Japan starts building the world’s largest floating solar farm

About 50 kilometres from the high rises and densely-packed streets of Tokyo, crews have begun work on a marine platform that will soon house the world’s largest floating solar installation.

Under development by electronics and Ceramics Company, Kyocera Corp., the project includes nearly 51,000 solar modules that will cover 180,000 square-metres of a reservoir above Yamakura Dam in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. When completed, the solar farm will pump 13.7 megawatts of power into the land-strapped Asian country’s electricity grid.

With less than half the land mass of the province of Ontario and a population of more than 125 million, water-based solar farms are the latest in a long list of inventive schemes Japanese engineers have developed to boost the country’s renewable energy footprint.

Meanwhile, the newest addition to the country’s renewable fleet builds on the technology of other floating solar plants already operating on the Japanese islands. Kyocera has developed a track record of building the niche plants, commissioning two similar but significantly smaller projects last year.

“With the decrease in tracts of land suitable for utility-scale solar power plants in Japan due to the rapid implementation of solar power, Kyocera TCL Solar has been developing floating solar power plants since 2014, which utilize Japan’s abundant water surfaces of reservoirs for agricultural and flood-control purposes,” the company said.

The new project on Yamakura Dam reservoir is expected to produce 16,170 Mwh per year, enough to power approximately 5,000 households.

The project will be managed by the Public Enterprises Agency of Chiba Prefecture and is scheduled to be commissioned in 2018.

Peach Is The New Social App From The Makers Of Vine

Peach is the latest product from Dom Hofmann, the founder of Vine, and he once again seems to have hit the social-networking sweet spot. Peach is a free app that allows users to share updates like on Twitter, but using commands that are reminiscent of Slack. Type the relevant "magic word" and you're able to post a GIF, draw a picture, answer a random question, rate something, add how many steps or miles you've walked that day, roll some dice, or pull up a handful of other commands.

The free, iOS only app describes itself as a “fun, simple way to keep up with friends and be yourself,” which is pretty vague, but Peach itself is strangely addicting.

Peach is compatible with iOS 8.3 or later and it can be used on iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone. You need about 8.5 MB of available space to install it.

Released on January the 8th, 2016, Peach seems to be rather well reviewed on iTunes. Given that it’s a free app, why not try it and tell us your experience below?

Google Begins Testing Password-Free Logins

Google on Tuesday confirmed it has invited a small group of users to help test a new password-free way to sign into their accounts. "'Pizza', 'password', and '123456' — your days are numbered," a Google spokesperson said in a statement, referring to some of the most common passwords and secret question answers people use.

The new system lets you verify your identity via your smartphone, according to Reddit user Rohit Paul, who first reported the experimental feature. It works like this: You go to log in to your Google account like normal, but instead of entering your email address and password, you provide just your email. Next, Google will provide a secret code — in Paul's case, the number 21 — and tell you to look at your phone.

The Web giant will then send a message to your phone asking if you're trying to sign in. If you answer "yes," you'll then need to provide the secret code on your phone, and voila, you're in.

The test works on iOS and Android, and you can still log in with your regular typed password if you prefer, Google said. Aside from being way more user friendly than passwords, the new system can help protect against phishing schemes designed to trick users into unknowingly handing their personal details to hackers.

Meanwhile, Google isn't the first company with this idea. Yahoo in October updated iOS and Android apps with a new authentication system that uses push notifications to verify you. The blogging site Medium launched a similar system in June that lets you sign in using just an email address.

Urine-Powered Socks Could Fuel Electronic Devices

Researchers at the of the Bristol BioEnergy Centre at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) have used microbial fuel cell technology to develop a wearable energy generator.

A pair of socks embedded with miniaturised microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and fuelled with urine pumped by the wearer’s footsteps has been used to power a wireless transmitter to send a signal to a PC. This is claimed to be the first self-sufficient system powered by a wearable energy generator based on microbial fuel cell technology.

Soft MFCs embedded within a pair of socks were supplied with fresh urine, circulated by the human operator walking, in a lab-based experiment led by Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos.

Normally, continuous-flow MFCs would rely on a mains-powered pump to circulate the urine over the microbial fuel cells, but this experiment relied solely on human activity. The manual pump was based on a simple fish circulatory system and the action of walking caused the urine to pass over the MFCs and generate energy.

Soft tubes, placed under the heels, ensured frequent fluid push-pull by walking. The wearable MFC system successfully ran a wireless transmission board, which was able to send a message every two minutes to the PC-controlled receiver module.

“Having already powered a mobile phone with MFCs using urine as fuel, we wanted to see if we could replicate this success in wearable technology. We also wanted the system to be entirely self-sufficient, running only on human power — using urine as fuel and the action of the foot as the pump,” said Professor Ieropoulos.

“This work opens up possibilities of using waste for powering portable and wearable electronics. For example, recent research shows it should be possible to develop a system based on wearable MFC technology to transmit a person’s coordinates in an emergency situation. At the same time, this would indicate proof of life since the device will only work if the operator’s urine fuels the MFCs.”

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) use bacteria to generate electricity from waste fluids. They tap into the biochemical energy used for microbial growth and convert it directly into electricity. This technology can use any form of organic waste and turn it into useful energy without relying on fossil fuels, making this a valuable green technology.

The centre has recently launched a prototype urinal in partnership with Oxfam that uses pee-power technology to light cubicles in refugee camps.

Western Digital Announces World's First 10TB Helium-Filled Hard Drive

Western Digital today the first 10TB hard disk drive (HDD) based on its HelioSeal Platform, which hermetically seals helium gas in the drive to decrease friction.

The new 3.5-in. Ultrastar He10 HDD is based on WD's third-generation HelioSeal Platform, which also consumes less power per terabyte of capacity than any previous drive the company has shipped.

Besides being filled with helium, the new HDD uses typical perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) to fit 10TB of capacity on seven platters with an areal density of 816Gbits per square inch.

The new HDD represents a 25% increase in capacity over the previous generation 8TB Ultrastar He8 HDD and uses 56% less watts/TB than traditional air-filled HDDs. The drive uses as little as 0.5 watts per terabyte while idle; the SATA model uses 6.8 watts while operating and the SAS model uses 9.5 watts while spinning, which is still 56% less power than the previous generation, WD said.

The Ultrastar He10 also boasts a 2.5 million mean-time-between-failures (MBTF) rating as well as a five-year warranty.

The 7200rpm Ultrastar He10 HDD comes with either a 6Gbps SATA or 12Gbps SAS interface and has maximum sustained read/write data transfer rates of 249MB/s and 225MB/s, respectively.

WD is pitching the new HDD as "drop-in" ready, meaning there's no additional software required for the drives to function in a server or array. That's not the case with high-capacity drives that use shingled magnetic recording (SMR) versus PMR technology.

An internal look at WD's new Ultrastar He10 helium-filled hard disk drive.

Both WD and Seagate have continued to boost the capacity of drives for archived data using SMR. Seagate, for example, believes SMR holds the promise of creating 20TB drives by 2020.

"[WD's] new Ultrastar 10TB He10 will help address the need for higher capacity, and higher density storage racks in enterprise datacenters," John Rydning, IDC's research vice president of research, said in a statement.

In a statement, WD said it expects its 10TB drives to be key enablers of video, photo, business and other cloud-based applications, and will be a cornerstone for future public and private cloud deployments.

SyncPhone A 5.4 inch Windows 10 Desktop

The Nurve Technologies has launched an Indigogo campaign for the SyncPhone, a device that runs Windows 10 and aims to bridge the gap between the smartphone and the PC. That’s right, it’s running Windows 10, not Windows 10 Mobile, which means it can run any application you use on your laptop or desktop, and has access to all the apps in the Windows Store.

The campaign lists the team behind the SyncPhone as Zack Teale, Abdou Bouam, and Nathan Smith, led by entrepreneur Drew Maben, founder of MELOReal Multimedia Entertainment Studios.

The 5.4-inch SyncPhone will have a 64-bit desktop architecture, It’s have an Intel Atom chip, and will feature a textured aluminum uni-body. The company is touting three variants of the SyncPhone, along with three different colors - solar gold, sterling silver and midnight black. The SyncPhone, S, and Pro variants come with 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB of RAM; 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB of storage; a 8, 12, or 20 megapixel camera; and an Intel Atom x5-Z8300, x5-Z8500, or x7-Z8700 CPU, respectively.

The campaign claims that the SyncPhone will offer perfomance comparable to the Microsoft Surface 3 tablet, which is impressive if true.

The device will also have a MicroSD slot, Dual-LTE-GSM, WiFi capabilities, and will come unlocked, so you can use it with any carrier. It also comes with a kickstand, a detachable keyboard, and the SyncPhone S and Pro will come with a stylus that can be stored in the device.

The team also plans to have the phone run three different operating systems.

The retail price of the basic SyncPhone will be $280, the S will be $390, and the Pro will set you back $700. 

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Nokia OZO VR camera

Nokia announced a new VR camera that they’re calling ‘OZO’. The camera, built specifically for the professional market, shoots 3D 360 degree video and captures surround sound audio simultaneously. Nokia is touting Ozo’s ability to instantly preview the footage without the need for stitching as a key differentiator.

The new heading aims toward rebuilding the company’s IP portfolio and a focus on innovative digital media, starting first into the growing VR industry with the Ozo VR camera.

Ozo is a custom built camera that the company says is designed specifically for professional VR filmmakers. The fairly compact device features eight cameras with synchronized global shutters and eight integrated microphones which gather directional audio while filming. Road to VR has exclusive early shots of the camera, which looks like an elegant alien hood ornament.

The Nokia OZO boasts a total of eight lenses, each in front of a 2K x 2K sensor. Those cover a 360° x 180° viewing angle and produce a 3D image at 30fps with a 10 stop dynamic range and base sensitivity of ISO 400. There are eight mics to capture multi-directional sound too with 64dB S/N and 120dB max SPL.

The camera records 8 channels of raw video and audio to a 500GB SSD. The final video can be composed at 8K x 4K resolution at 10-bit color depth. The camera has built-in Wi-Fi for wireless control, though that works only with OS X 10.10 Yosemite. The whole thing weighs 4.2kg (9.3lbs) with battery.

While the company isn’t yet delving into detail about Ozo’s specs, they are touting an instant preview feature as a major differentiator to other VR camera solutions. The real time preview allows filmmakers to see through the camera’s lenses, with a VR headset in 3D with head tracking, instantly, without sending the data to a render farm to be stitched together after capture. Filmmakers can also monitor each individual camera stream or pan around the spherical composition on a monitor.

The encoded footage for final playback can also be played without the need for stitching using Nokia’s own software, though content creators can stitch the footage optionally and distribute it without restrictions.

The camera became available for pre-order, though it's really not a consumer product – at least not the kind of consumer that doesn’t have $60,000 to spend on a VR camera.

Watch Nokia Technologies Team Talks OZO Design

Samsung Unveils 128GB DDR4 RAM

Samsung Electronics has announced that it is mass producing the industry’s first “through silicon via” (TSV) double data rate-4 (DDR4) memory in 128-gigabyte (GB) modules, for enterprise servers and data centers.

Samsung’s new TSV DRAM module boasts the largest capacity and the highest energy efficiency of any DRAM modules today, while operating at high speed and demonstrating excellent reliability.

The 128GB TSV DDR4 RDIMM is comprised of a total of 144 DDR4 chips, arranged into 36 4GB DRAM packages, each containing four 20-nanometer (nm)-based 8-gigabit (Gb) chips assembled with cutting-edge TSV packaging technology.

Samsung’s 128GB TSV DDR4 RDIMM provides a low-power solution for next-generation servers with speeds at up to 2,400 megabits per second (Mbps).

Microsoft Launches Nokia 230 'Perfect' for Selfies

Microsoft has unveiled Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM feature phones. Both the phones have been priced at $55 (Rs. 3,700).

Microsoft is touting the handsets as 'premium quality Internet-enabled feature phones.' One of the biggest highlight of the Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM are that they sport a 2-megapixel front and rear cameras. Both cameras pack LED flashes. Another notable feature of the Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM phones are they feature sandblasted aluminium cover.

Both the new phones come with the same set of specifications except that the Nokia 230 Dual SIM supports dual-SIM functionality. Both the handset support Micro-SIM cards, and both run Nokia Series 30+ OS. Both the phones come with the Opera Store access where users can download one free Gameloft game every month for a year. Some of the titles include Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Midnight Pool 3. The company however notes that the store is available in select markets. Other preloaded apps include Bing Search and Opera Mini browser as well as MSN Weather.

The Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM feature a 2.8-inch QVGA (240x320 pixels) LCD display. They support expandable storage up to 32GB via microSD card. Connectivity options on the phones include GPRS/ EDGE, Bluetooth v3.0, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Microsoft has packed a 1200mAh battery on the handsets that it is claimed to deliver up to 23 hours of talk time; up to 22 days of standby time (dual-SIM model) and up to 27 days of standby time on single-SIM model. The Nokia 230 measures 124.6x53.4x10.9mm, and weighs 92 grams. The Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM will both be available in glossy Black and White colours.

The Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM will go on sale in India next month. The phones sales are also expected to start in December in Asia, and the Middle East. The company confirmed that other markets will follow in 2016. At the time of writing, neither of the two handsets was listed on the company site.

Huawei announces the Mate 8 with Kirin 950 chipset and Android 6.0 in China

Huawei announced its much-awaited premium smartphone, the Mate 8, in China. The device comes with a 6-inch FHD display at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and is embodied in Aluminum with Champagne Gold, Moonlight Silver, Space Gray, and Mocha Brown color options. For now, the device is limited to China, and is expected to go international at the CES 2016, in January.

The Huawei Mate 8 features a fingerprint sensor on the rear, and is powered by the latest Kirin 950 chipset, which comprises of four powerful Cortex-A72 cores (2.3GHz) along with four power-saving Cortex-A53 cores (1.8 GHz). It will be available in two storage and RAM variants, 3GB RAM with 32GB storage (US$ 469 / Rs. 31,240), 4GB RAM with 64GB storage (US$ 579 / Rs. 38,533), and 4GB of RAM with 128GB storage (US$ 688 / Rs. 45828). The device runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Huawei’s redesigned EMUI 4.0 on top.

In terms of photography, the Huawei Mate 8 features a 16-megapixel primary camera with dual-tone LED flash, OIS, F/2.0 aperture lens, along with an 8-megapixel selfie camera. It supports connectivity options such as Hybrid dual-SIM, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS, and NFC. Backing the device, is a 4000mAh battery.

Xiaomi launches Redmi Note 3 with fingerprint sensor and 5.5-inch Sunlight display

Xiaomi took the wraps off its much-awaited smartphone, the Redmi Note 3. The company unveiled the device today, at a launch event held in China. Xiaomi has not yet revealed the pricing and availability for the regions outside China.

The device will be available in two variants: one with 16GB internal storage paired with 2GB of RAM (priced at CNY 899, approx. Rs. 9,500), and the other one with 32GB internal storage paired with 3GB of RAM (priced at CNY 1,099, approx. Rs. 11,500). Xiaomi emphasized that the Redmi Note 3 is its first device to feature an all-metal body and fingerprint sensor.

Talking about the specifications, the Redmi Note 3 comes with a 5.5-inch full-HD Sunlight Display with a resolution of 1080×1920 pixels, which Xiaomi touts to be a fully-laminated display. The phone runs MIUI 7 based Android 5.0 Lollipop, and is powered by a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 Cortex-A53 chipset. It sports a 13-megapixel primary camera with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and two-tone flash, along with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

The smartphone supports connectivity options such as dual-SIM, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS + GLONASS, and Fingerprint sensor. It is backed by a 4,000mAh battery, which supports fast charging that can fuel up the device up to 50 percent in an hour. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 will be available in Gold, Silver, and Dark Grey color options.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 specifications

• 5.5-inch full-HD Sunlight Display with a resolution of 1080×1920 pixels
• 64-bit octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 Cortex-A53 chipset
• 2GB / 3GB RAM, 16GB / 32GB expandable internal storage via microSD card
• MIUI 7 based Android 5.0 Lollipop
• 13MP primary camera with dual-tone LED Flash, and 5MP front-facing camera
• dual-SIM, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS + GLONASS, and Fingerprint sensor
• 4,400mAh battery with fast charging

Google Launches Android Studio 2.0

Google launched version 2.0 of its Android Studio integrated development environment (IDE) for writing apps for its mobile operating system.

Android Studio, which is based on IntelliJ, launched back in 2013 and came out of beta a year ago. It includes everything a developer needs to build an app, including a code editor, code analysis tools, emulators for all of Google’s Android platforms, and more. The new version is now available as a preview in the Canary release channel of Android Studio.

With this update, Google massively accelerated deployment speeds, for example. Google’s group product manager for Android Studio Stephanie Cuthbertson said that a full build is now 2x to 2.5x faster than in previous releases. That’s a huge step forward, but what developers will likely appreciate even more in this new version is the addition of a new feature called “Instant Run.” This almost mimics the experience of writing HTML, where you write your code, reload your browser and see what changed. On mobile, that process typically takes quite a bit longer, even with the improved build speeds.

Instant Run lets developers build and deploy their apps once (both to the emulator or to a physical device) and then as they change their code and deploy it, it’ll only take a second or two before they can see those changes in the running app. This feature will work for all apps that target Ice Cream Sandwich and later. Cuthbertson politely refused to tell us how exactly Instant Run works, but promised that Google will detail the technology behind this feature in the future.

Given the size of the Android ecosystem, it’s almost impossible for most developers to test their apps on even the most popular devices early on in the development phase. With services like Xamarin Test Cloud, the AWS Device Farm and Google’s own Test Lab, developers have plenty of options to test their apps later on, but during the development process, most of the testing happens with the help of emulators. Google’s own emulator wasn’t always the fastest and easiest to use.

With this update, Google is introducing new emulators that, given modern hardware, should run faster than any physical device. The team also rebuilt the interface, so that it’s now easy to trigger typical actions like firing up the camera. Developers will also be able to emulate different network conditions and emulate the GPS. The emulator also includes access to all the standard Google Play services. Maybe more importantly, though, you can now simply resize the emulator window to test different screen sizes.

For developers who build graphics-intensive apps and games, the Studio now also includes a new GPU profiler. This will allow developers to see exactly what’s happening every time the screen draws a new image to trace performance issues, for example. This tool is still officially in preview. Google now offers a far improved build system in this new version of Android Studio.

The Figment iPhone case is also a VR viewer

Figment is a VR viewer folded into a sleek iPhone case. It’s pocket-sized, so you can bring it anywhere, and it’s in a phone case, so you actually will bring it everywhere. Because it works with almost all VR apps, you can view or share an immersive VR experience anywhere you are.

The viewer folds in completely, making Figment as slim as the average phone case, and you can get to all of your buttons and ports with ease.

Figment VR, is a clever spring-loaded iPhone 6/6S or 6 Plus/6S Plus case that transforms into a stereoscopic viewer for your phone's VR content.

The steel back flips out, and any iPhone VR app can be viewed through tiny lenses. It's a conversation starter, at least. The lenses are exposed on the back.

It's not a small case, but it's a lot more compact than what other phone-compatible headsets feel like. At least this doubles as a phone case, too. The case feels like a novelty, but it's also easy to store.

Made by Quantum Bakery, a small accessories company in San Francisco, Figment VR is designed to be portable and easy to access. The field of view on the prototype I tried seemed small, but no more or less than most Google Cardboard-level VR cases.

Designed like an origami, Figment VR is as high-quality as it is compact. Constructed with polycarbonate plastic coated in silicone rubber, the VR viewer’s bridge is made of a high grade anodized aluminum, and features scratch-resistant lenses. When you need to view something in VR, the bridge extends to maintain the proper distance between your eyes and the screen, and when you’re done, you can simply fold the viewer back into the case.

Figment VR is available to back for $49 and will eventually cost $79 after the Kickstarter-backer period that runs into January. The case comes in black or white.

Samsung W2016 flip phone with dual 3.9-inch HD Super AMOLED displays, 3GB RAM announced

Samsung has made a new clamshell smartphone official in China. It's called W2016.  Spotted earlier this week in China’s TENAA listings, the W2016 has received a quiet official launch. But that’s about the only quiet thing about this flip phone, which features a decadent Galaxy S6-inspired design and an equally outrageous spec sheet.

The device just like the Galaxy S6, the W2016 comes with a sculpted aluminum frame, a curved metal back, and metallic accents. Even the speaker perforations and USB slot on its bottom evoke Samsung’s early 2015 flagship.

Coming in gold or silver, the device is rather heavy, at 204 grams. It’s also 15.1 mm thick when closed, but that’s the price you need to pay for style, not to mention the two 3.9-inch 1280 x 768 AMOLED displays and T9 numeric keypad.

Specs include an Exynos 7420 processor, 3GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. The rear camera is 16MP, while the front one is 5MP. The device runs the Chinese version of Samsung’s TouchWiz, based on Android 5.1 Lollipop. There’s also wireless charging, a 2000 mAh battery, and dual-SIM LTE.

It's apparently 15.1 mm thick, and it weighs 204g. It's said to cost a whopping CNY 9,999, which is $1,565 or €1,470 at the current exchange rates. So this is one for clamshell lovers who are also quite rich. For now, it's only out in China and only for China Mobile. 

Nokia Lumia Play 2-in-1: Smartphone and Games console

Nokia Lumia Play is  Nokia’s next smartphone aimed at gaming. We figure it out not only from the name but also the design. It features sliding game pads which can improve or bring a totally new mobile gaming experience since you will not have to move your fingers on a not-very-spacious screen anymore. That is for the look. Nokia Lumia Play specs are also mentioned as a powerful package of hardware capable of delivering stunning graphics which is pretty important for most gaming smartphones. Accordingly, the Play is powered by Microsoft XBOX technology. Moreover, you can use it as a gamepad with an XBOX 360 console. It is just like 2 in 1: a smartphone and a part of a games console. Cool!

Other features of the Nokia Lumia Play are a Octa-core CPU, 4 GB of RAM paired with 64 GB of internal storage (expandable up to 128 GB via a microSD card), and a display with high definition, 1136 x 640 resolution and Gorilla Glass. As for the camera, there are a 20 MP Pureview  rear and a 8 MP front-facing snapper. We dont have information yet about the battery, but we hope its going to be huge with more then 6000mAH. Though this is not a camera-centric smartphone, we hope Nokia can equip the main shooter with 40 MP or more. Also, Lumia Play is said to support NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi, and come with 5 different color options.

Last but not least, you may wonder what the operating system the Play runs on. Looking at the picture, it is quite sure that the OS is Windows Phone, and Windows 10 is the newest OS now. There still is the slim chance though, that the Nokia PLAY is going to feature Android 6.0, so lets wait for this.

There are more and more smartphone fans, who want the ultimate Gaming Experience with their smartphone. If Nokia can include a high end battery and an affordable price for the Nokia LUMIA Play Price of less then 300 USD. They will have a real Winner for the NOKIA Comeback 2016!

Microbot Push Is A Smart Button For Your Home

South Korean startup Naran launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo for a smart button meant to control analog devices ranging from speakers to your crock pot. Called Microbot Push, the device is a height-adjustable button that clips on to devices and can be programmed to perform a simple press motion when commanded over the internet.

For a problem as ubiquitous and technically simple to solve, it’s surprising that it has taken so long for a product to come out that addresses it. At its core, Microbot Push is just a wirelessly connected actuator that moves a rubber end piece to press or depress a button. As simple as the device is, the possibilities are pretty remarkable. So many devices, especially appliances, lack internet connectivity or an interface for remote operations. Buttons abound, though, so a smart button is at its core enabling internet connectivity for everything that you bought before 2010.

As simple as the device itself is, though, it belies the utility of the underlying platform. The Microbot Push device connects with a centralized node that the company calls a Prota Box that devices can connect to over Bluetooth or WiFi. Along with the buttons and the centralized hub comes an automation system similar to IFTTT, which lets users create what Naran calls “stories” using sensor data to trigger buttons and therefore actions. A simple use case for this, for example, would be a button that turns on a coffee pot when a certain level of sunlight is detected by a sensor mounted the window.

While competitors exist that perform either the function of being a button, like flic, or flipping a switch, like switchmate, Microbot Push combines the two functions into one sleek package. The device’s button also behaves like a capacitive button, though it is hard to see a real use case for this, especially since button functionality is easily achieved with an Amazon Dash button and a firmware change.

The company’s initial funding goal is $50,000, which it hopes to raise in the next 31 days. Naran says that the funding will be used for tooling development and other manufacturing costs. Its production partner is the Samsung supplier INTOPS.

At the end of its first day, Naran has already achieved more than 30 percent of its funding goal for the Microbot Push, and with 30 days remaining, it’s quite likely that it’ll be able to raise enough to cover its costs.

In the meantime, users who’ve long searched for a way to automate their coffee pot are in luck. Microbot Push might not change the world, but it’s a great way to turn a Roomba on and off with your cellphone for $209.

This little Foot-Powered Washing Machine can clean your clothes with 10 liters of water and no power

Over the past few years, new washing machines have become much more efficient, both in energy and water use, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. Always making sure you have a full load and only using cold water is the best way to use your machine if you have one at home, but for those wanting to save even more energy and water, there haven't been many options other than hand-washing.

A new electricity-free washer that is powered by a foot pedal could be just what people wanting to move farther off the grid have been looking for.

The Yirego Drumi is 22 inches tall and spins a small load of clothing, water and detergent in the interior ball drum when the pedal is pumped. It can accommodate six to seven pieces, or 5 pounds, of clothing at a time, which keeps it from being a good substitute for a family of four, but it would be suitable for a couple living in a tiny home, camping trips, college students or anyone looking to run their machine less.

It would also come in handy during power outages or when you're trying to avoid running a load until you have enough to fill your machine.

The company that makes the Drumi says that it uses 80 percent less water and detergent than a typical washing machine. Each load requires 10 liters of water: five liters for a wash cycle and then another five liters for the rinse. The total wash time is only about 6 minutes, with a wash cycle taking up to three minutes depending on how many items you place in it, a rinse cycle only taking two minutes and then one additional minute for spinning out excess water.

The lid of the Drumi can be used to measure out the water and it also features a push button for draining the water at the end of each cycle. Because the washer drains out from the bottom, it could be set up either in a bathtub or shower or outside.

The washer is available for pre-order for $129 until the end of June when Yirego will be launching a crowd-funding campaign to manufacture the units. The estimated delivery date is July 2016 for anyone in Canada and the U.S. 

You can watch a video of the Drumi in action below.

HTC Desire 728G Dual SIM announced in India, priced at Rs. 17,990

HTC has launched yet another mid-range smartphone in India, the HTC Desire 728G, for Rs. 17,990. It is a slightly different variant of the HTC Desire 728 Dual SIM, which was released in China a few days back. 

This variant features a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek processor and a dual-SIM card slot. It will be available in two colours – Purple Myst and White Luxury – from offline as well as online stores in the country.

The Desire 728G Dual SIM runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with the company’s own UI enhancement, Sense UI. Sadly, the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer hasn’t shipped this device with the latest version of Google’s smartphone operating system, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, something it did with the recently announce HTC One A9.

It is equipped with a 5.5-inch HD IPS LCD display, a 64-bit octa-core MediaTek MT6753 processor, Mali-T720 GPU, 1.5GB LP-DDR3 RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot. There’s a dual-SIM card slot, which can accommodate both GSM and CDMA SIM cards, but the connectivity has been limited to 3G HSPA+ speeds. However, the CDMA SIM would only work with the second SIM card slot. The device comes with a fairly large 2,800 mAh battery.

HTC Desire 728G Dual SIM Specifications

• Android 5.0 (Lollipop) with Sense UI
• 5.5-inch IPS LCD display, 1280 x 720 pixels, 267 ppi
• 13-megapixel primary camera, BSI sensor, 27mm lens with f/2.2 aperture, single-LED flash, and 1080p video recording
• 5-megapixel secondary camera, BSI sensor with 33.7mm lens and f/2.8 aperture, and 1080p video recording
• Front-facing stereo loudspeakers (with HTC BoomSound), Dolby Audio
• 1.3GHz octa-Core MediaTek MT6753 64-bit processor with Mali-T720 GPU
• 1.5GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSD card slot (upto 2TB)
• Dual SIM card slot (GSM+GSM/GSM+CDMA), 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS (with A-GPS and GLONASS), and FM Radio
• MicroUSB v2.0 port and 3.5 mm headset jack
• 2800 mAh battery; 157.9×77.8×7.87mm; 153g