If you’re looking for some exergaming action, but don’t have the rhythm — or lack of self awareness — for some existing sport game accesories, how about a game controlled by effort? Using your iDevice’s camera and accelerometer, BitGym has created a control system for playing iOS games while on your exercise equipment of choice (possibly not the trampoline though). The first release is a racer that converts rate of exercise to acceleration and head movement to steering. We’re told there’s an SDK too, so developers looking to trim-up can make their own gym-distractions. Fitness Freeway is available now, but if you want to see it in action, without breaking a sweat jog on over the break for a demo video.

Continue reading Face and ‘effort’ controlled iPad game helps you outrun the competition (video)

Face and ‘effort’ controlled iPad game helps you outrun the competition (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When we first spotted leaked photos of Lenovo’s ThinkPad X130e, we just kind of assumed it was the next-gen successor to the X120e, which we reviewed almost a year ago. Well, you know what happens when you A-S-S-U-M-E, right? Turns out, there is indeed an X130e, but it’s intended specifically for classrooms. The company just made its official announcement, and explained that that rugged design we’ve been hearing about isn’t meant to protect it from careless baggage handlers at the airport so much as freewheeling six year-olds. Though Lenovo’s already had a hand in Intel’s Classmate project, this is the first time it’s released a classroom-ready laptop under the ThinkPad brand, red pointing stick and all.

Of all the kid-proof touches, the more obvious ones include a rubber bumper ringing the plastic chassis, along with a thicker bezel shielded by 1.2mm of plastic. It also has recessed, reinforced ports, an accelerometer to protect the hard drive and a hinge rated for 30,000 cycles. Of course, the result of all this ruggedizing is that the X130e is fairly heavy for an 11-incher, at 3.9 pounds (1.78kg). Otherwise, though, its specs are pretty much what you’d expect in an 11.6-inch laptop. For starters, it’s offered with an Intel Core i3-2367M processor, as well as AMD Fusion E-300 and E-450 APUs. It comes with 2GB of RAM (upgradeable to 8GB), up to 500GB in storage, Bluetooth 3.0 and a 6-cell battery rated for 8.5 hours of battery life. Lenovo’s also added its RapidBoot technology, promising a sub-20-second startup time. It also has three USB 2.0 sockets, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, a combined headphone / mic port and a 4-in-1 memory card reader. And, because Lenovo is selling these to schools and not individuals, it’ll customize the laptops by tweaking the BIOS and tricking out the lid in assorted colors. It’ll go on sale December 20th starting at 9, and in the meantime, we’ve got some press photos below — after all, just because you personally can’t buy one, doesn’t mean you can’t look, right?

Continue reading Lenovo’s rugged ThinkPad X130e targets the education market, arrives December 20 for 9

Lenovo’s rugged ThinkPad X130e targets the education market, arrives December 20 for 9 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Right on the heels of million in new funding, Roku has added seven new casual games to its streaming boxes. [Thanks to reader @joelbrave for pointing this out in our comments!] The games, which appear to be internally developed by Roku, follow on the release of Angry Birds on its new devices and will add some additional revenues to the hardware manufacturer.

The games are as follows:

• Dracula’s Coffin
• Texas Hold ‘em
• Sudoku
• Rockswap Adventures
• Patience
• Kaboom
• Mahjong Fruits

The new casual games, which just appeared in the Roku Channel Store, all cost .99 and many are similar to games available on other platforms. Unlike Angry Birds, there’s little action, as they are mostly puzzle games. Texas Hold ‘em and Sudoku should be familiar to most users; meanwhile, Rockswap Adventures appears to be a Bejeweled knockoff, Patience is a version of solitaire and Kaboom is very similar to Minesweeper.

Roku’s new casual games come with the release of the latest version of products, which add smoother graphics capabilities and a gaming controller that contains an accelerometer. The Roku 2 XS system launched with Angry Birds, and new games from developers like Rovio and Namco are expected soon.

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Roku is rolling out the latest generation of media streaming boxes later this month, with a new, smaller form factor and more powerful graphics at the same price point as the last generation. With the release, the company is betting big on casual games becoming available on new Roku 2 devices, including Rovio’s Angry Birds.

Like its product release last year, the new generation of Roku boxes will have three distinct price points with products targeted at entry-level, intermediate and power users. The Roku 2 HD (), Roku 2 XD () and Roku 2 XS (0) will soon be available online and in channel partners’ retail stores in the coming weeks. Tech specs for all three are as expected after Roku’s next generation of devices leaked online due to an FCC filing, but this release isn’t about the technology under the hood as it is about the new opportunity it introduces through casual games that will soon be released on the platform.

While Roku is continuing its practice of having different price points for different users, most of the innovation and value comes at the high end. The startup has not only packaged Angry Birds with the Roku 2 XS, but it’s also included a game-changing remote control (no pun intended) with an accelerometer included. While only the top-of-the-line model comes with the new gaming remote, it will be available as a separate accessory for Roku users that want to buy it later.

That remote is what mostly makes Angry Birds playable on the device. It’s powered by Bluetooth, and it’s capable of working with all three models. Also contributing is a new processor built into Roku boxes that will enable the kind of casual games that will soon become a staple on the device.

In addition to the original Angry Birds title, Roku will soon release Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio. But that’s just the start of its casual games revolution: Roku has also struck a deal with Namco that will bring Pac-Man CE and Galaga to the platform, and has other similar deals in the works, according to Roku VP of Marketing Chuck Seiber.

The new devices aren’t just about gaming, though. New video and social networking applications are being released with the platform as well. That includes a new, just-released Facebook channel with higher-quality picture and video capabilities, as well as channels for Epix, Major League Soccer, AOL and FOX News.

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If you have kids and own a tablet, chances are you’ve passed it to the back seat on occasion, asking your five-year-old to help you navigate to the beach, or to beat an otherwise hopeless level in Angry Birds. Now, you can reward them with a tablet of their own. Available in green and pink, the 0 LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer includes a 5-inch, 480 x 272-pixel (16:9) touchscreen, 2GB of built-in storage, and a durable housing — but your 5-9 year old isn’t going to get caught up on specs. They will take notice to the built-in camera (with video capture), microphone, stylus, and accelerometer, however — all of which enable custom kid-friendly apps and educational games, including Disney Animation Studio, an interactive reader, and compatibility with over 100 downloadable apps and LeapFrog cartridges, which range in price from to . There’s no wireless connectivity, so you’ll be tethering with Windows or Mac OS to download additional content, and to share photos and drawings with family and friends.

We’re certainly far outside LeapPad’s target demographic, but we did have a chance to go hands-on with the device earlier today, and felt that the tablet was solidly built, with a well-rounded feature set and sufficient expandability options — for a kids toy, of course. Games and apps took advantage of the Pad’s features, such as Roly Poly Picnic, which uses the accelerometer to navigate through a maze, spelling out simple, three-letter words along the way (like all apps and games, Picnic is adjustable based on your little one’s age and skill level). There’s also a video player (currently limited to 4:3 content), photo, and video capture apps. Shipping August 15th, the device doesn’t have a ton of horsepower under the hood — a 400MHz processor means apps won’t launch with the speed and grace of an iPad 2 — but for a 0 toy, the LeapPad will do just fine. PR and hands-on video are after the break.

Continue reading LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer tablet hands-on (video)

LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer tablet hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One of the cool things we’re seeing with mobile devices like Fitbit (see disclosure below) and Nike+ and smartphone apps like Runkeeper is the ability for them to act as powerful sensors that can provide feedback on our health and well being. But one of the most promising ventures in this field is an upcoming product from Pulse Tracer called Basis, a watch monitor that packs in a bunch of sensors that monitor not just movement but heart rates, temperature and skin response.

The company, which is preparing to release its wrist band monitor soon, is fresh off raising million in funding from Norwest Venture Partners and DCM. And today it’s announcing that it’s brought on a new CEO Jef Holove, a former vice president and general manager at Logitech who was lured away from Eye-Fi, where he was CEO. It’s another good sign for what could be a very ground-breaking device with the potential for bringing online behavioral tracking to a much wider audience.

As we’ve noted there are already some popular options for people on the market like FitBit and Runkeeper. But they’re primarily measuring motion using accelerometers. But Basis, which is expected to sell for 9, is outfitted with not just an accelerometer, but also an optical blood flow sensor to measure heart rate, a sensor to measure body heat and also a galvanic skin response sensor. Put it all together and you have a lot more data to measure not just how active someone is, but how their heart rate is doing, how their temperature is faring and how much stress someone is experiencing, which can be measured by changes in the skin and sweat.

“We’re providing a lot of data that enriches the picture of your health,” said Holove. “We can correlate different things. We can compare heart rate to low movement and find out if this is a stressful moment or something else is going on.”

Holove said Basis’ form factor is also critical because it doesn’t require strapping on an unfamiliar device like some heart monitors. It can be worn all throughout the day, which ensures that a lot of data is being gathered.

Basis isn’t just designed to gather information. It works with online tools to help people analyze the information and what the implications are for people. And there are game mechanics built in to motivate users to keep up their activity level. Those parts sound like other solutions on the market. But the real key here is that, provided Basis actually works as advertised, you’re getting a river of data that should help reveal a lot about how people are living. And if people can keep using the sensor because of its watch design, it will help ensure that the feedback loop continues. We’ll know more when the device goes on sale. Holove wouldn’t commit to a launch this year though the company is taking pre-orders.

There is a big opportunity here to improve our health through mobile devices as they take on more functionality at a more affordable price. People also want to take more control over their health these days, but it sometimes takes helpful tools to get them going. At 9, Basis is still not cheap. But it still has a good shot at winning over people if it can do what it says, not just gathering data but providing good analysis and encouragement behind it. If this can work, it will also put us further down the road toward the idea of the quantified self, a concept of helping people understand themselves better through self tracking.

Disclosure: Fitbit is backed by True Ventures, a venture capital firm that is an investor in the parent company of this blog, Giga Omni Media. Om Malik, founder of Giga Omni Media, is also a venture partner at True.

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