Parachute: Friends don't let friends drive distracted

Parachute, a national charity helping Canadians stop the clock on preventable injuries, is asking young adults to use the power of friendship to impact driver behaviour and stop distracted driving.

Auto collisions are the number one killer of teens in Canada making distracted driving a major issue for young adults. While young drivers make up 13 per cent of all licensed drivers in Canada, they account for almost one in every four road-related injuries and fatalities. 

Click to read more ...

iRig Mic Lav is a Lavalier Microphone for iPhones and Androids

While new iPhones and Android devices can now capture ultra-sharp HD video and in some instances 4K video, their built-in microphones leave much to be desired because they're designed for phone use. iRig Mic Lav is a new broadcast audio quality microphone that is compact, chainable with built-in monitoring ability of the iPhone, iPad touch and Android.

As the shift from traditional standalone video and still cameras to smartphones continues, a product like the iRig Mic Lav is a powerful accessory that can elevate the quality of a video. Hit jump for more detai on this new microphone which ships in November.

Click to read more ...

Misfit announces Shine 2 now with advanced hardware and firmware

Today Misfit announced Shine 2, the next generation of the award-winning Shine Fitness and Sleep Monitor. Fully redesigned and enhanced, Shine 2 leverages the best of Shine’s elegant aesthetic and introduces powerful new functionality.

Shine 2 tracks activity and sleep more accurately with a 3-axis accelerometer and newly added 3-axis magnetometer. Users can now easily see progress and tell time in a halo of rainbow-colored lights, or get motivated with Misfit Move, a feature that encourages you to be active with a vibrational nudge. Text and call notifications and a silent vibe alarm are also new with Shine 2.

Click to read more ...

Dyson buys battery firm Sakti3

With the latest acquisition by tech company Dyson, we can expect a boost in the battery life of its vacuum cleaners. Dyson just bought battery technology firm Sakti3 for US$90 million dollars. The manufacturing and technology firm previously invested $15 million into Sakti3. According to the company’s founder James Dyson, they plan to deliver new products using Sakti3 technology and build a battery production plant. The advanced solid-state battery technology is expected to be integrated within Dyson’s systems in a year or two.

Dyson and Sakti3 founder Ann Marie Sastry won’t say though if they plan to bring Sakti3’s technology into electric cars. Sakti3 previously claimed their batteries were twice as efficient as Tesla’s car batteries. Dyson isn’t ruling out licensing the technology to other companies. He said the batteries by Sakti3 don’t overheat like other liquid batteries and can charge “in a matter of minutes as opposed to a few hours.”

Source: USA Today