It's been a little while since we last heard from the folks at Livescribe, but today they're back with a new smart pen. Dubbed Symphony, this new pen is unique not only because it can transcribe the notes you take digitally, but because those notes can be paired with audio that was captured at the time you wrote them down.
Just over two years ago, Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs announced they'd be attempting to develop a smart future neighborhood in the area known as Quayside, on Toronto's waterfront. Today it was announced that Sidewalk Labs will no longer be moving forward with the project. The Waterfront Toronto board chair Stephen Diamond released a statement on the subject this afternoon. "Waterfront Toronto has been informed that Sidewalk Labs is withdrawing from our planned redevelopment of Quayside on Toronto's waterfront."
Back in October, IKEA finally launched its Fyrtur smart blinds in the United States, though they weren't available to purchase online. That availability was very limited, however, with the blinds only being available to purchase in some IKEA stores, and only in certain sizes. That has slowly changed and now smart home enthusiasts have noticed that the blinds can be ordered online in the US.
The Flo by Moen Smart Water Detector is a standalone sensor that's able to sense the presence of moisture. Once this sensor detects moisture in a place that should be dry, an alert is transmitted. This system can work simply - with just a smartphone app and basic notification. It can also work a bit more smart - sending a notification to the Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff device, which would then shut down the source of the water that's likely created the unexpected moisture that was detected by the Smart Water Detector.
With AirPods, Apple has the largest presence in the wearables market today, by a long shot. Unit shipment tracking in the wearables market for Q3 of 2019 showed Apple ahead of the pack, by a long shot. According to the IDC, Apple had 35% of the entire world's wearables market, with the closest competitor coming in with just 14.6% (that's Xiaomi, Samsung was 3rd with 9.8%). It's like Apple created the product to which all other products are compared - which should seem familiar if you've been watching tech news for the past decade.
Today Google revealed Android 10 on Android TV, a system that'll bring Android TV up to speed with the rest of the Android universe. This update will bring Android API level 29, which in turn will bring on what Google described as "recent performance and security updates made with Android 10." Oh, they've got a brand new Android TV device too, called ADT-3 (don't call it a Nexus!)
Today we're taking a peek at a list of devices that won't run Netflix by the end of the year 2019. Earlier literature from Netflix suggested that many of these devices would no longer run Netflix as of December 2, 2019. Some of these devices seem to have a big of lag in the cutting of this proverbial cord - but rest assured, they won't work without some hacking by the end of this month.
Wyze, the company that skyrocketed to popularity with its $20 security cameras and solidified its status with an inexpensive home sensor kit and connected light bulb, is back with another smart home device: Wyze Plug. The newly launched Wyze Plug, which was introduced earlier this year, enables users to connect any dumb gadget to their WiFi network, adding it to a wider smart home setup for use with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Today a new Google Nest Mini appeared at the FCC, and with it, confirmation of Google's continue expansion to every room in your home. Google has a plan with Google Assistant - that plan is to cover your entire world in Google-made natural voice smart assistant coverage, wall to wall, environment to environment. Google already has a first-gen Google Home Mini - the Google Nest Mini won't be particularly different in approach.
Times are changing for the Smart car, with Daimler's smallest model on track to go all-electric, and now it's previewing the next generation of urban runaround. The new 2020 Smart EQ fortwo won't make its official debut until the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but that hasn't stopped the German automaker from teasing us with some design sketches.
The folks at Swagtron just revealed a new electric longboard called NG2. This longboard has the ability to be moved with a hand-held remote control or a hands-free (no remote) A.I.-powered somatosensory control. This board is a full 38.6-inches long and has dual 450-watt motors that allow speed capabilities of up to 18 mph for up to 11.8 miles per charge.
Daimler has been building the tiny smart fortwo for a while, and the quirky car isn't a big seller. The EV version of that car is called the smart EQ fortwo and Daimler AG, the parent company of smart, has announced that at the end of the 2019 model year the EV will no longer be sold in the US or Canada.