bands

How FuelBand fuels Nike's bold tech ambitions

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Earlier this month, Phil Black bounded onto the stage at the Tiger Woods Center at Nike's world headquarters here, dropped to ground, and pumped out a handful of perfectly executed pushups with the precision of a former Navy Seal instructor, which Black is.

And then, with a booming voice that commands attention, he reeled off a litany of reasons why the collected venture capitalists should pump money into his startup, FitDeck, with just as much as ease. FitDeck, which has already sold $4.3 million worth of fitness-focused playing cards from his garage, is raising funds … Read more

Meet the advanced Basis Band fitness gadget

The $199 Basis Band from Basis Science puts a new spin on the personal health monitor. Like many similar products on the market, such as the Jawbone Up, Nike FuelBand, and Fitbit Flex, this watch-style gadget functions as a pedometer to track steps and basic activity level. Additionally the Basis can measure how long and how well you sleep, a trick both the Up and Flex manage as well. What really sets the Basis Band apart from other fitness devices is that it also keeps an eye on heart rate, skin temperature, and perspiration. The gadget can use several criteria … Read more

The 404 1,280: Where we dig up the truth (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Film crew to dig up Atari landfill site, maybe score 3.5 million copies of E.T.

- The opposite of standing desks: the computer workstation for the person with everything.

- Unlocking The Truth is the most brutal sixth grade metal band ever.

- Hatebeak: a death metal band fronted by a parrot.

- Ex-military snipers called into shoot feral goats from helicopters to protect Galapagos Tortoise population.… Read more

Star Apps: OKCupid co-founder Christian Rudder

If a profile like Christian Rudder's turned up in an OKCupid user's search results, it would certainly merit a deeper look. As a Harvard graduate, who's helped launch and sell two successful companies (SparkNotes, in 1999, which sold to Barnes & Noble; OKCupid, in 2004, which sold to Match.com) and an indie musician who's appeared in the romcom, "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," he'd be a catch by most standards.

Download.com caught up with Rudder, who's also OKCupid's General Manager and Editorial Director, to discuss his company's … Read more

Google, Nike, Jawbone and the fight to win wearable computing

When wireless headset company Jawbone announced plans Tuesday to buy wearable sensor maker BodyMedia for what a source said was more than $100 million, it may well have marked a turning point for wearable computing.

The technology, which includes everything from Google Glass eyewear to heart-rate monitors to sensors that slip into running shoes, has come of age. It's moving past the niche gizmos that only appeal to geeks and gearheads.

As a real business materializes around the technology, a battle is brewing among companies that want to put themselves at the heart of it, and profit from its … Read more

LinkedIn Contacts looks to boost relationships

CNET Update has much to say:

It's hard to remember everything. Apps can help. And LinkedIn's Contacts app wants to help make sure you remember more about your professional contacts.

If you're trying to make it in the business world but don't have time for networking and schmoozing, just pay a ton of money for the chance to become BFFs with Apple's CEO Tim Cook. Coffee is included.

Talking to people can be hard, but Facebook doesn't want you to be shy. It's encouraging more messaging by throwing green dots all over the place. … Read more

The 404 1,255: Where we don't know what to do with our hands (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Order a slice of 'za from Da Hut with your Xbox.

- Is it possible to lose weight playing video games?

- Has anyone ever taken a good photo of a live band?

- Michael Bay apologizes for Armageddon.

Bathroom break video: Dodgeball: White Goodman's necklace does magic.… Read more

Apple: Patent we used against Samsung isn't dead yet

Apple today said that a patent it successfully used against Samsung in its 2011 U.S. lawsuit is not dead yet. That's despite a recent decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision to render it invalid.

In a filing this afternoon, one of Apple's top attorneys noted that the company still has a chance to fight the decision by filing for an appeal with the USPTO, or -- if that fails -- by taking it to the courts.

"A 'final' office action does not signal the end of reexamination at the USPTO, much less … Read more

GarageBand adds Audiobus support to make it even better

GarageBand already had a long history on the Mac, letting people use intuitive controls and a huge library of instruments and prerecorded loops to create songs. But with the iOS version, Apple needed to come up with creative ways to record music using only a touch-screen interface, and we think the company did an amazing job. In the latest version, GarageBand now supports Audiobus, letting you use sounds and effects from other music apps and then recording them to GarageBand tracks.

As a general overview, the GarageBand app offers several Touch Instruments, guitar amps and effects, eight-track recording and mixing, … Read more

Trendnet's first 802.11ac router now shipping

Power users now have another option for their home Wi-Fi networks.

Trendnet announced today the availability of the AC1750 Dual Band Wireless Router (model TEW-812DRU). This router was first showcased at CES 2013 and is the first from Trendnet to support the new 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard.

The TEW-812DRU router is a true dual-band router that offers a maximum wireless speed of up to 450Mbps on the 2.4GHz frequency band, while at the same time offering up to 1,300Mbps speed on the 5GHz band. To take advantage of the new and much faster speed, the wireless clients also … Read more