Black Friday is coming up, so naturally the console wars are heating up again. Microsoft started with a $50 price drop on all of its Xbox bundles last week, bringing down its cheapest bundles to just $299 dollars for Black Friday weekend.
That’s the most affordable the Xbox has ever been, and now Sony is following suit with a $50 price drop of its own.
A bundle featuring 500GB of storage and ‘Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection’ will be available for $299, which is also the lowest the PlayStation 4 has ever been. As with Microsoft, Sony says the deal is exclusive to Black Friday Weekend, and will run from Thursday November 26 until Monday November 30.
Although Black Friday videogame deals are common, the PS4 price drop is a little surprising, as Sony gave the console its first price drop ever just last month, with the console starting at $349 (the Xbox One received the same price drop in June).
Still, Sony likely didn’t want to go into the holiday with Microsoft having an advantage – particularly given Microsoft just outsold Sony for the first tim e this generation – hence the new discount.
That begs the question: what is Nintendo going to do? The console still costs the same exact $299 it did when it launched in late 2012, and that was a full year before the Xbox One and PS4 were even released.
That has not turned out well for the Wii U, which features much less powerful hardware than its competitors and a smaller collection of titles. Despite a fancy controller with unique gameplay mechanics and high-quality exclusives like Super Smash Bros and Super Mario 3D Land, it simply has not been able to come anywhere near the success of its predecessor.
Things have been so dire for the company, it’s even started to make mobile games . There’s never been a better time to drop the Wii U’s price to $250 or lower, and any discounts should remain permanent. That could at least tide the company over until the NX comes around .
➤ Black Friday Weekend Deal: $299 Uncharted Nathan Drake Collection PS4 Bundle [PlayStation Blog]
Apple reportedly has secret team working on Apple Watch tech for diabetes
Apple has already demonstrated its dedication to health tech with the release of its CareKit medical app, but now the company may be quietly working on a ‘breakthrough’ Apple Watch solution for those suffering from diabetes.
The Cupertino titan has purportedly assembled a small – but highly qualified – team of biomedical engineers to develop sensors that can non-invasively monitor blood sugar levels to more efficiently treat diabetes, CNBC reports .
The technology was initially conceived by the now-deceased Steve Jobs as part of a “super secretive initiative” aimed at designing a “breaktrhough” technology to accurately measure glucose levels without piercing the skin.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the publication claims Apple has already been conducting feasibility trails at clinical sites across the Bay Area, with consultants working out regulatory obstacles in the meantime.
The medical tech, which has been in the making for at least five years now, is expected to offer tracking solutions for crucial vitals like “oxygen levels, heart rate and blood glucose” – much like Jobs first envisioned it.
An insider told CNBC the Big A has tasked about 30 people to work as part of its medical tech squad, which brings together biomedical experts from companies like Vital Connect, Masimo Corp, Sano, Medtronic, and C8 Medisensors.
While details about the diabetes sensors are still scarce, CNBC says “Apple is developing optical sensors, which involves shining a light through the skin to measure indications of glucose.”
The Cuprtino behemoth is hardly the only company in the field. Google health tech subsidiary Verily has similarly been working on bleeding-edge solutions for diabetes patients, including a smart contact lens that tracks blood levels through the eye.
Back in 2010, researchers from MIT were reportedly developing a biometric tattoo that could track glucose levels without the need for finger pricks.
Unfortunately, most attempts have been unsuccessful.
The breakthrough could potentially save millions of people suffering from diabetes and significantly reduce the inconvenient process of measuring blood sugar levels multiple times a day.
Still, chances are the tech will take years to polish – and the medical trackers might not always be as accurate as they claim to be .
Meet Phree, an advanced mobile input device with 3D laser tech
Styluses and smart pens may enhance productivity and creativity, but users can still encounter problems, especially outside of specifically compatible screens, tablets, notebooks or apps.
Phree, a new input device set to launch later this year, is designed to let you use almost any surface to capture your handwriting and drawing. OTM Technologies today launched a Kickstarter campaign for Phree, which lets you draw on one surface while the input appears on another.
With Phree, you can jot down a note on a post-it, table, or even on your hand and watch it appear instantly on your screen via a simple Bluetooth connection, and then saved to the cloud.
While Phree may, at first glance, look like a stylus, it is more of a combination of a wearable, Internet of Things kind of device. Phree’s input capabilities span a range of notetaking, texting, emailing, and even phone answering functions. Say you’re walking around town with Phree in your pocket, you can read your phone message right from the device’s LED and even send a return message via the mini touch display. It can also function as a headset to make phone calls.
Unlike traditional styluses, Phree uses laser technology for accurate motion tracking to display notations on smartphones, tablets, computers, televisions or smartwatches in high definition. Because you are writing on a different surface than the screen — employing hand-eye coordination — you have a clear view of the screen for input purposes.
Phree allows you to record any kind of information, mark up documents and photos, and even send text messages with emojis without having to write on the screen — and even if your device is in your pocket. The sleek pen design sits comfortably in the hand and fits into your pocket.
Optical Translation Measurement, OTM’s patented technology, uses a 3D laser interferometer sensor to measure relative motion to nearly any surface, and it produces a crisp, natural capture of handwriting in high resolution.
The device actually measures motion to the tip of the sensor, and can even be used as a biometric ID tool because it analyzes not only your writing but the way you write. Phree’s advanced technology measures x/y/z axes as well as tilt.
Phree is available for preorder for $129, a temporary discount from the regular price of $169. It’s compatible with major platforms including Android, Windows and Apple via a Bluetooth Smart connection.
➤ Phree