Preva Mobile for iOS aims to track your workouts, keep you going to the gym

Dragging yourself to the gym in the wee hours of the morning already takes a heaping helping of dedication, but fitness equipment manufacturer Precor is betting that it can provide additional motivation with its new iOS app: Preva Mobile. By wielding the software, users can monitor and set goals for calories burned, distance and duration, and even log their actions outside the gym for activities ranging from rollerblading to skiing. What's more is that the application acts as an extension of the firm's Preva fitness tracking console built into its 880 line of cardio equipment, and keeps data synced between devices and exercise machines through the cloud.

In addition to helping folks keep tabs on their activity, the digital logbook rewards users with points and badges, which they can brag about share on Twitter and Facebook. There's no sign of an Android version just yet, but we doubt your personal trainer will buy that as an excuse to stray from your workout regimen.

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New Precor® "Preva® Mobile" App Motivates Exercisers to Meet Fitness Goals Both In and Outside the Gym

Take your fitness journey beyond the Preva enabled 880 Line of cardio equipment to reach goals anywhere

Woodinville, WA - April 22, 2013 - Precor®, a leading home and commercial fitness equipment manufacturer, today announced the availability of Preva® Mobile, a free iOS application available in the iTunes store. Preva Mobile is the perfect companion for enthusiasts looking to set and reach goals in their fitness journey. Whether using the Preva enabled 880 Line of Precor cardio equipment or wanting to track a variety of other activities such as cycling, strength training, running and more, Preva Mobile allows users to create a comprehensive log of activities, stay on top of goals and keep motivated. It is the first and only app to reward users with achievement badges for reaching workout milestones.

"The Preva reward system is proven to keep exercisers tuned in to their fitness goals," said Brent Brooks, Precor Vice President of Networked Fitness. "It goes beyond simple numbers tracking to provide meaningful guidance and motivation when exercisers need it most. Preva Mobile extends this same encouragement system to members away from the gym, making it a powerful tool for operators to drive up retention."

Preva Mobile is the latest enhancement to Preva, the market's most widely deployed networked fitness solution for facility operators. It extends the reach of Preva Personal Accounts beyond Precor 880 cardio equipment, and syncs all data in the cloud for anytime, anywhere access. With the app, exercisers can log activities for points, set goals, achieve badge rewards, and monitor their overall progress on a daily, weekly or lifetime basis – all through the same elegant user interface Precor is known for on their 880 cardio equipment.

•Setting Goals – It is easy to get started with Preva Mobile and start working toward your fitness goals. Simply create an account, set a weekly objective for number of workout days and an associated goal for calories, distance or duration. Exercisers that set goals with Preva are proven to work out on average one day more per week than those that don't.

•Logging Activities – Regardless of the equipment or activity, Preva Mobile allows users to quickly and easily input any activity via the "activity panel" which includes four categories: Cardio Equipment, Sports & Fitness, Strength Equipment and Body Weight Exercises. Select from expansive drop down menus that feature activities such as elliptical, swimming, hiking and more. If you're already on a Preva enabled cardio machine, simply login, or if on Precor Discovery strength equipment, scan the QR code to instantly log the activity. Don't lose a single workout while on your fitness journey.

•Tracking Results – The intuitive interface and fitness compass allow Preva Mobile users to instantly visualize progress against predefined goals. Data is stored in the cloud, so individuals can access information in real-time from anywhere in the world.

•Achieving Rewards – Built on the principles of gamification, Preva Mobile keeps exercisers motivated with badge achievements. Fun and educational, these one-of-a-
kind badges keep users engaged with their fitness goals, and achievements can be shared on leading social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Gain badges such as "Golden Gate," rewarded for burning 232 calories, the average equivalent of walking from one side of the Golden Gate Bridge to the other.

•Music and More – Preva Mobile is designed to enhance the entire fitness experience. It allows users to import music play lists and save favorite workouts.

For operators, Preva Mobile deepens member relationships by providing a mobile platform for managing all fitness activities, not just those on Preva enabled equipment or inside the gym.

"Operators are eager to capitalize on networked fitness and differentiate themselves by offering customers tools that motivate them to reach goals," added Brooks. "Preva Mobile is the glue that gyms need to tie together the facility experience with the rest of a person's fitness journey. Exercisers are guided toward success from anywhere."

Source: Preva (iTunes)

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By: Unknown On 6:38 PM

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Moog Music's Amos Gaynes on learning to code in BASIC and going off the grid

Every week, a new and interesting human being tackles our decidedly geeky take on the Proustian Q&A. This is the Engadget Questionnaire.

In the return edition of our regular session of inquiry, Moog Music product manager Amos Gaynes discusses sound synthesis, tolerance for poor battery life and shares his love for BB10. For the entire collection of answers, take a quick leap to the other side of the break.

What gadget do you depend on most?
On a daily basis, probably the (mid-2010) MacBook Pro on which I'm replying to this question.

Which do you look back upon most fondly?
My parents bought a beige Apple //e computer when I was about 5 or 6 years old; I played my first games and learned to program in BASIC on that machine.

Which company does the most to push the industry?
It's hard to say. In a broad sense I'd say that all of the companies making evermore powerful, lower-powered processors and microcontrollers are really enabling the rest of the gadget industry to expand and innovate. Names like Silicon Labs, Atmel and Cypress may not be as well-known as Intel or AMD, let alone Apple or Microsoft, but the competitions and collaborations between companies like these create a fertile climate for innovation.

What is your operating system of choice?
I spend about half my workday on Windows 7 and half on OS X; my playtime is about 50/50 between these two as well. I genuinely like unique aspects of both, and harbor specific grudges against both. I've always home-built PCs due to the price/performance ratio. I'm a fan of open OS distribution in the abstract, but never tried running a Linux box at home because I've always relied on Windows audio software and / or hardware in my home studio.

"I like the modern trend of simple real words, like Ableton Push or Google Glass. I think this is a better direction to look in for gadget names."

What are your favorite gadget names?
I like the modern trend of simple real words, like Ableton Push or Google Glass. I think this is a better direction to look in for gadget names, rather than the clumsy portmanteau words or meaningless neologisms we've had so many of in the last couple of decades.

What are your least favorite?
ThinkPad would definitely fall into the category of clumsy portmanteau words; I've always thought that name was awkward.

Which app do you depend on most?
Definitely e-readers... Stanza on iOS and MobiPocket Reader on my BlackBerry both get a lot of use.

What traits do you most deplore in a smartphone?
Autocorrect. I'd rather have an "autosuggest" where the default action was to assume I meant what I typed, and I'd have to go out of my way to accept the suggested "spelling."

Which do you most admire?
I'm just old enough, I guess, that really accurate voice-activated search still seems pretty fantastic to me. When it works.

What is your idea of the perfect device?
I think the perfect device would be one that embodied its function intuitively, so that its operation was self-evident. Barring that, it at least should never fight or contradict a reasonable user's attempts to figure it out.

What is your earliest gadget memory?
Probably the 1970s Hewlett-Packard programmable calculator at my grandfather's house. It had something like a vacuum fluorescent display and a slot for reading strips of magnetic tape that you fed through by hand.

What technological advancement do you most admire?
Tough call. I like electricity, and written language is really good. So are general-purpose computing, amplified sound and, of course, sound synthesis.

Which do you most despise?
Auto-tuned vocals.

What fault are you most tolerant of in a gadget?
Low battery life -- I don't mind being plugged in most of the time.

Which are you most intolerant of?
User-surliness; not letting me change a setting that I know exists.

When has your smartphone been of the most help?
Real-time mapping while walking in unfamiliar cities is awesome.

"I'm only 100 percent disconnected for a couple of weeks out of the year, when I go off the grid for transformational arts festivals deep in the mountains of western North Carolina."

What device do you covet most?
As a developer, I've spent some time with a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha, and I really want one for myself now.

If you could change one thing about your phone what would it be?
Aside from changing it to a BB10 :) if I could change anything, I'd probably move away from the handheld design altogether and more towards a wearable / heads-up display. I've always been a cyberpunk at heart so naturally I like that evolution.

What does being connected mean to you?
Constant access to "the Oracle" -- answers to questions from the trivial to the arcane, always on tap. Idle wondering is now obsolete (or the domain of the terminally incurious).

When are you least likely to reply to an email?
I used to email from my phone a lot, but I found that my quality of life improved when I imposed at least that small limitation, to do email only on a laptop or larger machine. So for now anyway, if I'm out on foot or away from a computer, I actually won't be replying to that email until later. I'm still guilty of too much business email on the weekends.

When did you last disconnect?
I'm pretty constantly online, usually in multiple ways simultaneously. All of my home media is interconnected; all the devices are on the network and the TV is just a video switcher in between them. There were a few years in the '90s where I maintained a 24/7 dial-up internet connection on my home phone line, which was relatively uncommon at the time. I'm only 100 percent disconnected for a couple of weeks out of the year, when I go off the grid for transformational arts festivals deep in the mountains of western North Carolina.

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By: Unknown On 10:37 PM

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Dell announces that it's going private, assisted by $2 billion loan from Microsoft

Dell Enters into Agreement to Be Acquired by Michael Dell and Silver Lake

Dell stockholders to receive $13.65 per share in cash
Transaction valued at approximately $24.4 billion
Transaction implies a 37 percent premium over the average closing share price during the previous 90 calendar days ending Jan. 11, 2013
ROUND ROCK, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dell Inc. today announced it has signed a definitive merger agreement under which Michael Dell, Dell's Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, in partnership with global technology investment firm Silver Lake, will acquire Dell.

"Silver Lake is looking forward to partnering with him, the talented management team at Dell and the investor group to innovate, invest in long-term growth initiatives and accelerate the company's transformation strategy to become an integrated and diversified global IT solutions provider."
Under the terms of the agreement, Dell stockholders will receive $13.65 in cash for each share of Dell common stock they hold, in a transaction valued at approximately $24.4 billion. The price represents a premium of 25 percent over Dell's closing share price of $10.88 on Jan. 11, 2013, the last trading day before rumors of a possible going-private transaction were first published; a premium of approximately 35 percent over Dell's enterprise value as of Jan. 11, 2013; and a premium of approximately 37 percent over the average closing share price during the previous 90 calendar days ending Jan. 11, 2013. The buyers will acquire for cash all of the outstanding shares of Dell not held by Mr. Dell and certain other members of management.

The Dell Board of Directors acting on the recommendation of a special committee of independent directors unanimously approved a merger agreement under which Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners will acquire Dell and take the company private subject to a number of conditions, including a vote of the unaffiliated stockholders. Mr. Dell recused himself from all Board discussions and from the Board vote regarding the transaction.

A Special Committee was formed after Mr. Dell first approached Dell's Board of Directors in August 2012 with an interest in taking the company private. Led by Lead Director Alex Mandl, the Special Committee retained independent financial and legal advisors J.P. Morgan and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP to advise the Special Committee with respect to its consideration of strategic alternatives, the acquisition proposal and the subsequent negotiation of the merger agreement.

The Special Committee also engaged a leading management consulting firm to conduct an independent analysis, including a review of strategic alternatives for Dell and opportunities for the company as a public entity, and thereafter engaged Evercore Partners.

The merger agreement provides for a so-called "go-shop" period, during which the Special Committee – with the assistance of Evercore Partners – will actively solicit, receive, evaluate and potentially enter into negotiations with parties that offer alternative proposals. The initial go-shop period is 45 days. Following that period, the Special Committee will be permitted to continue discussions and enter into or recommend a transaction with any person or group that submitted a qualifying proposal during the 45-day period. A successful competing bidder who makes a qualifying proposal during the initial go-shop period would bear a $180 million (less than 1 percent) termination fee. For a competing bidder who did not qualify during the initial go-shop period, the termination fee would be $450 million.

Mr. Mandl, lead director of Dell's Board of Directors, said: "The Special Committee and its advisors conducted a disciplined and independent process intended to ensure the best outcome for shareholders. Importantly, the go-shop process provides a real opportunity to determine if there are alternatives superior to the present offer from Mr. Dell and Silver Lake."

Mr. Dell said: "I believe this transaction will open an exciting new chapter for Dell, our customers and team members. We can deliver immediate value to stockholders, while we continue the execution of our long-term strategy and focus on delivering best-in-class solutions to our customers as a private enterprise. Dell has made solid progress executing this strategy over the past four years, but we recognize that it will still take more time, investment and patience, and I believe our efforts will be better supported by partnering with Silver Lake in our shared vision. I am committed to this journey and I have put a substantial amount of my own capital at risk together with Silver Lake, a world-class investor with an outstanding reputation. We are committed to delivering an unmatched customer experience and excited to pursue the path ahead."

"Michael Dell is a true visionary and one of the preeminent leaders of the global technology industry," said Egon Durban, a Silver Lake Managing Partner. "Silver Lake is looking forward to partnering with him, the talented management team at Dell and the investor group to innovate, invest in long-term growth initiatives and accelerate the company's transformation strategy to become an integrated and diversified global IT solutions provider."

Following completion of the transaction, Mr. Dell, who owns approximately 14 percent of Dell's common shares, will continue to lead the company as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and will maintain a significant equity investment in Dell by contributing his shares of Dell to the new company, as well as making a substantial additional cash investment. Dell will continue to be headquartered in Round Rock, Texas.

The transaction will be financed through a combination of cash and equity contributed by Mr. Dell, cash funded by investment funds affiliated with Silver Lake, cash invested by MSD Capital, L.P., a $2 billion loan from Microsoft, rollover of existing debt, as well as debt financing that has been committed by BofA Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Credit Suisse and RBC Capital Markets (in alphabetical order), and cash on hand. There is no financing condition.

The transaction is subject to other customary conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals, in addition to the Dell stockholder approvals described above. The transaction is expected to close before the end of the second quarter of Dell's FY2014.

For further information regarding all terms and conditions contained in the definitive merger agreement, please see Dell's Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be filed in connection with this transaction.

J.P. Morgan and Evercore Partners are acting as financial advisors and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is acting as legal advisor to the Special Committee of Dell's Board of Directors. Goldman, Sachs & Co. is acting as financial advisor and Hogan Lovells US LLP is acting as legal advisor to Dell. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is acting as legal advisor to Mr. Dell. BofA Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Credit Suisse and RBC Capital Markets (in alphabetical order) are acting as financial advisors to Silver Lake, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as legal advisor to Silver Lake.

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By: Unknown On 9:03 PM

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CES 2013: Sony's new smart Blu-ray players definitely have a look going on

The Sony BDP-S5100 - angling for something

While all and sundry were dazzled by Sony's 4K OLED TV prototype at CES 2013, the company hasn't skimped on its 2013 Blu-ray line-up, bringing sharp new looks to what could so easily have been a boring black box.

The "cutting-edge styling" (maybe in the '80s, Sony) was apparently inspired by "Sense of Quartz" whatever that is, and intended to harmonise with the company's Bravia TV range.

We do love to mock marketing-speak, but the Blu-ray players are quite jazzy on the eye - however, the features are more impressive.

Two of the four new Blu-ray players come with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity (take a bow, BDP-S5100, BDP-S3100), while all offer enhanced features like access to the Sony Entertainment Network.

The Wi-Fi ready models (which includes the BDP-S4100 although it requires a USB adaptor) all offer web access and Smart TV apps, as well as making use of the new TV SideView remote app for iOS and Android.

From all four models, Sony promises "supreme picture quality" - particularly if you hook the new players up to the latest Bravia TVs with support for Triluminos Display for eye-popping on-screen colour.

As if that wasn't enough, both the BDP-S5100 and BDP-S4100 are 3D ready, while all four players offer Full HD 1080p and DVD upscaling.

Nothing to report price-wise at the moment, but Sony's angular new Blu-ray line-up will be hitting shop shelves from February 2013.

Tech. is the essential weekly iPad magazine from the makers of TechRadar. This week: 2013 tech predictions, the best Kickstarter projects and more.

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By: Dilusha On 11:04 PM

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Watch Randi Zuckerberg Have a Facebook Freakout Over Her Photo Going Viral

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You probably already read about Randi Zuckerberg's faux-privacy violation on Facebook this week. But odds are you're not part of her inner circle. Lucky for you, a tipster who's "Friends" with RZ gave up the goods directly from her wall.

While Randi was admonishing people for lacking "human decency" on Twitter—dispatches she'd delete shortly after writing—she was fretting to her vast Friend following about how to handle the situation. The situation being that a completely innocuous photo she'd inadvertently made public through tagging was circulating the Internet. And to think, it was a viral hit even without the original caption: "Mark convinced everyone to download the 'poke' app, so now my family is standing around sexting. Awk. Ward." Truly! Where was Priscilla?

Of course, Randi, who may or may not like attention, didn't let it go, instead issuing a presidential statement to her friends alone, and the now-notorious tweet about "human decency" to the masses.

We all saw how that turned out.

She then asked: should she ignore the quasi-controversy? (Too late) Was it just a slow news day? (Yes, it was)

Dozens of Randi's Silicon Valley chums chimed in, including Google exec Hunter Walk, begging RZ to let it go.

Ignore, ignore, ignore, the people said. Tech investor Michael Arrington chimed in with something incoherent.

Former Microsoft big shot Robert Scoble warned that this will only get worse with the spread of Google Glass. Venture capitalist Dave McClure referred fondly to the time the three of them played Rock Band in 2008. Still, the friends all said let it go. She never did.

It's strange to look inside, from a friend's point of view, and see Mark Zuckerberg's sister miss the mark by so many yards. When something is out there, it's out there, free to be shared like any other rumor, joke, or dog meme—and Randi's family is rich because of it. It's not even Facebook's fault. No privacy setting could have prevented this, short of blocking everyone. Although whining about "decency" should make our eyes roll, she's got the human part spot on—so long as we're friends with humans on Facebook, those same people are free to spread whichever parts of your life they choose, and spread it widely. Because we like doing it, and that's what Facebook is for.

Randi's brother's life goal is "Making the world more open and connected," and he's doing a good job at it. But the more connected we are, the quicker we're just going to be the way we were a century ago. We like funny things. We like being in on the joke. And when you're a self-appointed tech celeb, your frustration becomes a currency anyone will spend. One of your over 2,300 Facebook friends sold you out for a quick laugh Randi, and they'll keep doing it over and over again, to all of us, so long as we're all making money for your brother.

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By: Dilusha On 9:29 PM

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Flickr is Going Free for Three Months to Entice Instagram Deserters

This story will display in ...Dec 22, 2012 10:00 AM  

Marissa Mayer and the folks at Yahoo! have a nice little gift for you this holiday season: free Pro Flickr for three months for any and all users, old and new. Surely this is just all in the spirit of holiday cheer and has nothing to do with cleverly making use of another image-sharing service's TOS debacle, right? Right?!

Normally a Pro subscription to Flickr will run you $25 for a year, but until January 4th, you can get your start for free. Existing pro-users won't get left out in the cold either; their next payment date will be pushed back three months automatically. How nice.

What does this mean for Flickr as a service going forward? It could mean that Yahoo! is using all that Instagram chaos to try to pick up as many cast-offs as possible and ideally get them hooked on Flickr Pro. It could also be testing the waters to see how it fares when Pro membership is free, potentially prepping a change to its fairly ancient membership format. Either way, Pro Flickr is free for the next three months, so you might as well give it a shot. There aren't any filters, but hey, maybe that's a feature. [Flickr via Business Insider]

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By: Dilusha On 9:14 PM

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Survey: 25% of computer users debating on going tablet-only

Although some reports of the so-called "post-PC era" have been greatly exaggerated, there's no denying that we're amidst a shift where many people are ditching their desktops and laptops for less capable, but more mobile solutions. For a certain chunk of users -- around a quarter of them according to a new survey -- devices such as smartphones and tablets are functional enough to meet their daily computing needs.

Conducted by the Center for the Digital Future and Bovitz, the survey asked folks how likely they are to replace their PC after it stops working, given the features offered by today's mobile devices. In reply, 4% said they definitely won't buy a new computer when theirs fails, 6% said they're unlikely to replace their PC and 15% said they might not replace it -- a total of 25% who are at on the fence about future PC purchases.

A little over half of the people who plan to drop PCs said they'll do so for the mobility offered by tablets, 38% say tablets let them do almost everything they did on a PC, 34% say tablets are easier to use than PCs, 26% find tablets more comfortable to use, 22% think tablets are cheaper, 19% are interested in mobile apps and say tablets are more functional (this isn't explained), while 15% say they're cooler or more stylish.

On the flip side, three-quarters of respondents said they plan to replace their current computer with another PC when the time comes. Among these users, 66% say PCs are more comfortable to use than a tablet, 58% require a bigger screen than tablets offer, 56% need the extra performance of a full-fledged computer or a mouse and keyboard, 43% rely on PC software and 25% worry about the security of other devices.

Center for the Digital Future director Jeffrey Cole has predicted that tablets will become the primary computing device in the US over the next few years, but he notes that they aren't yet as established as PCs when it comes to productivity. "The tablet has yet to prove its full functionality," Cole said.  "As more ambitious work on a tablet becomes possible as software choices grow, more users will move to tablets."

Of note, this report coincides with a PC Gamer article that highlights the growth of the enthusiast PC market. The write-up includes a quote from Nvidia spokesman Ben Berraondo, who notes that sales of  desktop GTX graphics cards are growing -- "massively" so when it comes to the GTX 660 and higher models. However, Berraondo also acknowledged that tablets are replacing sales of entry-level computers.

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By: Dilusha On 9:08 AM

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Windows 8 sales have been 'slow going,' Microsoft said to be blaming OEMs

We've already heard about Windows RT's "modest" beginning, and now there's talk full-blown Windows 8 ain't flying off the shelves either. According to MS aficionado Paul Thurrott and one of his "most trusted sources," uptake of the new OS isn't hitting Redmond's targets, with the blame being put on OEMs and their "inability to deliver" more inspiring hardware with better availability. Some corroboration of Windows 8's tricky birth comes from Merle McIntosh, senior VP of product management of NewEgg, who says the online retailer was "prepared for an explosion" at launch, but that sales have "been slow going" to date. However, he says that early sales figures shouldn't be compared to Windows 7, since that OS arrived to "solve a Vista problem." He expects Windows 8 to gain traction in Q2 2013 when "pricing normalizes," which would certainly help to temper any launch frustrations.

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By: Dilusha On 4:27 PM

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Windows 8 sales have been 'slow going,' Microsoft said to be blaming OEMs

We've already heard about Windows RT's "modest" beginning, and now there's talk full-blown Windows 8 ain't flying off the shelves either. According to MS aficionado Paul Thurrott and one of his "most trusted sources," uptake of the new OS isn't hitting Redmond's targets, with the blame being put on OEMs and their "inability to deliver" more inspiring hardware with better availability. Some corroboration of Windows 8's tricky birth comes from Merle McIntosh, senior VP of product management of NewEgg, who says the online retailer was "prepared for an explosion" at launch, but that sales have "been slow going" to date. However, he says that early sales figures shouldn't be compared to Windows 7, since that OS arrived to "solve a Vista problem." He expects Windows 8 to gain traction in Q2 2013 when "pricing normalizes," which would certainly help to temper any launch frustrations.

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By: Dilusha On 2:52 PM

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