It's not just grown-ups that might appreciate electrified transport. Bosch has unveiled an "eStroller" system that uses dual electric motors and sensors to not only reduce the effort involved in carting your young one around, but prevent the stroller from going in unexpected directions. It'll automatically study the road surface to help you push uphill, brake on the descent and keep it on track during lateral slopes. The technology will also bring the stroller to a halt if you lose control or battle fierce winds.
The battery system has its own conveniences. While the nine-mile range won't allow for the lengthiest walks by itself, Bosch's design uses 18V replaceable lithium-ion batteries like the ones used in the company's power tools. You could borrow the battery from your drill in a pinch. A USB port can charge your devices, and a Bluetooth connection to your phone can both gauge the charge and set an alarm to prevent someone from stealing your stroller. And if you're wondering, you can still push the carriage around if the battery is empty -- it'll just require more effort.
The hardware is suitable for single, twin and sibling strollers. Bosch won't sell a model itself, though. Instead, it'll work with partners who'll use the platform for their own baby carriers. Swedish firm Emmaljunga will be first with a stroller due in early 2020, but you can expect more companies to follow suit. There might be a time when a family journey is trivially easy, even if the terrain is rough.
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TiVo is apparently renewing its efforts to serve cord-cutters. Zatz Not Funny has obtained snapshots of an Arris-made TiVo Edge DVR that would cater to both the streaming crowd and cable TV diehards in equal measure. It wouldn't be as flamboyant as the oddly-shaped Bolt (you can finally stack things on top!), but it would be loaded with 4K, Dolby Atmos audio and Dolby Vision HDR to stream services like Netflix and Prime Video in maximum quality.
There would be a CableCARD-equipped version with six tuners and 2TB of space, but there would also be two OTA-focused models with different tuner and storage levels.
It's not certain how close the Edge might be to reaching shelves, but the box shots in the leak hint the DVR is likely close to launch. Just how much it costs is another matter, although Bolt-like pricing (around $250 for an OTA model, plus service) is a possibility. The real challenge may be convincing people to buy one. Streaming services are continuing to grow, and a flood of new services from Disney, WarnerMedia and others have made it that less necessary to watch conventional TV.
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Today might only be the first day of September, but we seriously have no idea how the daily deals this month are going to get any better than they are today. Highlights include the wildly popular $25 Amazon Smart Plug for just $5 with the special coupon code AMZNPLUG (this deal is only available to some people; see the terms and conditions here), $30 off the Ring Video Doorbell 2 and $40 off the Ring Video Doorbell Pro plus a free Echo Dot with either one, a best-selling TP-Link Wi-Fi range extender for just $14.99, a Fire TV Stick with 2 months of HBO for free for Prime members, $50 off the Apple Watch Series 4 plus another $19.01 discount if you choose no-rush shipping, the iPhone of no-touch forehead thermometers for only $19.99, a SanDisk 128GB microSD card for as little as $18 and change (check the “other sellers” section for the lowest price), and a great one-day Amazon sale on Simplehuman strash cans. See all of today’s top deals below.
Follow @BGRDeals on Twitter to keep up with the latest and greatest deals from around the web. Quantities may be limited. Prices are subject to change without notice and coupons may expire at any time. Some deals may not be available to all customers. BGR may receive a commission on orders placed through this article.
When it comes to home security, most of us aren't looking to renovate panic rooms or build high-end home monitoring systems. We just want a little extra peace of mind. Turns out, one of the cheapest options for exactly this purpose is a $20 Amazon Echo Dot ($30 at Amazon). Using Alexa Guard -- a recently added, totally free feature for every available Echo device -- your smart speaker will listen using far-field microphones for window-breaks and alarms. In addition, the device can turn any connected smart lights on and off to simulate someone walking around the house, and it can send any notifications to ADT and Ring security services if you use them.
So if you're heading out of the country for a few weeks, or just to the store for a few minutes, your Echo can help monitor the house. Here's how it works:
Step 1: Open the Alexa app and tap the hamburger menu (the three-line icon in the upper left corner).
The Guard screen can be accessed from the Settings menu.
Screenshot by David Priest/CNET
Step 2: Tap Settings, and scroll to the bottom.
Step 3: Tap Guard and follow the prompts to set up. If you want to use the smart lighting feature, you'll need to confirm your zip code.
Step 4: From now on, saying, "Alexa, I'm leaving" will activate Guard Mode.
Note: If Alexa hears glass breaking or an alarm sounding, she will record the sound and send you a snippet. If you want, you may then Drop In on your Echo device to listen for other sounds, such as an intruder moving around the house.
Step 5: To adjust Guard settings, return to the Guard screen from the settings menu.
Step 6: Tap the gear icon in the upper right corner of the screen. From here, you may adjust which Guard features you'd like to enable or disable, including connecting to an ADT or Ring security service.
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Except, they aren't going to space. They're just recovering from their last workout and preparing for the next. The suits themselves are complex, but what they actually do is straightforward: They're compressing and decompressing, encouraging blood flow throughout the athlete's bodies.
Here's how this simple but helpful recovery technique works.
What is compression therapy?
Like cryotherapy, compression therapy has been around for decades as a medical treatment. In fact, NormaTec -- one of the biggest compression therapy names in the market -- started as a medical device company to treat a condition called lymphedema (chronic swelling).
Now the company's focus is athletic recovery, but its roots lie in the science of blood flow: Your circulatory system delivers oxygen, nutrients and hormones to every cell in your body. Simultaneously, this complex circuit removes metabolic wastes such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid, effectively flushing your system of toxins.
The idea behind compression therapy is that by increasing blood flow to specific parts of the body -- encouraging your body to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to those areas -- you can speed up recovery, relieve pain and improve athletic performance.
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Benefits of compression therapy
Athletes of all disciplines have been suiting up in puffy, intergalactic-looking contraptions to reap the benefits of compression therapy. Long before these suits existed, athletes have worn (and still wear) compression garments during and after exercise.
The benefits of this recovery method, which are essentially the benefits of improved blood flow, include:
Reducing swelling and inflammation
Speeding up muscle recovery
Preventing delayed-onset muscle soreness
Relieving muscle pain
Improving athletic performance
Increasing flexibility and range of motion
Removing exercise-related wastes, like lactic acid
Decreasing muscle fatigue
Overall, the science backing these claims is conflicting, though NormaTec does offer an impressive list of research studies that look at this particular product's methodology. Now that new products are popping up, it's hard to lump all forms of compression therapy into one group.
For example, wearing a knee sleeve won't produce the same results that NormaTec's "pulsing, distal release, gradient" method will. That's because the knee sleeve simply squeezes your leg above and below your knee, forcing blood and fluid away. When you take the knee sleeve off, blood rushes back to the area, thus inducing the benefits.
A NormaTec suit, on the other hand, squeezes your legs in intervals and by section -- starting at your feet, the suit inflates intermittently to mimic natural blood flow.
Convinced you need to add this technique to your recovery regimen? Here's how to test it out.
Suit up
That's right: Try one of these space suits out yourself. If you're not keen to purchase one of your own, search for gyms, chiropractic offices and recovery lounges (like cryotherapy centers) that offer suits for customer use.
By far the most well-known, NormaTec has partnered with thousands of businesses across the country to provide boots and even full-body suits at a more affordable price. But you can also find other brands, such as Rapid Reboot, Speed Hound, Air Relax and RecoveryPump.
There are several brands that make compression boot and suits, though not all of them use the same pulsing patterns.
Rapid Reboot
Wear compression garments
The evidence for compression garments such as knee sleeves, compression tights and elbow sleeves is largely anecdotal. For some people, wearing compression garments during or after exercise seems to improve physical performance and speed up recovery, but the research isn't quite clear.
There are conflicting studies into compression garments, and it's not clear whether you should wear them during or after exercise, and which types of exercise they positively influence.
But hey, like they say about diets: If it works for you, it works for you.
Another study compared compression therapy, massage, cryotherapy, stretching, electrostimulation, water immersion and more. Its aim was to discover the best modality for reducing delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
The kind-of-unsurprising answer? Massage.
Popular among elite and recreational athletes alike, these compression suits essentially do what compression garments do, but way better.
NormaTec
Worth the hype?
Personally, I think yes. Despite some wishy-washy clinical trials, these products are backed by a valid scientific principle: Compression therapy increases blood flow, which delivers nutrients to your muscles and removes waste like lactic acid. That's why active recovery (like stretching and walking) is so much better than passive recovery (doing nothing).
Obviously, compression boots and suits like those from NormaTec, Rapid Reboot and Speed Hound don't fit everyone's budgets — and that's totally fine. You don't need one of these suits to yourself, but if you're a regular gym-goer, you might consider popping in at a recovery lounge, chiropractic clinic or other establishment that offers one-off sessions.
However, if you can afford it, a high-tech compression suit could theoretically cost less in terms of cost per session. Think about it: A massage costs, on average, $100 to $150 per session. Let's say you get one massage per month. That's anywhere from $1,200 to $1,800 per year.
NormaTec is the most expensive of the products discussed in this article -- if you purchase a complete NormaTec set for $2295, that's about $190 per month over one year. Even at one use per month, it's not outrageously expensive compared to massage.
But if you have your NormaTec at home, on hand for use whenever, the cost per session decreases drastically: If you use your NormaTec just once a week, the cost per session drops to less than $50 per use.
It's a big investment up front, but potentially worth it.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
The iPhone 11 doesn’t currently seem interesting enough to sway me from my perpetual ambivalence to Apple’s smartphones – they all seem like phones that are struggling to keep up with Android competitors, but ship for twice the price – but there might be a device in the works that changes my mind.
If rumors are to be believed, the iPhone 11 release will also bring with it the surprise unveiling of the iPhone 11 Pro; a handset that’s top-end even by iPhone standards, one that will come with an Apple Pencil-style stylus, and presumably a big screen.
This iPhone 11 Pro isn’t confirmed by any means, but there have been enough leaks about the handset for us to take them seriously, and it has us considering the possibility that Apple is going to take its iPhones down the path of the iPads – bringing out several different variants, headed by the powerful iPad Pro.
If real, the iPhone 11 Pro will be a huge departure from previous iPhones – and this fascinates me, since I don’t think most iPhones improve enough between iterations. While I still respect Apple’s products – the iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) is my go-to tablet – I’ve always felt the phones are a little disappointing.
However, if the iPhone 11 Pro rumors prove true, it could be the first Apple phone that I’m actually interested in or, dare I say it, excited for. Here’s why.
The iPhone XS
(Image credit: Future)
What makes the iPhone 11 Pro so different?
While we don’t know the processing power, dimensions, camera specs, or special features of the iPhone 11 Pro, what we have heard is that it may come with a smaller Apple Pencil stylus, similar to the S Pen that comes with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.
In the Note 10, the S Pen has a range of useful features. You can take notes, draw, and annotate, as well as use several gestures that trigger functions, like taking pictures. Although they’re similar devices in terms of specs, the Samsung Galaxy S10 presents a completely different phone experience to the Note 10, and that’s because it doesn’t have the stylus.
This distinction will potentially be echoed in the iPhone 11 Pro. Assuming the base iPhone 11 is a small step up from the iPhone XS, the Pro will be the device which brings interesting new changes to the iPhone series, and that’s a step up that’s rare in Apple’s phone range.
What’s so special about a stylus?
A phone stylus isn’t just a replacement for a finger for people who have constantly grubby hands, but a peripheral that adds an extra layer of functionality to your handset.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 with its S Pen
(Image credit: Future)
The reason for this is that it’s just easier to draw with a stylus than with a finger. Styluses are designed for drawing on smartphone screens, and the experience of drawing is smoother because there’s less friction than when you’re using a human finger.
On top of that, us humans are trained to write and draw with a pencil, not with our fingers, so it’s more natural to use a stylus, and a lot more precise too.
Have you ever tried taking quick notes with a smartphone? It’s hard to type efficiently on such a small keyboard, and hand-written notes often look gibberish when using a finger. However, when you use a stylus, it’s easy to quickly write down notes and thoughts on the fly.
You can also draw, and annotate documents, so much more easily with a stylus, and it feels a lot more natural to do all of those things.
Why is this all so exciting?
I like to take notes, sign forms, and annotate documents a lot – I currently use an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil for this, but it can be pretty annoying to have to pull that out of my bag every time I need to do a quick task. A phone with a stylus would be valuable.
Yes, I could buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 10, but I’m a big fan of the iPad Pro, and really respect the way Apple’s ecosystem of devices works together smoothly. However, I haven’t gone down the phone route yet because, honestly, iPhones just seem a little boring, and Android phones are all a lot more exciting at the moment.
Sketch to your heart's content on an iPad Pro with its Apple Pencil
(Image credit: Future)
But if Apple were to bring out an iPhone 11 Pro with a stylus, designed for professionals or creatives, it would leave the other iPhones in its dust, and I’d be able to get so much more mileage out of it.
By writing this opinion piece out, I’ve managed to get myself anticipating a device which isn’t even remotely confirmed by Apple yet, and it’s worth bearing in mind that it’s entirely possible the iPhone 11 Pro isn’t a thing (or that it ends up getting called something totally different). Rumors and leaks sometimes point to real devices, but just as often they’re totally bogus.
Saying that, I’m surely not alone in hoping Apple finds some new way to make the iPhone 11 range a real step up from the iPhone X– the kind of step the iPhone XS wasn’t – and a stylus-toting high-end device would be just that handset.
Visitors look at Samsung QLED 8K TV's during the preview day of the IFA, the leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances, in Berlin, Germany, August 30, 2018.
Christian Mang / Reuters
More manufacturers are selling8K TVs or have models going on sale soon, and ahead of the IFA 2019 tradeshow an industry group has released its "performance specification" for consumer TVs. The 8K Association includes members like Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Panasonic, Intel, Hisense and TCL.
They're pushing this spec as a set of display performance for HDR, color performance and more that establishes what customers can expect when they see a TV with its logo, and are working on a compliance test.
Resolution: 7680 x 4320 pixels
Input Frame Rate: 24p, 30p and 60p frames per second
Display Luminance: More than 600 nits peak Luminance
Codec: HEVC
Interface: HDMI 2.1
Those are the publicly listed requirements, while details available to members include "8K Input Parameters (bit depth, frame rate, chroma sub-sampling), Display Performance (resolution, peak brightness, black level, color gamut, white point), and the Interface & Media formats (High Dynamic Range, codec)." We'll need to see more of these TVs in action, but if you need a reason to upgrade that goes further than mere pixel and resolution count, then these specs may be key in pushing the new displays, just like HDR was for 4K sets when they began to appear.
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