Selfloops bridges sport gadget divide on Android with combo ANT+ adapter and battery pack

Selfloops Accessory Brings ANT+ Capability to Over 400 Million Active Android Smartphones

Android ANT+ Accessory enables Android devices to connect to ANT+ sport, fitness and health
sensors while charging smartphone at the same time

Cochrane, Alberta – July 2, 2013 - Selfloops, an Android-based innovation company, and ANT+™, the world's leader in ultra low power (ULP) wireless technology, have announced the release of the Android ANT+ Accessory - a smartphone charger that enables Android connectivity to the ANT+ ecosystem of sport, fitness and health products. The Android ANT+ Accessory allows the millions of existing Android devices (with versions 2.3.4 and higher) to display data such as heart rate, foot speed and distance, bike speed, power and cadence from any certified ANT+ sensor. This links Android applications to the millions of available ANT+ products manufactured by top brands such as Garmin, Timex, and Geonaute.

"We're extremely excited to now offer this innovative accessory to consumers," said Selfloops co-founder, Christian Del Rosso. "This is the only smartphone accessory that will enable ANT+ in Android devices with versions 2.3.4 and higher, which covers over 85% of the Android installed base. Existing solutions only cover Android 3.1 and upward (43% of the installed base) so we are thrilled to offer a device that brings ANT+ to the mass population of Android users."

The Android ANT+ Accessory connects to an Android device via USB and also functions as a charger, extending the battery life of a connected smartphone. The accessory adheres to the Android USB Accessory Protocol and supports devices that do not have USB OTG (on-the-go) capabilities.

"The Android ANT+ Accessory has created a new innovative category of devices we call 'smart'
smartphone chargers," added other Selfloops co-founder, Piero Ribichini. "In this case, the accessory enables ANT+ in the majority of existing Android devices all while charging the phone at the same time."

"It's very evident that consumers want ANT+ in their smartphones," said ANT Wireless Vice President, Rod Morris. "We're pleased to have an ANT+ Alliance Member bring a product to market that gives existing Android app developers and users an option to connect to ANT+."
Applications created using the official Android ANT APIs from ANT Wireless will automatically be
compatible with the Selfloops Android ANT+ Accessory. Selfloops has developed two ANT+ Android apps (Selfloops and Selfloops Group Fitness) that are currently available on the Google Play Store.

The Selfloops Android ANT+ Accessory is available at a cost of $115.00 US and can now be pre-ordered at www.selfloops.com/products/accessories.html. The device is expected to start shipping in October.

View the original article here

Google Maps Adds 'Seven Bridges' Imagery for Math Fanatics

By Samantha Murphy2013-05-03 15:59:57 UTC

OK math nerds, hold on to your protractors. Google Maps has just added Street View imagery of Russia's Seven Bridges of Köenigsberg — the landmark behind the classic mathematical problem that has had people scratching their heads for centuries.

As a part of an effort to roll out more map coverage of Russia, the Street View team landed in the seaport town of Kaliningrad (the the modern name for Köeningsberg). The town is home to seven bridges made famous in the 1700s by mathematician Leonhard Euler, who was recently featured in a Google Doodle.

Euler believed there was no possible way to go over each of the seven bridges once... and only once. Google sums up the challenge in a blog post: "find a route through Kaliningrad—which was once separated by the Pregel River—by crossing each of the seven bridges in town. The catch? One could only cross each bridge exactly once."

"This famous problem and Leonhard Euler’s nonresolution paved the way for important discoveries in the field of mathematics including graph theory and topology," Google adds.

In fact, some of his findings are even used to calculate optimal driving routes for Google's Street View cars.

"We use sophisticated algorithms, based on graph theory, to determine the best route through a city or town helping us capture all the images we need to make Google Maps comprehensive, in the shortest amount of time," Google said. "Though these algorithms are complex, in simple terms, it's equivalent to solving the problem of drawing a house without lifting your pen and never going over the same segment twice."

Although only five of the original bridges still remain — two were destroyed in World War II — Google Maps takes you over them and through town.

If you look close enough, you can see the engraved padlocks hanging on the sides of the bridges, which is considered tradition for newly married couples to add one to the collection.

Images via Google Maps and The MAA Mathematical Sciences Digital Library

Topics: if(window.pageChanged) window.omni({"channel":"social-media","content_type":"article","top_channel":"social-media","content_source_type":"Internal","content_source_name":"Internal","author_name":"Samantha Murphy","age":"0","pub_day":3,"pub_month":5,"pub_year":2013,"pub_date":"05/03/2013","isPostView":true,"post_lead_type":"Default"}); metaData = {"link":[["canonical","http://mashable.com/2013/05/03/google-maps-seven-bridges/"],["image_src","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA1LzAzLzYzL1NldmVuQnJpZGdlLjZjOTc4LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTcyMHg3MjAjCmUJanBn/ba207e72/e38/SevenBridge.jpg"]],"meta_property":[["og:url","http://mashable.com/2013/05/03/google-maps-seven-bridges/"],["og:title","Google Maps Adds 'Seven Bridges' Imagery for Math Fanatics"],["og:type","article"],["og:site_name","Mashable"],["og:image","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA1LzAzLzYzL1NldmVuQnJpZGdlLjZjOTc4LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTcyMHg3MjAjCmUJanBn/ba207e72/e38/SevenBridge.jpg"],["og:article:published_time","2013-05-03T15:59:57Z"],["og:article:modified_time","2013-05-03T16:00:12Z"]],"meta_name":[["description","Okay, math nerds. Hold on to your helmets. Google Maps has just added Street View imagery of a landmark behind a classic mathematical problem."],["keywords",["uncategorized"]],["twitter:title","Google Maps Adds 'Seven Bridges' Imagery for Math Fanatics"],["twitter:description","Okay, math nerds. Hold on to your helmets. Google Maps has just added Street View imagery of a landmark behind a classic mathematical problem."],["twitter:image","http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA1LzAzLzYzL1NldmVuQnJpZGdlLjZjOTc4LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTU2MHg3NTAKZQlqcGc/87ea604e/e38/SevenBridge.jpg"],["twitter:site","@mashable"],["twitter:url","http://mashable.com/2013/05/03/google-maps-seven-bridges/"],["twitter:creator","@mashable"],["twitter:card","photo"],["twitter:image:width","560"],["twitter:image:height","750"]],"short_url":[["short_url","http://on.mash.to/15esZFD"]]};

View the original article here