Valkee , a startup that treats seasonal affective disorder (SAD) with light-emitting headphones, has rolled out version two of its lightweight, inconspicuous ear buds.
The design for Valkee 2 is sleek and unassuming, with few garish design cues to put off any potential new users. Spotted by TechCrunch , the unusual headphones slot into a rather plain silver or black box (it could easily be passed off as a standard MP3 player in the street) with a single button to kick off a new light session.
The idea is that these headphones supplement the natural, positive effects that our bodies receive from everyday sunlight. The ear buds shine light through the ear canal and into photosensitive regions of the brain, improving your overall wellbeing and mental performance.
Valkee says users will feel the effects after just 12 minutes of use each day; hitting the button in the center of the console will then show a subtle circle of light that depletes throughout the session.
Valkee, based in Helsinki, Finland, raised 7.4 million euros ($9.7 million) in funding back in June . It’s an unusual product, but one that could be successful if the positive effects are noticeable and significant. The Valkee 2 is available to pre-order now for 199 euros (roughly $269) plus delivery costs and is due to ship sometime in October.
Acer announces touchscreen Chromebook C720P with 32GB SSD and 2GB RAM, coming in early December for $299.99
Acer today announced the Acer C720P Chromebook, a touchscreen version of the C720 Chromebook the company introduced last month . The new C720P will be available in early December at Amazonom, Best Buy, and the Acer Store for $299.99 (that’s significantly cheaper than Google’s $1,299 touchscreen Pixel ).
The new device comes with an 11.6-inch HD LED back-lit display (1366×768 resolution), up to 7.5 hours of battery life, and a 7-second boot time thanks to the 32GB SSD. It’s powered by an Intel Celeron 2955U processor based on the Intel Haswell micro-architecture and 2GB of DDR3 memory.
Last but not least, the laptop features an integrated HD webcam, dual speaker design, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, as well as support for 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. It measures 0.78-inches and weighs 2.98 pounds.
As with most Chromebooks, Google is offering consumers up to 100GB of free Google Drive storage for the first two years. New customers will also get 12 free Gogo Inflight passes with their purchase.
This is Acer’s first touchscreen Chromebook. The multi-touch display allows owners to use gestures such as swipe, tap, and pinch-to-zoom.
“Our new touchscreen C720P gives customers an intuitive way to browse sites online, enjoy apps, and do more with the Chromebook,” Acer CTO Arif Maskatia said in a statement. “The Acer C720 Chromebook line has been praised for its performance and battery life, and this new touchscreen model allows us to address the needs of an even wider range of customers with exciting new capabilities. We’re certain many holiday shoppers will jump at the chance to get a touchscreen Chromebook for just $299.99.”
That theory has yet to be tested. While Chromebooks are generally quite cheap, we have yet to see sales numbers that show a huge demand for them. Could this holiday season be the start of a Chromebook explosion? Acer is certainly betting on it.
Image Credits: Acer
Motorola devices are on their way to China alongside new Moto X Pro
Motorola devices haven’t been for sale in China for a while, but with the Lenovo acquisition of the company completing it has announced today that it’s coming back to China .
Starting with the Moto X in February, Chinese customers will be able to use the full Moto Maker tool to customize their handsets before purchase. After Spring Festival which starts on February 19, Motorola will also make the Moto X Pro and Moto G available for sale.
The Moto X Pro mentioned in the post was only announced yesterday and is similar to the Nexus 6, but designed exclusively for China.
Those interested can visit Motorola’s Chinese website on January 7 (Beijing time) to learn more about pricing and availability.
➤ Hello China! Motorola returns to China [Motorola Blog]