but describe it as artificial intelligence focused on pet interaction and care. Utilizing visual and audio information, they said, it can learn and make decisions on when to notify pet owners and when to interact with pets.

  The system can listen for pet sounds (they refer to "pet and bark recognition") and tell you if it determines an unusual situation. Another useful function is a training mechanism; you can send commands and if the pet responds it gets a treat.

  PetBot was born in 2013; the campaign page noted its cofounders have years of pet training along with experience in machine learning and AI. So far they have focused their testing on dogs, cats and some rabbits. "We are always open to trying PetBot with other types of pets."

  A pledge of $149 gets the white PetBot unit and a free download of their iOS & Android apps, with estimated delivery in May.

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Smog vacuum cleaner inspires more steps to cleaner cities

  A certain structure in a public place in Rotterdam is described in Inhabitat as a smog-sucking vacuum cleaner. If going places, that cleaner is designed to ease city pollution. Lucy Wang reported Tuesday of a Netherlands-based designer behind the machine. This air purifier is part of his Smog-Free Project, and the project team simply defines it as the world's largest smog vacuum cleaner.

  According to Wang, we are looking at a seven-meter-tall tower —it's a lightweight, modular system —cleaning 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour and creating smog-free bubbles, in public spaces. The tower cleans the air by sucking in smog from the top and the filtered air is released through six-sided vents.

  This smog-sucking vacuum cleaner runs on just 1,400 watts, said Inhabitat, which is no more electricity than a water boiler. The enabler is a low-energy ionization technology, which is patented.

  The man behind this machine is Daan Roosegaarde. There was a recent launch in Rotterdam; the tower is a 7.0 × 3.5 m modular system in a public park. The launch marked its first pilot.

  "The first 7-meter high Smog Free Tower" equipped with environment-friendly and patented technology "is now open for public at Vierhavensstraat 52 in Rotterdam NL," announced the team. The Smog Free Tower uses a similar technology as indoor air purifiers. "The technology is used indoors in hospitals, so it's safe and tested—we just built the largest one for outdoor use," said Roosegaarde.

  What happens to all that dust collected? This gets interesting. The collected carbon particles in the smog dust will be compressed into high-end jewelry. He said, "we create jewelry from the residue of the collected smog. Smog consists of carbon which is compressed into high-end jewelry such as the Smog Free Ring or the Smog Free Cufflinks. Each piece of jewelry contributes to the purifying of 1000 cubic meters of polluted air."

  There is a Kickstarter campaign where, for a pledge of $54 (estimated delivery in December), you get a smog-freecube as a "symbol of the Smog Free Movement." It is a cube filled with compressed smog particles. The idea is that you can "Carry your cube with you as a personal reminder of your efforts to create a world free of smog."

  The first pilot was launched in Rotterdam and the team said possible future locations include Beijing, Mexico City, Paris and Los Angeles.

  Studio Roosegaarde is a "social design lab" with a team of designers and engineers based in the Netherlands and Shanghai.

  While the "smog sucking vacuum cleaner" conjures up an image of an environmental eyesore pictures of the tower clearly indicate it is not an eyesore. Its LEDs make the tower glow at night.

  "In the Netherlands we live nine months shorter because of smog.," said a press announcement from Studio Roosegaarde.

  The campaign statement is also a project vision: "This campaign is to fund the first pilot of the Tower in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The tower will travel around the world, from city to city. From Beijing to Paris. From Los Angeles to Mexico City. The tower lets citizens experience the value of breathing clean air. The Smog Free Tower is the first step in working together to free cities permanently of smog. Together we can fight air pollution."

  The campaign page went on to say that "The Smog Free Cubes are first of all developed to make sure the Smog Free Tower produces no waste. All the smog we collect, is processed into a Smog Free Cube and turned into an exclusive piece of jewelry. The Smog Free Movement stands for a better and cleaner future we can create together. The Smog Free Cubes are the building blocks of that future."

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Oppo unveils R7 Plus FC Barcelona Limited Edition phone

  FC Barcelona fans will have noticed Oppo logos when their favorite team is playing. The smartphone maker is celebrating the three-year partnership with the Spanish football team with the Oppo R7 Plus FC Barcelona Edition.

  5,000 units of the self-titled "Smartphone of Champions" will be made available at $550 at oppostyle.com. The special edition sports the Barcelona logo on the back, a Barcelona-themed wallpaper, a protective case and more.

  Starting September 12 Oppo will hold a charity auction on eBay for phones autographed by top players - among which Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Dani Alves. Proceeds will go to the FC Barcelona Foundation. Also in September Oppo will hold a giveaway for the limited-edition phone in 20 overseas markets.

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BLU Vivo Air LTE debuts as the slimmest LTE smartphone in U.S.

  In addition to the Pure XL phablet, the Miami-based manufacturer BLU took the wraps off the Vivo Air LTE smartphone at CTIA in Las Vegas. With a 5.1mm body and 97 grams of weight, the newcomer is the slimmest 4G LTE device to arrive in the United States.

  As its name suggests, the ultra-slim smartphone is an upgraded variant of the BLU Vivo Air, which was announced in January. The Vivo Air LTE swaps the MediaTek chipset of the original for a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 solution, coupled with 2GB of RAM.

  The rest of the handset’s specs include 4.8” 720p Super AMOLED display, 16GB of built-in memory, 8MP main camera, 5MP front-facing unit, and 2,050mAh battery. BLU Vivo Air LTE boots Android Lollipop.

  The handset will hit the shelves on September 22 in black or white color scheme, sporting a $199 price tag. Its LTE bands will be compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile.

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Samsung Gear S2 and S2 classic hands-on

Introduction

  Samsung’s freshly announced Gear S2 smartwatch has piqued our interest ever since we caught a first glimpse of its circular display and sleek UI several months ago. The Tizen OS wearable device made made a brief cameo at the Samsung Galaxy Note5 launch event last month, followed by its official debut a couple of days ago.

Available in classic and sportier guise, Samsung Gear S2 is a massive improvement over last year’s Samsung Gear S in terms of design and functionality. With a fully circular Super AMOLED display and rotating bezel that controls a sleek new UI, the newcomer carries an aura of desirability which none of its predecessors possessed.

Samsung Gear S2 lineup at a glance

• 1.2” circular Super AMOLED display with 360 x 360 pixels; 302ppi
• 1GHz dual-core CPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset
• 512MB of RAM; 4GB of built-in memory
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.1; NFC (with support for Samsung Pay)
• Optional 3G network connectivity and e-SIM support (Gear S2 3G)
• 250mAh battery (Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic); 300mAh battery (Gear S2 3G)
• Built-in heart rate sensor with S Health support
• Built-in accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, vibration/haptic engine
• Standard 20mm leather band (Gear S2 classic); swappable band with proprietary connector (Gear S2 and Gear S2 3G)
• Stainless steel body with IP68 rating for water and dust resistance (all variants)
• Rotating bezel for navigating through the Tizen OS user interface
• Compatible with all Android devices with Android 4.4 and up and more than 1.56GB of RAM

 In a manner typical for a high-end Samsung device, the 1.2” circular Super AMOLED unit in the Gear S2 family promises one of the best screens in its segment. The Snapdragon 400 chipset on the other hand, promises smooth performance - it is an established smartwatch industry standard by now.

  In charge of navigating the sleek Tizen UI, the rotating bezel of the Gear S2 is an innovative and convenient solution. At 2-3 days, the quoted battery life of the device of the non-3G version looks impressive too.

  Most importantly, the Gear S2 smartwatch, unlike past Gear iterations, is now available to Android devices other than Samsung. This step by the Korean manufacturer promises to make its latest and greatest wearable more successful than any of its predecessors.

Samsung Gear S2 hands-on

  Samsung Gear S2 is the more casual member of the family. Available with optional 3G network connectivity, the smartwatch features stainless steel body and swappable silicone band with proprietary connector.

     

Samsung Gear S2 in the flesh

  There are two color schemes available - silver and gray with black or white silicon band respectively. Of course, Samsung will offer interchangeable bands in a variety of colors as additional accessories.

         

More Samsung Gear S2 live shots

  Physical measures of the Gear S2 are 42.3 × 49.8 × 11.4mm, while its weight tips the scale at 47 grams. The 3G variant is slightly bulkier due to its bigger battery and e-SIM card - it measures 44.0 x 51.8 x 13.4mm and 51 grams.

  The bundled silicone band of the smartwatch is comfortable and easy to maintain. Because it doesn’t require standard lugs, it is seamlessly integrated into the body of the smartwatch, thus offering a sportier, slightly futuristic look.

      

Samsung Gear S2 silicone band with proprietary connector

  Build quality of the Gear S2 is excellent. The device’s body is crafted from stainless steel, so it promises to hold up well against daily wear and tear.

  The 1.2” circular Super AMOLED screen of the smartwatch is excellent. It offers punchy colors, coupled with infinite contrast levels and stellar brightness.

  Samsung’s innovative rotating bezel has pleasant “clickiness” to it and is a joy to use. It rotates in both directions, thus allowing you to easily navigate the Tizen OS of the Gear S2.

  A magnetic charging dock is tasked with charging the device. Using it is a simple and straightforward process.

   

Samsung Gear S2 charging cradle

Samsung Gear S2 Classic hands-on

  Samsung Gear S2 classic is the “mature” member of the smartwatch family. The device features more compact stainless steel body and standard 20mm genuine leather strap out of the box.

      

Samsung Gear S2 classic alongside LG Watch Urbane

  The Gear S2 classic has a black stainless steel body with glossy finish. With measures of 39.9 × 43.6 × 11.4mm and a weight of 42 grams, it is considerably more elegant than the regular Gear S2.

  Because of its more traditional appearance, Samsung Gear S2 classic can be easily worn with a business attire. The presence of standard 20mm lugs on the other hand, allows users to change the look of the smartwatch depending on the occasion.

  Unlike the regular S2, the classic model has etched bezel for a more distinctive look. We found it to be just as easy to operate as that of the non-classic model.

   

    

Samsung Gear S2 classic

  The display and performance of the Gear S2 classic are identical with those of the regular variant. The same goes for the battery life of the smartwatch.

  Pricing of the Samsung Gear S2 family is yet to be revealed, but we expect the classic to carry a premium over the regular model. Considering its timeless design and standard 20mm bands, we reckon that the higher price tag will be well worth it.

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