Nike unveils production version of its self-tying shoes

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Sorry to disappoint Back to the Future fans but the self-tying shoes Nike outs for mass production isn’t like the 2015 Air Mag (a.k.a. the literal incarnation of Marty McFly’s famous sneakers). What the sports brand introduced is a more practical (and yes, we have to admit a bit boring) version of it. Called the HyperAdapt 1.0, these new running sneakers, as advertised, will tie the laces on its own once you put them on. While it seems like we’re taking away an important rite of passage for kids (learning to tie laces), these shoes are meant to take the worry away from runners of loosening laces while they pound the pavement. You will need to charge the sneakers though every two weeks.

Tiffany Beers, a Nike senior innovator who worked as the lead on the sneaker, said they started working on the shoe’s technology about 10 years ago but fellow designer Tinker Hatfield had the idea or “vision” for it when he worked on it for Back to the Future II. But they had to wait for the technology to evolve and for motors to become small enough. Their team sourced servo motors, which is similar to the ones used in small train engines and helicopter wings, and studied the transportation industry’s engineering feats to develop their motor. To adjust the fit of the shoes or release the foot, there’s a small plus-minus buttons on the side. And while it has been tested in water, Beers doesn’t recommend these be taken out in a rainstorm. The HyperAdapt will be available to Nike+ app members in three colorways starting in the 2016 holiday season. There’s no retail price for it yet.

Source: HuffPost Sports

Facebook rumoured to be unveiling ‘Bot Store’ at F8 conference

Facebook will reportedly unveil a game-changing feature at its upcoming F8 developer conference. The social network will supposedly introduce the Bot Store, which will allow its users to download a range of automated programs that they can interact with through Messenger. For example, you can download a bot for a fast food joint. You can just send the bot your message and it’ll ring that up for you. These bots could change the way we use the Internet and even replace browsers and apps, centralizing everything in this one service.

Chat platforms like Slack and Telegram have been using bots for a while but bringing said feature to Facebook’s one billion users will bring the feature to the mainstream market. The F8 conference is happening on April 12 to 13 in San Francisco. We have to wait ‘til then to get news.

Source: Independent

Samsung's experimental Hum On! app can turn your humming into a piece of music

Samsung has got a skunkworks operation where it dreams up new apps and solutions including Hum On! Samsung says "Hum On! is an app that allows just about everyone—from industry veterans to the less tonally-aware—to score, arrange and share hummed melodies in mere minutes."

The app records hummed melodies, instantly transcribes them into musical notation, and then plays it back to you using your preferred arrangement style: R&B, classical or rock. “For hundreds of years, music has only been created by a select few, but that will no longer be the case,” explains David Choi, Creative Leader of the project. “With Hum On!, we aim to provide a platform where anyone can turn their inspiration into great music.” Currently in Beta, Hum On! is expected to come to market soon.

Facebook and WhatsApp pull support for BlackBerry OS devices

Social network Facebook and its WhatsApp messaging subsidiary have pulled their support for BlackBerry OS and BB10 devices and have even gone so far as to suggest users 'move to a newer device from Apple, Android or Windows phone by the end of 2016.' WhatsApp's statement is as follows.

As we look ahead to our next seven years, we want to focus our efforts on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use. So, by the end of 2016, we will be ending support for WhatsApp Messenger on the following mobile platforms:

• BlackBerry, including BlackBerry 10
• Nokia S40
• Nokia Symbian S60
• Android 2.1 and Android 2.2
• Windows Phone 7.1

This isn't really surprising since developer support for BB10 has been dwindling due to lack of interest in a platform that is no longer profitable on a scale that competing platforms currently offer. BlackBerry, whose biggest launch last year was an Android-powered flagship smartphone. BlackBerry has reiterated their support for BB10 and for the devlopers that are continuing the good fight. 

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