Pavlok, the wristband that uses electric shock to break your bad habits, is now on Indiegogo

While most wearable devices out right now are solely concerned with tracking your habits, Pavlok is all about changing them. Inspired by the work of Ivan Pavlov and his concept of classical conditioning, the device is designed to give you a small electric shock each time you don’t meet your goals – no matter what they might be. The idea is that by providing a negative stimulus whenever you act out a bad habit, your brain will gradually begin to associate that stimulus (in this case an electric shock) with the action you perform. Over time, your brain will eventually form such a strong connection between the action and corresponding punishment that you won’t need the shock — you’ll instinctively feel inclined to stop biting your nails, or get out of bed instead of hitting snooze, for example. To start using the app, you simply enter in your goals and select a corresponding punishment. Theoretically it could be used for just about anything, and the team plans to expand the device’s functionality after the crowdfunding campaign, but at this point the device and accompanying app appear to focus on three main areas: sleep, exercise, and productivity Related: SingNshock alarm clock delivers an electric shock to wake you up The sleep function, for example, will wake you with small vibrations on your wrist, but if you try to hit snooze or the embedded accelerometer doesn’t detect movement, you’ll be dealt a shock. The exercise function will allow you to do things like enter the location of your gym and set a schedule for when you want to be there. If your phone doesn’t enter the geofence around the gym by the predetermined time, you can pay a penalty fee, get your failure posted to Facebook, or get shocked. The productivity function, on the other hand, will work with an accompanying Chrome plugin, and allow you to select websites you want to avoid or visit less frequently. If you don’t make your goal, zap city. But here’s the kicker; Pavlok isn’t just about punishing bad behavior — it’s also designed to reward you for achieving your goals, and thereby offers incentives to make them happen. If you consistently meet your exercise goal, for example, you can win money that other users have lost, or even get gift cards from Pavlok’s partners. In the future the company plans to integrate with IFTTT, so you The project is currently less than halfway to achieving its $50,000 funding goal on Indiegogo, but it’s still got a month left in the campaign, and we’d be surprised if it didn’t end up raising the money. Prior to launching this crowdfunding campaign, the device was featured on dozens of different TV shows, including The Colbert Report and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, so we’ve got little doubt it’ll end up a success. If you back the project now, you can lock down a Pavlok wristband for around 130 bucks, and if all goes well, the creators hope to ship the first units as early as April 2015. --FoxNews

Microsoft unveils Windows 10 system with Start Menu

BBC's Richard Taylor: "Windows 10 features the all-important Start button which people know and like very much" Continue reading the main story Related Stories China bans Microsoft Windows 8 Windows systems set to be 'unified' Windows 8.1 gets global release Microsoft has disclosed the first details of Windows 10 - its next operating system (OS). The name is a surprise, bearing in mind it represents a jump from the last version - Windows 8. The software will run on a wide range of devices, from phones and tablets to PCs and Xbox games consoles, with applications sold from a single store. It also marks the return of the Start Menu, which had been removed from Windows 8. In addition to offering a list of the user's favourite applications, the menu also brings up resizable tiles - similar to those featured in Windows 8's touch-centric interface on PCs and tablets. These provide a quick view of notifications from relevant applications, such as details of new emails, Facebook messages and weather forecast updates. Windows 10 Microsoft announced details of the new operating system at an event in San Francisco Windows 10 The Start Menu now features both a list of apps and live tiles The company said the facility was intended to make the software seem familiar to both users of Windows 8 and Windows 7. The behaviour of the OS will depend on the type of device with which it is being used. Unlike its predecessor, users will not need to switch between Desktop Mode and the touch-focused alternative. However, they can still spread a number of "live tiles" across the screens of two-in-one laptop-tablet hybrids to make them easier to use with both a mouse and finger presses. 'Critical' choice Windows 8 had been criticised for being too different to the previous version, which deterred some organisations from introducing it. Satya Nadella Microsoft's chief executive, Satya Nadella, did not speak at the event, but had previously discussed a wish to "unify" Windows It initially lacked a Start button altogether, and when one was introduced, it only switched to the touch-centric tiled interface or - if a long mouse press was used - provided access to the system's control panel and other functions. Businesses typically wait about a year after a new operating system's release before offering it to workers, to give IT staff a chance to get to grips with the new technologies involved. But it has been nearly two years since Windows 8 first went on sale and adoption is still low. "It's extremely important for Microsoft to get Windows 10 right," said David Johnson, who watches Microsoft for the consultancy Forrester. "Windows 8 is only being offered to employees by about one in five organisations right now. Windows 7 is still the de facto standard for enterprise in the desktop environment. "For Microsoft to continue to be able to get the best and latest technology in the hands of the enterprise workforce all over the world, it has to have a vehicle to do that - and Windows 10 is its best shot." Windows 10 Microsoft said Windows 10 would work on devices with 4in (10.2cm) screens and 80in screens Across desktop PCs as a whole, only 13.4% currently run Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, according to research firm NetMarketshare. By contrast, it says 51.2% are powered by Windows 7 and 23.9% by Windows XP, a version that is no longer supported by Microsoft. Mr Johnson said the reintroduction of the Start Menu should help Windows 10 fare better. "It is critically important," he said. "The Start Menu is perhaps the most important thing that will make the desktop experience familiar to business users, and will help reduce resistance to its installation." Preview download Other features include: Windows 10 The task-view button offers one-click access to all running apps and files Snap enhancements - a new "quadrant layout" will allow four apps to be easily arranged on the same screen Task view - a new button on the task bar will let the user see all open apps and files, helping them switch from one to another Multiple desktops - users can switch between distinct desktop screens, allowing them to group related work together rather than having to deal with a single screen overloaded with documents and apps. This is similar to a feature already available on Apple's Mac OS Microsoft will offer a "technical preview" of Windows 10 to early adopters later this week, which will run on laptops and desktops. A release that will work on computer servers will follow. line Analysis: Richard Taylor, North America technology correspondent Microsoft logo Microsoft has a delicate balancing act as it attempts to cater to a diverse audience using a cornucopia of devices, from traditional keyboard/mouse-based PCs to tablets. It got that balance wrong with Windows 8 - which many users felt was skewed towards the touchscreen at the expense of the familiar PC desktop experience that they had come to know intimately. I asked Terry Myerson, the chief of operating systems at Microsoft, why the leadership had chosen the moniker Windows 10, rather than the more logical Windows 9. Windows 10 Microsoft is inviting members of the public to provide feedback about an early version of Windows 10 He told me somewhat obliquely that it resonated best for what the company would deliver across the breadth of devices. Unifying a brand across all devices is key to Microsoft's vision. But the Windows 10 name also symbolises that this will not be an incremental update, but something of a fresh start. The user interface feels familiar yet modern. The "dual mode" - which aimed to satisfy tablet and PC users, but alienated both - has been replaced with a dynamically-adjusting interface and behaviour, determined by whether you are using a keyboard/mouse, or touch. Ultimately Windows 10 success will depend on its execution. But at least under the new leadership, Microsoft is showing it is listening. It needs to if it is to stay relevant and stop the march of Android and Apple. line The company said it would provide details about the introduction of "universal apps" - individual programs that tailor their functionality to different types of devices - at its Build conference in April, and would aim to release the completed OS before the end of 2015. There was no mention of offering the firm's voice-controlled digital assistant Cortana to PCs, or when Windows 10 would supersede the Windows Phone OS. The firm's smartphone code is designed for ARM-based processors, unlike the main Windows 8 and Xbox operating systems that are built for x86 chips - including those made by Intel and AMD. While Microsoft confirmed that Windows 10 would be released for both types of chip architecture, it did not disclose whether there would be a staggered release. One analyst suggested that by using a single OS to power a wide range of devices, it might increase the amount of software available to all of them. "The idea is, longer-term, to encourage developers to release more apps for Windows," said Annette Jump from the tech research firm Gartner. "That's Microsoft's biggest challenge at the moment when it comes to tablets and phones - there are not as many apps as there are for iOS and Android." Windows 10 Windows 10 introduces the ability to switch between two or more desktop screens Even so, another expert highlighted that the announcement in San Francisco had been deliberately tailored to appeal to business users. "The event was clearly geared toward Microsoft's bread and butter enterprise customer, and we believe starting an early dialogue with these customers as well as learning from previous mistakes made in Redmond - eg Windows 8 - will be key to garnering major adoption of this all-important product cycle in the field," said Daniel Ives from research firm BlueMatrix. "Overall, we believe today's event was another step in the right direction in the [Satya] Nadella era, and that Microsoft remains well positioned... while it undergoes a major restructuring effort to make it a 'leaner and meaner' technology giant over the coming years." -- BBC News

6 things to love - and hate - about the iPhone 6

Let's just start with this: The iPhone 6 is the best smartphone ever made. But it's not perfect. Like any smartphone, there are some things about the iPhone 6 that will drive you batty. First, here's what you'll love about the iPhone 6. 1) The rounded edges. The iPhone 6 feels really, really good in your hand. iphone 6 curve It's insanely thin and light, and there are hardly any square or jagged edges on the device. The vibrate toggle switch is the big exception -- it nicked me a couple of times when I was pulling the iPhone out of my pocket. The curves give the iPhone 6 a less distinctive look than some of its predecessors and other smartphones on the market. But what the iPhone 6 sacrifices in appearance it makes up in usability. I don't want to put the iPhone 6 down when I'm holding it. Related: iPhone 6 has car Bluetooth problems 2) The camera. Ironically, the ugliest part of the iPhone 6 helps deliver its most beautiful features. iphone 6 camera The iPhone 6's camera juts out of the phone's back by about a millimeter, and the obsessive part of me kept wanting to pop it back in. But whatever Apple got out of that millimeter was worth it. How much does your iPhone really cost? How much does your iPhone really cost? Photos are clear just about every time. It performs masterfully in weird lighting situations, such as when the subject is in a shadow but the sun is shining brightly. It takes photos remarkably quickly and -- most importantly for photo-taking dullards like me -- without any fuss. And the front-facing camera also takes surprisingly good photos for the selfie-taking types. The time-lapse and slo-mo video functions seemed more gimmicky than practical to me, but some people might find them useful -- or at least fun. 3) The screen. The iPhone 6's display is gorgeous. It's noticeably sharp, and the iPhone 6's display even looks great when you're not looking at the screen straight on. iphone 6 screen That's helpful, say, when you're watching a video with friends or showing photos to your family. Related: Is the iPhone 6 Plus bendable? 4) TouchID. There is no shortage of complaints about the iPhone's fingerprint sensor malfunctioning, but I found it to be wonderfully convenient and accurate. It makes signing into your phone, downloading apps and buying music a breeze. iphone 6 apple pay So if it works for the simple stuff, Apple Pay is going to be a cinch. Paying for stuff with your iPhone 6 supposedly will be as easy as holding your phone up to a payment terminal while touching the TouchID sensor. We'll see next month when Apple Pay launches -- but it sounds promising. Apple Pay turns iPhone into credit card Apple Pay turns iPhone into credit card And here's what you'll hate about the iPhone 6. 5) iCloud. What an absolute mess. iphone 6 icloud When setting up my iPhone 6, one of the umpteen prompts asked me if I wanted to "upgrade to iCloud Drive." For about 12 hours, when I went to my iCloud settings, iCloud Drive indicated that it was "upgrading" with a pinwheel of death next to it. And once it finally decided to finish upgrading, it didn't impress me. I uploaded a photo and a document via iCloud.com, and I have absolutely no idea how to view those on my iPhone. There isn't even an iCloud Drive app. Meanwhile, iCloud says it will back up my photos via Photo Stream, but there's no obvious way to manage that -- it doesn't even exist on iCloud.com. What if I want to store photos on iCloud but not on my phone to save precious storage? Related: Chinese smugglers make big bucks on iPhone 6 6) iOS 8. There are some really nice new features in iOS 8, including the amazing Spotlight universal search feature, text notifications that let you respond without opening iMessage, and all the brilliant camera software. That's on top of excellent existing iOS features, such as the brilliant Control Center quick tasks launcher, Facebook integration and of course FaceTime. iphone 6 ios 8 But there's plenty to hate about iOS 8, too. Setting up an iPhone is an unacceptably lengthy experience with way too many questions, options and notifications. Siri still doesn't do anything particularly worthwhile. Apple annoyingly added unnecessary steps for accessing and clearing notifications. And none of the "widgets" in the notification screen that I tested were particularly useful. See Apple's new iPhone 6 in :60 See Apple's new iPhone 6 in :60 There's also a lot of Apple bloatware, including compass (really, Apple?), "tips," maps and Passbook. Others are redundant, including the contacts, FaceTime and camera apps that you can access in other places. But you can't delete or hide those apps -- the only way to clear them off your screen is to put them in a folder labeled "crap." So here's the bottom line: The iPhone 6 is a gorgeous, incredibly well-designed smartphone with a world-beating camera and some neat tricks. But Apple's software gets in the way of the iPhone 6 being a perfect smartphone. --MONEY.CNN.COM

Yahoo’s Core Business Value Cut in Half to $6.8 Billion After Alibaba IPO

As Alibaba shares soared in their first day of trading on Friday, the value that investors are placing on Yahoo YHOO -2.82%’s core business was sliced in half to about $6.8 billion. That’s because Yahoo still owns a large chunk –about 400 million shares — of the e-commerce giant after the IPO. Alibaba’s shares rose 38% on Friday, while Yahoo’s shares fell about 2.7%, so even more of Yahoo’s market capitalization is made up of non-core assets. Yahoo made about $5.1 billion in cash, net of taxes, from the sale of shares in the Alibaba IPO. Its remaining stake is valued at about $23.4 billion, presuming it will be taxed at the full capital-gains rate of 38%. Add that to a stake in Yahoo Japan 4689.TO -1.35% worth about $5 billion, and net cash of about $1.55 billion, and Yahoo’s non-core assets now total about $35 billion. With Yahoo’s market capitalization at $41.86 billion, the value that investors are placing on the core business – the entire empire of media sites, advertising, email, mobile apps and other Web properties like Tumblr and Flickr – sits at about $6.8 billion. That number was $13.85 billion at the IPO pricing, but it fell as Alibaba’s stock rose and Yahoo’s shares sank. A long list of factors could influence the value of Yahoo’s core business in the coming months. Chief Executive Marissa Mayer may look to use her new war chest on acquisitions that could accelerate growth and change investors’ muted outlook on the stock. Finance chief Ken Goldman is on the hunt for ways to avoid paying the full tax rate on the remaining Alibaba shares. If the run up on Alibaba’s stock continues, and Yahoo’s stock sags, the value of its core business could dwindle to nothing at all. --Source : blogs.wsj.com

Ed Balls: Labour would cap rise in child benefit

Families receiving child benefit would continue to see the value of their payments fall in real terms for the first two years of a Labour government. Ed Balls would extend the coalition's cap on increases in the benefit - due to expire in 2016 - for a further year. The shadow chancellor will announce the policy in a speech to Labour's annual conference in Manchester. The move is part of a package of measures aimed at proving Labour is serious about "balancing the books". Under Mr Balls' plans, child benefit payments would not rise in line with inflation but by a fixed rate of 1% per year until 2017. The policy is already in place until 2016, having been announced by the coalition, but Labour's move would see it continue for another year. Mr Balls will also announce plans for a 5% pay cut for government ministers with their pay to be frozen until the deficit has been cleared. 'Tough decisions' "The next Labour government will get the deficit down," he will tell Labour delegates. "And Ed Miliband and all my shadow cabinet colleagues are clear it will mean cuts and tough decisions and we will take the lead." Labour has repeatedly criticised the coalition government's benefit cuts, including Mr Osborne's decision to remove child benefit for higher earning households, which Mr Balls said in 2013 created "huge unfairness". But he will say in his conference speech that Labour will not be able to reverse most of the cuts and will have to introduce some of its own. He will say: "We will have to make other decisions which I know will not be popular with everyone. "At a time when the public services that pensioners rely on are under such pressure, we will stop paying the winter fuel allowance to the richest 5% of pensioners. "I want to see child benefit rising again in line with inflation in the next parliament, but we will not spend money we cannot afford. "So for the first two years of the next parliament, we will cap the rise in child benefit at 1%. It will save £400m in the next Parliament. And all the savings will go towards reducing the deficit." Mr Balls says Labour would balance the books in a "fairer" way than the Conservatives because they would reinstate the 50% top rate of income tax. "Now cannot be the right time to give the richest one per cent of people in the country a £3bn tax cut. So as we get the deficit down in the next parliament, the next Labour government will reverse this Tory tax cut for millionaires. "Because Labour will balance the books in a fairer way." Devolution row Labour used the first day of its final conference before the general election to unveil plans to increase the minimum wage to £8. But that was overshadowed by an ongoing row about English devolution in the wake of Scotland's No vote in Thursday's independence referendum. Mr Balls will attempt to shift the focus back on to Labour's economic policies - an area which the polls say Labour lags behind the Conservatives. The Conservatives accused Mr Balls of making unfunded spending commitments - on policies such as its jobs guarantee for young people, which Labour says will be paid for by a tax on bankers' bonuses. They said the shadow chancellor's plan to cut ministerial pay would only amount to 0.003% of the deficit. Mr Balls was in a cuts controversy of a different kind on Sunday, when he accidentally elbowed a journalist in the eye during a charity football match. --source BCC

Facebook To Begin Charging Users $2.99/mo Starting November 1st

Menlo Park, CA — At a press conference this morning, Facebook rolled out their new monthly service plan which begins November 1st of this year. The social media giant says they will start charging members $2.99/mo to use the services that the site has to offer. “After thinking long and hard about this decision, at the end of the day, we were forced to add this monthly fee,” Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg told reporters. “If we don’t do something about our rising costs now, Facebook could cease to exist in the near future.” “This is excellent news for Facebook stock holders,” says Wall Street analyst Dale Sackrider. “As of August this year, Facebook had a total of 1.317 billion users. If just 75% of those members pay the new monthly service fee of $3, that will mean an annual influx of cash totaling roughly $3 billion. That’s not just an increase in profits of a few dollars, that’s a game changer right there.” In an interview with CNN, Facebook spokesman Paul Horner explained the reason for the new monthly fee. “Economic times are tight, the ads on Facebook are not as profitable as we had planned. Our costs are going up as hundreds of thousands of individuals continue to join the site every day,” Horner said. “There’s so many pictures of cats, and all of those costs add up, we just can’t foot the bill any longer.” Jack Phillips from Dequincy, Louisiana told reporters that he is not happy with the new monthly fee that will be implemented by Facebook. “I can barely pay for all my online girly subscriptions right now as it is, and now this Zuckerberg character wants another $3 a month out of me? Well I don’t think so bud,” Phillips said. “There’s free news out there that I get all my learning from, like The Epoch Times. Those guys don’t spell that good and their grammar is real bad, but I like em’. They keep my brain smart and up to date with all the latest satire stories out there.” Phillips continued, “As for this monthly fee though, I do like using Facebook. That Farmville game on there cracks me up. Hey, look at me, I’m planting some carrots in a field around my kick *ss barn. My friends just love it when I contact them about planting my crops. They’re like, ‘Dangit Jack, you and your gosh darn crops’, I’ll tell you what.” Fappy The Anti-Masturbation Dolphin, a mascot for a Christian anti-masturbation group, says their business could not survive without Facebook. “Charging people to use Facebook means there won’t be as many heathens on the site to help stay off the Devil’s playground. Personally, I like Facebook because it helps me promote my side business of making personalized video greetings. Those videos are good, clean fun for the whole family, and they also help pay for my anger management and sex offender classes. Praise Fappy!” Horner told reporters of an option for those who can’t afford the new monthly fee. “Here at Facebook we value each and every one of our members. We do not want to see anyone delete their account just because they cannot afford the monthly fee,” Horner said. “For those who can’t manage the cost, we’ve made it real simple. In a new status update, copy and paste the words, ‘I AM POOR FACEBOOK PLEASE WAVE MY MONTHLY FEE’. Make sure you include the hashtag #FacebookMonthlyFee. This will inform the Facebook billing department to wave any fees associated with your account. Unfortunately for free users, access to all Facebook games will no longer be available.” Horner continued, “There’s also a free option which will allow you access to your Facebook account for up to one hour a week, exceeding that will cost $0.49/minute. I think you can agree that it is extremely important to find the right Facebook plan for you!” Shares of Facebook closed on Friday at 77.81, up 0.81 (1.05%). To order your monthly subscription please call the 24-hour Facebook hotline at (785) 273-0325. Discounts are available to those who pay for an entire year at once. - See more at: nationalreport.net

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