Wristbands, lately, seem to be all the rage. Ever since Livestrong started the trend with their rubber yellow bands, a revolution has begun. Nymi, an electronic wristband by Bionym, is the latest device aimed at taking your wristly real estate. (Yes, I did just coin the word wristly) This wrist band monitors your heart rate, identifies patterns, and creates a baseline personality profile based on the unique bio-metric reading of your heart beat. This reading is then used as a form of authentication.
This unique heart beat finger print, or “cardiac rhythm“, will then allow you to unlock a myriad of different devices and services. One of the primary uses of the device would be as a form of mobile payment using the Bitcoin app on the device. With many consumers concerned about using mobile forms of payment due to a lack of trust and understanding in the software and hardware, Nymi has a unique opportunity to provide security on a much deeper level. Cardiac rhythm as a form of authentication is brand new, meaning that there will likely be a learning curve before hackers can identify an effective way around the authentication. This makes for one of the most secure devices soon to be on the market.
Additionally, the actual payment information is stored on the device itself requiring a biometric match prior to accessing the payment information. This is significantly more secure than storing the information in the cloud using standard encryption due to not being connected to any networks except when authenticating payments. This is further validated by Bionym’s Chief Cryptographer in a press release when he stated, ” the wallet is physically stored on the Nymi. The Nymi’s multi-factor system, including its ECG biometric, ensures secure Bitcoin storage tied to the rightful owner.”
Additionally, the device will not be limited to just payment apps. Bionym envisions the device being used in a variety of forms of authentication. This could range from logging into something as simple as Netflix to unlocking your front door. The possibilities are endless, yet the science of the security is sound.
The device is set to ship sometime this fall and can be pre-ordered on their website here. What are your thoughts on the device? Does using biometrics bring a level of security that would make you comfortable with a new form of payment? Let us know in the comments below.
It’s a sad day when the press conference of a legendary giant like Nintendo feels like a little league baseball game amongst the professionals. Today, Nintendo put on their digital only E3 press conference to make their annual announcements. Being a Nintendo fan myself, I walked away disappointed in Nintendo questioning their future. I would hate to see the happenings of Sega play as a re-run for Nintendo, but signs point to that unfortunate fate. Hopefully, Nintendo will soon see the error of their ways and course-correct. (At least Curtis’s E3 prediction didn’t come true.)
Super Smash Brothers – Courtesy of Games.com
The Good
While their conference wasn’t anything mind-blowing, Nintendo came out doing what they do best: making announcements about new entries in their classic franchises. The conference came down to two heavy hitter announcements: Star Fox Zero and Super Mario Maker.
Star Fox Zero made its debut today in an announcements. This is the first Star Fox title on the Wii U console. All of the staples of Star Fox are readily apparent, barrel rolls and all. What is unique about this game are the ways in which you use the gamepad to control your ship. By leveraging the gyroscope in the gamepad, you simply move it in the direction of where you want to fly and shoot from within the cockpit. Your television screen gives you the 3rd person perspective you know well from past games. It will be interesting to see how these new mechanics resonate with players as most unique gamepad uses have proven rather gimmicky in cases past.
The other title that made a splash during their digital press conference was Super Mario Maker. If Mario and Sackboy(Sackgirl…?) had a baby, it would be Super Mario Maker. The game allows you to bring together your creative juices and build your own worlds within the Mario galaxy. If there is one game I’m excited for from Nintendo, it’s Super Mario Maker.
Nintendo also announced quite a few other games including Zelda: TriForce Heroes, Metroid Prime Federation Force, Yokai Watch, and more. These new titles are great for hardcore Nintendo fans, but a horse can only be beaten so many times before its dead, and the pulse of this horse is slowing down.
The Bad and the Ugly
The biggest problem with Nintendo’s conference this year is that it was a spitting image of conferences for the past couple of years showing very little deviation from the classic Nintendo galaxy. A remake of Yoshi Island but with characters made out of yarn, a new Zelda game with a few new mechanics, and another entry in Mario Tennis? This has been done before by Nintendo for so many years and its one of the primary causes of them losing relevancy in the console war.
I challenge you to Google Search “console war.” In current news, you’ll find a myriad of articles pitting Sony against Microsoft with very little to say about Nintendo. The primary device keeping Nintendo above water is the Nintendo 3DS; a handheld that nearly failed until Nintendo made some drastic changes to gain back adoption. However, aside from the hardcore, the primary adopters of Nintendo’s handheld is limited to children; those who haven’t been exposed to all of Nintendo’s games in the past.
Nintendo sold 3.38 million Wii U’s in their past fiscal year. Sony sold nearly two-thirds that number in its first month on the market and almost doubled it within 5 months. The Wii U has sold a total of 9.54 million consoles in almost 3 years. Sony’s latest figure released in April put them at 23 million sold in just 1.5 years. While Nintendo reported its first profit this year, it’s hard not to attribute this to their recent release of Super Smash Brothers and its loyal colt following. If this is the cause, the spike will be temporary and the outlook for Nintendo isn’t the brightest. This is especially true in the United States, as over 75% of this past year’s sales took place overseas.
However, the company did report “net sales of 549.7 billion yen” or $4.6 billion dollars which is a positive indicator. One thing is for sure, Nintendo is a fighter and will not likely go down in flames anytime within the near future, but something needs to change for them to become a relevant competitor once again.
The Competition
Sony and Microsoft have made huge strides in recent years in terms of innovation. While graphics are often considered irrelevant, the fact is that we gamers can better connect with more realistic images. Nintendo continues to live a generation behind in the graphics department. This is a problem.
That’s not to mention the efforts being made by both companies to create altered versions of reality. Project Morpheus has been in development for many years to create a completely engulfing virtual reality experience. Microsoft completely blew everyone away with their demonstration of Minecraft on the Hololens. It’s acts like these that keep things fresh for Sony and Microsoft and keep their forward momentum.
Nintendo’s ambition to innovate was its greatest strength and weakness. The company struck gold with the original Wii by bringing a new kind of gaming that can be enjoyed by new as well as familiar audiences alike. They continued on that path of deviation and innovation, but unfortunately swung and missed with the Wii U. It seems the move has put them into a state of caution which has led to very little innovation ever since.
Nintendo, if you’re listening, don’t be afraid to innovate, and don’t be afraid to learn from the successes of your competitors. Sony would not be where they are today without Microsoft and vice versus. Don’t allow your pride of being the innovator get in the way of your future success. I want to keep you around.
Netflix has changed the way we watch and interact with movies and TV shows. To further innovation and out-of-the-box thinking, Netflix puts on an annual “Hack Day.” This special day allows developers to come up with unique, fun, and sometime functional ideas that could one day be brought to fruition. Others are just crazy enough to generate some chuckles.
According to Netflix’s blog, “Hack Day is a way for our product development teams to get away from everyday work. It’s a fun, experimental, collaborative, and creative outlet. This time, we had about 70 hacks that were produced by more than 150 engineers and designers.”We’ve taken a look, and there were a lot of great Netflix hacks this year! Here are some of our favorites: Netflix on NES Okay, for you NES fans out there, this one is pretty cool. Here Guy Cirino, Alex Wolfe, and Carenina Motion took an unmodified NES and were able to hack the system to play Netflix. The video looks incredible/terrible in its 8 bit glory, however, it’s an incredible feat nonetheless! While I don’t know anyone who would give up their current 4k with surround sound setup to watch Netflix on the NES, the idea is sweet nonetheless.
Net the Netflix Cheats Does your significant other cheat on you with Netflix? Do they watch extra episodes while you are gone? This has probably been the source of countless fights in many relationships. With ‘Net the Netflix Cheats’, you never have to worry about that again!
BEEP (Binge Encouragement and Enforcement Platform) If you are easily distracted when watching Netflix, this is the hack for you. BEEP simply gets your attention when you start to get distracted by anything around you. If this were a real thing, there would be countless computers and/or TVs thrown out the window! Clever idea though.
Netflix Earth If you are interested in learning what people around the earth are watching, you will appreciate this hack. Netflix Earth provides real-time playback of what people are watching around the globe.
These hacks are exciting and amusing, and I am sure many of you would love to see some of them implemented. However, keep in mind these are just hacks. Netflix did state that these hacks “may never become part of the Netflix product, internal infrastructure, or otherwise be used beyond Hack Day.” We can dream can’t we.
With that said, what hack would you beg Netflix to bring to the masses? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
No one can deny that Netflix has changed the way we watch TV. In the U.S., it’s unlikely that you know someone who has not heard of Netflix that is under the age of 65. As of January 2015, Netflix had a total of 57.4 million subscribers worldwide, with 39 of the 57 million living in the US. Considering that the US has around 318 million people and an average household of 2.58 people, Netflix subscription holders reach nearly 32% of US residents; incredible numbers with perspective! With Netflix’s power in the market, they have now begun to recommend TV’s that are best suited to stream Netflix.
At CES 2015, Netflix announced their “Recommended TV” program; a program that will allow Netflix watchers to know what TV’s provide the best Netflix streaming experience. David Holland, the director of business development at Netflix stated in a blog post:
For all the benefits of smart TVs, our members tell us that access to the Netflix service should be easier, and that once you launch the app, you shouldn’t have to wait forever to begin enjoying the experience. The goal of the program is to give people insight into which models meet those needs and deliver a superior smart TV experience. When you’re shopping for a new TV and see the Netflix Recommended TV logo, it means that TV will offer easy access to Internet TV services, faster performance, and new features that enable a next-generation smart TV experience.
So what were the first TV’s Netflix announced? They are:
LG 4K UHD TVs w/ webOS 2.0
Sony Android Full HDTVs
Roku TVs from Hisense, Insignia, and TCL
While the LG 4K UHD was probably the first TV to catch your eye, Netflix explains that they are most excited for the prospect of Roku and Sony’s televisions.
We’re particularly excited about the Instant On functionality supported by Roku TVs and the Sony Android Full HDTVs. These TVs wake up quickly, remembering where you left off, similar to how smartphones and tablets behave today. These Sony and Roku TVs are also capable of turning on and launching Netflix with the press of a single button, making getting to Netflix faster than ever before.
Keep in mind these are just the first round of Netflix Recommended TV’s. To learn more about the Recommended TV program by Netflix, and to see the current list of TV’s that offer a superior Netflix experience, you can watch the video below and visit www.netflix.com/recommendedtv/.
While I do think these TV’s will offer a great Netflix experience, it remains unknown whether consumers will place higher value on the “Netflix Experience” or the overall quality of TV they are purchasing. For example, I spent about 3 months researching the perfect TV for my needs and the Netflix experience never crossed my mind.
Thus far, in my experience most buyers have cared more about the picture quality, sound quality, and network capabilities of the TV rather than whether the TV would provides an optimal Netflix streaming experience. Then again, we don’t know what we don’t know. Considering the popularity of the Netflix service, if that is the primary entertainment offering of a household, being a recommended TV could have its merits and influence a purchase.
What are your thoughts? Do you think people will consider the Netflix experience when deciding on what TV to purchase? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
And by Skinny, I mean thin. Take a look at a new concept design (A.K.A. not real) put together by Curved Labspaying appropriate tribute to the original Macintosh computer. The entire computer is razer thin with the resemblance of an iPad on an elegant stand and a wireless keyboard. Something us nerds would have only dreamed of during the original released. They also maintained the disc slot, however, it appears it is now dedicated to use by memory cards. Additionally, it maintains the classic Apple symbol glow that radiates at conferences around the globe.
It’s been quite a few years since Apple first released the Macintosh. The company has gone from greatness, to tanked, back to greatness with the help of Steve Jobs, his moxie, and a whirlwind of innovation from the company. This concept art, if brought to production, could have some real potential, especially if they made it a collectors edition! Unfortunately, that’s all it is right now: a concept. We’ll keep dreaming. Meanwhile, drool over the concept video below:
What are your thoughts on the concept? Tell us the maximum amount you’d be willing to pay for the device as a collectors item in the comments below.
The kid in Home Alone 3 would have had a heyday with this 21st century version of remoting neighbors TVs…
The Chromecast just became a whole lot more guest (and prankster) friendly. Previously, if a guest in your home wanted to show a video on your Chromecast it involved giving them your Wi-Fi password. With Google’s latest update to the Chromecast firmware, you can now enable Guest Mode which allows any nearby smartphone to connect directly to the Chromecast for video casting purposes.
Below is a video provided by Google that explains how to enable Guest Mode:
I know what your thinking, “does this mean I can now directly connect to the Chromecast so that when traveling I don’t have to go through the hotel’s wi-fi?” Unfortunately, the answer to that question is no. The Chromecast is still connecting and downloading the multimedia content from the wi-fi. A guest’s phone is simply sending a request to the Chromecast to display certain content at which point the Chromecast connects to your wi-fi to deliver the multimedia. I know, unfortunate.
Also, make sure you disable Guest Mode after all of your YouTube video parties. This will prevent that creepy neighbor from interrupting your season finale of Gilmore Girls with a SneakCast (coined and trademarked) of a horror flick such as the latest Miley Cyrus Video. The kid in Home Alone 3 would have had a heyday with this 21st century version of remoting neighbors TVs.
SneakCasting… you heard it first here on TechSmash!
Does SneakCasting freak you out? Or are you a prankster seeing all of the new opportunities this brings to the table. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Many concerns have been raised regarding the potential political, religious, and idealistic tunnel vision that social media could create. Facebook uses an algorithm that shows the posts and content with which you’re most likely to engage. Logically, you would think this would equate to the creation of a vortex of your own opinions, only to facilitate making them stronger.
However, a recently published study by ScienceMag claims to rebut that claim. The study was conducted by capturing data from over 10 million Facebook users, all of which had published their political views within their profile details. The researchers monitored the content posted by their friends, what ended up in the users’ Newsfeeds, and what links were clicked to identify whether tunnel vision was an actual problem.
Surprisingly, Facebook users had an average of 23% of friends with opposing political views. They found an average of 29% of stories coming across Newsfeeds had opposing political content and 25% of the links clicked were of opposing political views. Interestingly enough, the study found that the primary driving factor behind viewing cross-cutting content is based on user choice as opposed to Facebook’s ranking algorithm. Facebook’s ranking algorithm only displayed a decrease of 1% in politically opposing content displayed in the Newsfeed. Users only clicked on 6% (Liberals) to 17% (Conservatives) of the opposing articles delivered into their Newsfeeds. Thus, articles are still being displayed, however users are primarily clicking on articles that agree with their political affiliations.
While the study seems promising at first blush, Christian Sanvig with Social Media Collective identified some issues/limitations with the study. One of the primary shortcomings pointed out was that the study only followed Facebook users who had self-identified their political viewpoints. This apparently only encompasses 4% of Facebook’s overall user-base. As a result, Sanvig labels the study as mis-leading:
It turns out that only 9% of Facebook users do that. Of those that report an affiliation, only 46% reported an affiliation in a way that was “interpretable.” That means this is a study about the 4% of Facebook users unusual enough to want to tell people their political affiliation on the profile page. That is a rare behavior.
With such rarity in behavior, it’s challenging not to take this study with a bucket of salt. (i.e. Quite a few grains.) Individuals who self-proclaim their political affiliations are more likely to engage in political debates. Such engagement with cross-cutting content posted by friends would only increase the amount of cross-cutting content displayed through Facebook’s algorithm. Likes, clicks, and comments are the primary driving factors behind what Facebook chooses to place in your Newsfeed. Thus, a user-base of politically active users engaging in a variety of political conversations does not paint a clear picture of the actual impact on the typical users. For this study to be trustworthy, researchers need a large test group and an effective way to identify political affiliation without limiting the study to users with self-proclaimed affiliations.
Raindrops and roses and exploding kittens, these are a few of my favorite things. Apparently, these are a few of the world’s favorite things. Exploding Kittens, a simple card game about, you guessed it, exploding kittens, has become the number three ranking Kickstarter project of all time. The card game raised an astounding $8.8 million dollars, trailing only behind the Coolest Cooler and the Pebble Watch which raised $13.2M and $10.2M respectively.
What’s even more incredible is that the project’s initial pledge goal was a lowly $10,000 dollars. This goal was achieved the day the Kickstarter campaign went live. Money aside, this project holds the record for the highest number of backers with 219,872 people donating towards the project.
After hitting their pledge goal, the creators of the card game wrote the following in an update:
On the very first day of this campaign, we hit our funding goal. That was a big deal.
But after that, the campaign stopped being about money, and started being about a community. We decided that everything we did from that point on would be to celebrate you guys, and help you celebrate each other.
In the last 30 days, you’ve broken a lot of records, but we wanted to highlight our favorite one: you made this the most fun Kickstarter to run of all time.
By being altruistic (or extremely smart and strategic) the creators were able to create a social movement that generated donations exceeding the creator’s wildest expectations. This social phenomenon generated over 100,000 Facebook likes and shares, over 50,000 Facebook comments, and tens of thousands of shares on other social media platforms. Take a look at the share numbers below:
Courtesy of ShareTally
While the game likely appeals only to a niche market, by focusing on celebrating the community, the makers were able to create a social media phenomenon to break into and target that niche. It’s widely apparent that the strategy worked by the resulting donations. For more information about the game, you can view the Kickstarter Pledge Page or view their video below:
This is a beautiful demonstration of how Kickstarter provides an incredible platform to raise funds for projects that would otherwise be challenging to obtain investors. Can you imagine Mr. Wonderful’s response to investing in a card game about exploding kittens? Neither can I, but I can foresee the term “cockroach” being referenced. However, this is one of those instances where nobody could have guessed the outcome, not even the creators; as is apparent by their initial pledge goal.
What are your thoughts on Exploding Kittens? Are you interested in buying the game? Did you back this project? Tell all in the comments below.
