U.S. officials told NBC News on Saturday they are investigating terrorism concerns after two people listed as passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines jet turned out not to be on the plane and had reported their passports stolen.
Stolen Passports Prompt Terror Concerns Over Missing Jet
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Stolen Passports Prompt Terror Concerns Over Missing Jet
How these social robots are helping autistic kids
Above: Children playing with a Romibo robot
Image Credit: Romibo
At the Duck’s Nest preschool in Oakland, Calif., a fluffy blue robot asks a group of toddlers,”I want to be your friend. Will you please be my friend?”
Robotics experts are testing this low-cost and affable robot, called Romibo, at schools across the country. According to its creator, Audrey Shick, special-needs children can benefit most from social robots like Romibo – particularly those with autism.
Indeed, behavioral experts say that human facial features can overwhelm those with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Researchers at Vanderbilt University found that autistic children are more comfortable looking at a robot than a human therapist.
“The robot is safe. The robot’s facial features don’t change,” Laura McGuire, the mother of Liam, an autistic child, told PBS NewsHour.
“There’s not so much to figure out with talking to a robot, where there was a lot to figure out in talking to a human being.”
Above: The Romibo “social robot”
Recent studies have shown that social robots provide therapy (or co-therapy, in combination with the efforts of a human expert) and potentially even help teach autistic children new skills.
And when used in a clinical setting, these talking robots may even help diagnose autism earlier. Most autistic children aren’t diagnosed with the disease until they are at least 3 years old. But studying eye movement in high-risk babies (those with an autistic family member) can lead to an earlier diagnosis. A sophisticated social robot with cameras for eyes could study such movement in an infant over periods of time to detect signs of autism.
In 2013, interest in social robotics grew when the University of Notre Dame published results from a study of 19 children with autism, which may be the largest trial to date for this technology. The researchers purchased a $14,000 talking robot, nicknamed Kelly, to coach autistic children to make eye contact or take turns talking. Kelly is a Nao “humanoid” robot, developed by French parent company Aldebaran in collaboration with eight universities and robotics companies in the U.K., France, Switzerland, Greece, and Denmark.
The results were promising: Social robots do seem to help autistic children.
Social robotics for the mass market
The challenge to mass-market adoption, however, is price. Most of these smart robots do not come cheap.
Since the 1990s, the field has attracted a great deal of attention from university professors armed with ample grant money. Funding for research has increased in the past decade, with autism labelled a public health “epidemic” in the press. A frequently cited 2013 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1 in 50 children between the ages of 6 and 17 have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. This represents a more than 70 percent jump in the diagnosis since 2007.
In recent years, the space has finally opened up to lower-budget researchers and hardware entrepreneurs, who are raising money for their early prototypes on crowdfunding sites. Social robotics is no longer an obscure area of research — it’s now a viable business opportunity.
“It’s a prime example of what becomes possible with the new hardware ecosystem,” said Matt Turck, the managing director at New York-based venture firm First Mark Capital. ”You can build a niche solution like this at low cost using a cheap, versatile computer like the Raspberry Pi, and through crowdfunding, you can get it funded by people who care passionately about the issue.”
While the Kelly robot used in the Notre Dame study cost thousands of dollars, Shick intends to sell Romibo for a few hundred dollars. Later this year, she’ll launch a campaign to raise funds on Kickstarter or Indiegogo.
“Finally, we’re developing low-cost robots and putting them into people’s hands,” she said. ”These robots are now affordable for researchers with less of a budget, [as well as for] schools and families.”
Above: The One is designed to gather data
In Boulder, Colo., another team is building its own low-cost robot for children with special needs. The founders of Robauto are raising funds on Kickstarter for a new social robot they call One (the company has already raised $50,000 from the Healthbox startup accelerator and others). Developer kits cost just shy of $150, and the One robot is both customizable and portable. It runs off the Rasberry Pi micro-computer and is designed to gather data about autism.
The One Kickstarter campaign is trudging along slowly. It has raised a little more than $4,000 of a $50,000 goal with a week to go. The campaign may struggle to connect with potential buyers as the One isn’t particularly cuddly or human-like. It’s not nearly adorable as the Romibo, which resembles a 21st-century Furby.
Still, Robauto’s founders are convinced that One will find its market, if only because it’s one of the most affordable options.
“Cost was a big hindrance for social robotics,” said company spokesperson Jalali Hartman. “So we set out to bring the costs down to less than [the cost of] an iPad.”
Can these robots replace human therapists?
Romibo, One, and the slew of other new social robots are inexpensive, in part because they do not incorporate artificial intelligence.
Shick said it was an intentional choice to steer clear of A.I. She doesn’t subscribe to the school of thought that a robot should replace or fill in for a therapist or exhibit human-like sentiment. Rather, Romibo is designed to be an assistive device for a behavioral expert or teacher. Shick’s goal is to use technology to promote social behavior, not just to have the child solely engage with the device.
Other scientists believe that the most successful robots are smart enough to interact with a child. Kelly incorporates A.I. and is capable of developing and displaying emotion. Like other Nao robots, Kelly can also walk, talk, and dance. When the kids succeed, the robot can even give them in a celebratory high-five.
Above: The Nao robot
Questions remain about the type of robot that will have long-term success with an autistic child. It’s still too early to know whether special needs children will respond better to simpler robots like Romibo or a more sophisticated device like the 23-inch-tall Nao. It’s also not yet clear why some children respond to social robots and others do not and how well the learned skills translate to the real world.
“What we’re all hoping to do is present the theory and procedure for how to effectively use the robot in the field — no background or research expertise needed,” said Shick.
“We’re finally leveraging these robots for the mass market to really make a difference.”
Don’t miss the video below to see how preschool children engage with the Romibo.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tlGd3OGAVaQvs-omOCv73xq48WlQfo7KV9acP4LDsEFqRFDhncRRA0uDcvgZTOqa7ru9XP3sz_TChqMSRG_SmH7j9sqjDFEKLv3ljyuY1lnYalZChk=s0-d)
How these social robots are helping autistic kids
Live Updates: Venezuela's March 8 Demonstrations
Venezuelans on Saturday are inviting the world to join them in a global day of protest in an effort to raise awareness around human rights violations in their country
Mashable will be bringing you live updates of the events.
Read more...
More about Us World and World
Live Updates: Venezuela's March 8 Demonstrations
Lomography's $35 DIY Camera: Fun to Build, a Pain to Use
Building a camera is not easy. I know this because I spent nearly two hours during a recent weekend trying to put together the Lomography Konstruktor, a DIY 35mm film SLR (single-lens reflex) camera.
Lomography is widely known for its toy cameras. The Diana and Fisheye Baby are two popular toy cameras that come to mind. And while buying a film camera instead of a digital one today is akin to buying a bulky CRT television instead of a flatscreen high-definition TV, that hasn't stopped Lomography from releasing cameras that try to bring back the nostalgia of the bygone analog days. With a low $35 price, is the Konstruktor more toy than camera? Read more...
More about Reviews, Diy, Cameras, Tech, and Gadgets
Lomography's $35 DIY Camera: Fun to Build, a Pain to Use
The All New HTC One with a special flip cover leaks, GPE variant also on the way
The other end of this leak involves the device having a Google Play Edition. Just like the HTC One, @evleaks says to “look for M8 to arrive as a Google Play Edition.” When will it arrive in the Play Store as a GPE device? I would say a few months after launch. So it is likely by summer we will have The All New HTC One in the Play Store as a Google Play Edition device.
Holes. Time. Colors. Also, like its predecessor, look for M8 to arrive as a Google Play Edition. pic.twitter.com/HtklHp2GP1
— @evleaks (@evleaks) March 8, 2014
Source: @evleaks
Come comment on this article: The All New HTC One with a special flip cover leaks, GPE variant also on the way
Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!
The All New HTC One with a special flip cover leaks, GPE variant also on the way
Murder At The Tuxedo
On Easter morning, 1913, the nation's most notorious red-light district was awakened by an epic gun battle, and a shadowy killer named Gyp the Blood.
Murder At The Tuxedo
Orgasm Machine To Deliver Climax At The Push Of A Button
Slightly smaller than a packet of cigarettes, the device uses electrodes attached to the patient's spine, with orgasms being triggered by a remote control.
Orgasm Machine To Deliver Climax At The Push Of A Button
This Animated Short Might Make You Nostaligic For Middle School
School can be very boring, and that's why your friends will try to make you laugh during a lesson about slavery.
This Animated Short Might Make You Nostaligic For Middle School
Weekend Favs March Eight
Weekend Favs March Eight written by John Jantsch read more at Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
My weekend blog post routine includes posting links to a handful of tools or great content I ran across during the week.
I don’t go into depth about the finds, but encourage you check them out if they sound interesting. The photo in the post is a favorite for the week from Flickr or one that I took out there on the road.
photo credit: Kay Gaensler via photopin cc
Good stuff I found this week:
Whobaloo – yet another nice, simple online graphic design tool
Content Topic Idea Generator – type in a keyword and get help brainstorming topic ideas for your next content marketing piece
Tactics Cloud – tool that allows you to find Twitter uses based on search and then curate and export to Twitter list
Weekend Favs March Eight
Experts Surprised At Sudden Disappearance Of 'Very Safe' Boeing 777
Aviation experts have expressed surprise at the sudden loss of contact with the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, which has an almost flawless safety record.
Experts Surprised At Sudden Disappearance Of 'Very Safe' Boeing 777
Oil Slick Hints Malaysian Jet May Have Crashed At Sea
A 12-mile-long oil slick spotted between Malaysia and Vietnam is thought to be the first sign that a missing Malaysia Airlines flight with 239 people aboard went down in the waters between the two countries.
Oil Slick Hints Malaysian Jet May Have Crashed At Sea
What Does Ellen's Tweet Heard 'Round the World Mean for Marketers?
For marketers, the highlight of the 2014 Academy Awards was Ellen DeGeneres's selfie tweet, taken with a sponsor's smartphone. Here's what the most popular tweet ever can teach marketers. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
What Does Ellen's Tweet Heard 'Round the World Mean for Marketers?
What Domino’s Pizza Can Teach You About Dealing With A Twitter Crisis
How would you react to someone bad-mouthing your brand on Twitter? Or an irate customer? Or a complete PR meltdown?
It isn’t nice to think that things might go horribly, horribly wrong, but as the old maxim goes: “hope for the best, but plan for the worst.” Here’s how to do the latter.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
What Domino’s Pizza Can Teach You About Dealing With A Twitter Crisis
16 Celebrities Immortalized as Barbies
Barbie's friends are more famous than yours
Mattel, the doll's creator, is known for its countless iterations of the doll — some stranger than others. One of the more popular versions of the doll is the celebrity doppelgänger. Everyone from Marilyn Monroe, to Elvis, to Beyoncé have been i-doll-ized, receiving a special 11.5-inch Barbie in their likeness, usually to commemorate a special event or achievement in pop culture
When blockbuster films like Twilight and The Hunger Games were released, Mattel celebrated by commissioning dolls of the movie's stars. When Jennifer Lopez announced a world tour, Barbie rolled out a mini-me of the singer's signature look. Read more...
More about Lists, Celebrities, Features, Toys, and Barbie
16 Celebrities Immortalized as Barbies
Pantech Vega Iron 2 to be released in May, compete with other flagships
The South Korean mobile phone market is already pretty saturated, and the fact that a company like Pantech has been able to survive while competing with both LG and Samsung is an amazing accomplishment. But to keep itself relevant, continuing to develop new devices is key.
The Vega Iron 2, the successor to Pantech’s flagship from last year, will be released in May to compete with the Galaxy S 5. Rumors suggest that the screen size will be bigger than its 5-inch predecessor— it’s not expected that the phone will become a phablet, though.
The success of the design will rest in the completely metal chassis and a rumored fingerprint scanner.
Hit us up in the comments if you’d be interested in getting this device over another flagship like the Galaxy S 5.
Via: GforGames
Source: News.Naver
Come comment on this article: Pantech Vega Iron 2 to be released in May, compete with other flagships
Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!
Pantech Vega Iron 2 to be released in May, compete with other flagships
Revealing Bitcoin's Creator Reveals A Lot About Us
It's time to take a long, hard look at our priorities.
Revealing Bitcoin's Creator Reveals A Lot About Us
Seth Meyers Brings Us 'Extreme Dog Shaming'
Some of these are legitimate crimes.
Seth Meyers Brings Us 'Extreme Dog Shaming'
4 Undisputable Reasons for Branding Yourself Instead of Your Biz
When I first started my business, choosing a name was a big deal. What was available? What was unique? What had a good ‘ring’ to it?
Then there was the logo. Three designers took their hack at it before it was satisfactory.
The website design just had to be perfect. This was my company’s branding, after all.
Do you know how much money that website, perfect logo and name with a ‘ring’ to it profited me? It didn’t. Zero dollars is the answer.
In the mean time, since my ‘perfectly’ branded site was taking so long to build, I decided to set up www.joycegrace.ca.
It was far from perfect. In fact, at that time is was plain uuuuggleeey. But I told myself perfect is not the point of this site. I just needed a portfolio to go up so I could show potential clients.
But here’s the thing: I also started optimizing my LinkedIn profile so I could get found better. And I made sure I was a person on social media accounts, not just a company.
The result?
To this day, my personal brand has grown my business more than any corporate brand could have.
So here I’m going to show you a few cases of how a personal brand can be just as important as a corporate brand when developing your business strategy—whether you’re a solopreneur or large company with several employees.
Case #1 – People want to deal with a human, not a faceless company
In my experience, people often want to deal with a person. I’ve been told by ex-customers of large companies in my field that they are tired of agency ‘big-ness.’ They get lost in the shuffle, unknowingly succumb to stagnant technological practices and are tossed between multiple employees due to high turnover rates.
The brand name of an agency works for some (especially when the agency is a quality one with great people behind it). But for other business owners, even so-called ‘big’ ones, it’s more important to choose an agency that’s human than one with a fancy logo. (Of course, this could be the sentiment only within my own industry, but not for others.)
Showcasing yourself as a person can be a ‘win’ when working as a solopreneur. Even if you are a bigger company, it’s always a good idea to show human faces behind your brand.
Use personal e-mail addresses and direct phone lines on your website contact page. Put up photos of people’s faces and their bios. Add a little quirkiness. It can make your company seem more personable, and less like its trying to ‘hide’ something.
Case #2 – Big brands use personalities in their marketing
Thankfully, the Daily Egg already has a great post on this, so I don’t need to delve deeply into it. Think Old Spice Guy.
Or, celebrity endorsements and the flip side of that: celebrity CEOs.
Photo source The Guardian.
Would Virgin America be the same without Richard Branson? Cameron Herold, former CEO of 1-800 GOT JUNK, became so visible to the public, he used his laptop to sell advertising space. And sold out. No joke.
These CEOs give personalities to the companies they associate with as much as celebrity endorsements give personality to brands. Personalities just work.
Case #3 – People look for hired help on LinkedIn
It can be surprising what an optimized profile can do for a freelancer on LinkedIn. When starting a business, many people jump to start a Facebook business page or even a company listing on various social networks.
But those are less likely to impact you when first starting out.
Others try to use the ‘name’ fields of social media personal profiles to insert their company name (big pet peeve of mine). And still some will just never, ever put their photo online.
Why hide behind a company name?
If no one knows your business, they are more likely to be receptive to YOU as a person. As humans, we like meeting other humans. We identify with their passions and past experiences. We look for what we have in common.
When I first started out, most of my business came from referrals. In my second year, the big money driver came from my ‘beefed up’ LinkedIn profile. I was visible there, and I made sure of it. I watched a video interviewing Lewis Howes on how to do it, and it worked.
As a personal brand, you can increase your market reach through LinkedIn. It’s a place where serious businesses go to hire serious talent. You might not rank on SERPs right away, but you’ll likely have an easier time getting found within the LinkedIn ecosystem.
Case #4 – Photos of faces convert well with online ads
Ok, this is mostly true with Facebook (since Facebook ads use photos). Marketers have discovered that photos of faces work best when creating Facebook ads.
My brother teaches a successful online Facebook marketing course. He testifies that when doing split tests on his ads, nothing converts better than his profile photo.
There is something to be said for this. Facebook ads allow for controlled tests. It’s not logos and ‘big brand’ associations that attract the most clicks; it’s people.
Case in point: it’s ok to be a person when marketing your products or services.
Examples of successful personal brands
Nothing can do the job of convincing better than examples! Here are a few stories of people who branded themselves instead of a company, and won big for it:
Lewis Howes
I’ll mention this one because earlier I said I watched an interview of him. I know he has a course with an actual title about LinkedIn marketing. But that’s not top of mind when I try to recall the information I want (or start googling it).
I just think: Lewis Howes = LinkedIn Marketing.
If he hid behind his business as “the LinkedIn marketing company,” he wouldn’t have been able to branch into other niche markets as easily as he has. The reason we believe we’ll get quality out of his other products is because of him.
For example, he also sells Facebook marketing, video marketing courses, and others. And his calls to action almost always use a clear photo of himself. People are attracted to people.
Hank Green and John Green
If you’re a YouTube fan, you’ll know about Hank, John, Nerfighteria and “Don’t Forget To Be Awesome.” They’re also known by their YouTube channel username as “the Vlogbrothers.” Together they have achieved Internet celebrity status that leaks into real life.
Photo credit: Genevieve719 via Compfight cc
While collectively they brand several separate projects and appear as hosts on various channels, the backing of the Green name goes a long way. VidCon, Subbable and the Project For Awesome are just three examples of many.
Hank even made Emily Graslie popular through the channel, The Brain Scoop. After speaking on taxidermy so well in YouTube videos, she landed a career at the Field Museum. That is the power of personal branding: being able to create other personal brands.
Most of their projects include them, in one shape or another. Be it the author, the producer or the organizer, if John and Hank Green are behind it, it’s gonna be big.
Tim Ferriss
We know this guy from The 4-Hour Work Week. His book was rejected 26 times before it got published. When it did, we were amazed. What we didn’t expect was that his name, tagged with the “4-Hour” brand, would become iconic.
Want to master anything, get fit, quit your job and become rich at it? Listen to what Tim Ferriss has to say. I’ll bet you could also rival Bobby Flay in a throwdown if you read Tim’s book, The 4-Hour Chef.
But the part that gets me is this: He’s getting his own TV show named after him. Note this: The TV show was not named the “4-Hour” anything. It is titled as a “Tim Ferriss” something.
There are many more examples to share, but this blog would never end if we listed them all! Let us know some of your favorites in the comments below!
To conclude, being you works!
After reading through our case-in-points above and learning by example, we can see this is a no brainer.
If you want to start a business, consider whether you really need that new corporate image. Maybe people will like you just the way you are!
And if you’re hiding behind a big corporate logo, consider stepping into the limelight. It really is the people, not the brand, that inspire customer loyalty.
The post 4 Undisputable Reasons for Branding Yourself Instead of Your Biz appeared first on The Daily Egg.
4 Undisputable Reasons for Branding Yourself Instead of Your Biz
PayPal adds new accelerators, incubators, and Braintree features to Startup Blueprint program
Above: PayPal mobile payments
PayPal is sweetening the pot for its ambitious startup initiative.
Today at the SXSW festival, Paypal announced that it’s adding a new round of incubators and accelerators to its Startup Blueprint program, which waives up to $50,000 worth of PayPal processing fees for selected startups. Additionally, the program is also getting some new benefits, thanks to PayPal’s continuing integration with newly acquired Braintree.
After launching with four accelerator programs six months ago, PayPal is now adding TechStars, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, Kima Ventures (its first VC partner), and around a dozen other firms. PayPal works together with the incubators and accelerators to select tech-focused startups for the Startup Blueprint program.
PayPal already offers “white glove” customer service and advisors to participating startups, but now it’s also adding some features from Braintree: Credit card processing, Venmo transactions, and $50,000 worth of processing fees from those Braintree’s services. (Previously, the Blueprint program only covered PayPal transactions.)
The company has already added more than 100 startups to the outreach program, PayPal’s head of developer relations, John Lunn, said in an interview. And as the man who helped to spearhead plenty of PayPal’s recent developer initiatives, including its global Battle Hack, he was also elated to confirm that the Blueprint program is now a permanent initiative.
As Lunn tells it, PayPal is focusing on startups in incubators and accelerators because “someone believes in their business model, someone believes they can be big.” Startups outside of those types of organizations can sign up for Braintree’s Ignition program, which gives out $50,000 worth of processing fees to companies from any industry.
The combination of PayPal and Braintree products in the Blueprint program could be a sign of the company’s future announcements this year. While Lunn wouldn’t divulge what PayPal is up to, he revealed that it will add another batch of incubators and accelerators to Blueprint later this year.
VentureBeat and marketing technology analyst David Raab are working on a new Marketing Automation usage and ROI study. If you currently use a marketing automation system, help us out by answering the survey.
If you do, we'll share the resulting data with you.
PayPal adds new accelerators, incubators, and Braintree features to Startup Blueprint program
LG’s G Flex: Is a curved smartphone screen innovation or desperation? (review)
Image Credit: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat
Curved smartphone screens are going to be the next hot thing — if you believe the likes of Samsung and LG.
The two Korean electronics companies have recently rolled the first curved-screen smartphones out to market. These devices will likely serve as precursors to phones with truly flexible displays. (Imagine a smartphone you could twist onto your wrist — talk about a smartwatch.)
LG was first out the gate with the G Flex, which builds on the company’s recent experience creating solid-yet-boring Android phones but adds a curved screen. It’s fast, sports a massive screen, and ticks off just about every check box for what you’d want in a powerful new Android phone.
But why does it have a curved screen? What exactly does it offer that our boring old flat phones don’t? That remains to be seen.
The good: It sure is a conversation starter
If there’s one thing the G Flex has going for it, it’s that it doesn’t look like any other smartphone around right now. When you’re surrounded by iPhones and Android look-alikes, sometimes it’s nice having a way to stand out from the crowd.
Heck, even big-screened phablets are becoming a common sight these days. If you truly want to look like a unique butterfly, then whipping out a curved screen phone may be your thing. (Then again, maybe we all need to stop attributing so much of our personal identity to our gadgets.)
The G Flex makes a strong impression from afar — on several occasions, complete strangers walked up to me on the subway just to take a closer look at it. Most were impressed by the phone’s shape, though few found it intriguing enough to give up their current smartphone.
Perhaps more interesting than the G Flex’s curved screen is the “self-healing” technology on its rear cover, which allows it to repair automatically minor nicks and scratches as if by magic. I tried scratching my G Flex slightly, and I definitely noticed that the scratching faded over time. Below, you can check out a more extreme test of the phone’s self-healing capabilities from YouTube gadget host Marques Brownlee (I didn’t feel comfortable trying to destroy a review model):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-W66HINFLg
This sort of self-repairing technology is something we’ll likely see on many smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets over the next few years. Unfortunately, LG hasn’t divulged the specifics of how this self-healing technology works.
The bad: This curved screen doesn’t add much
For a phone that’s being marketed primarily for its curved screen, it’s kind of shocking how little LG takes advantage of it. Samsung at least made an effort with its Galaxy Round, which lets you view notifications by tapping one side of the phone. LG seems to think the curved screen is a selling point all on its own.
Above: Notice how the Flex isn’t nearly as curved as LG’s initial renders of the phone.
Image Credit: JR Raphael/Computerworld
What’s even worse is that the G Flex isn’t as curved as LG initially claimed. The first images of G Flex showed a far more extreme curve than the final units. That slight curve may actually make the phone more usable, but it undercuts much of the excitement many had for the G Flex initially. (Then again, this isn’t the first time marketing folks may have stretched the truth a bit.)
Once I got over the initial rush of using a curved screen smartphone (which primarily involved showing it off), I mostly forgot about the G Flex’s shape. Its contours make it better suited for holding up to your face and sitting in your pocket, but otherwise the G Flex’s curved screen doesn’t add much to the overall smartphone experience. It’s still running LG’s wonky Android skin, and it doesn’t have any features that make use of the curved display.
Up close, the G Flex looks a lot like your typical LG smartphone. The power and volume buttons are on the back, a confusing design move LG made last year to differentiate itself from the countless Android clones, and it is clothed in an uninspired grey case.
The G Flex comes in a massive 6-inch OLED screen size, though it only has a 720p HD resolution (most smartphones above 5 inches today offer 1080p HD screens). That means it doesn’t quite make it into Retina-display territory — at times, it was pretty easy to make out pixelation, something that feels almost archaic in this era of ultra-sharp smartphone screens. Still, the G Flex’s screen is bright and vivid, though it does take some time to get used to the curve.
The verdict: This is a curved prototype
The G Flex is a reminder of the biggest rule in buying consumer tech: Stay away from first-gen products. While it’s a solid Android phablet, its curved screen is more of a gimmick than anything truly useful.
I’m all for novelty gadgets, but when it’s something as important as a smartphone, I tend to fall on the pragmatic side of things. You’ve got far better options on the market (or coming soon) — Samsung’s Galaxy S5, HTC’s new upcoming One, and Samsung’s Note 3 if you want a phablet — and it’s clear that LG doesn’t know what to do with its curved screens just yet.
Like this story? Want to learn more? On April 14-15, our fourth annual VentureBeat Mobile Summit will tackle the six biggest growth opportunities in mobile today. The invitation-only Summit will gather the top 180 executives at the scenic Cavallo Point Resort in Sausalito, Calif., to discuss issues like this. Request an invitation.
LG’s G Flex: Is a curved smartphone screen innovation or desperation? (review)
6 Helpful Sleeping Tips to Make Daylight Savings a Dream
It's that time of the year again — Daylight Savings has arrived, and as we "spring forward," we set our alarm clocks up one hour
It can be tough to give up those precious minutes, but Dr. Christopher Winter, a sleep expert and spokesperson for health tracker Basis, is here for you. He shared his top six healthy sleeping tips with Mashable to help maximize your bedtime and quickly adjust to DST
1. Sleep when you're sleepy.
Even though you're losing an hour in the day, it's best to not try to go to sleep an hour early. Go to bed at the time you normally do, instead of trying to "catch up" on the hour DST took away Read more...
More about Health, Features, Sleep, Lifestyle, and Health Fitness
6 Helpful Sleeping Tips to Make Daylight Savings a Dream
Facebook Weekly Highlights Brings You 61 Points From LeBron James, The Oscars
Facebook Weekly Highlights features photos and videos posted to the social network by celebrities and athletes. This week’s edition featured this photo of National Basketball Association superstar and Miami Heat Forward LeBron James after setting a career high of 61 points in one game.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Facebook Weekly Highlights Brings You 61 Points From LeBron James, The Oscars
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)