This brain-training wearable promises better sleep

CES 2020 is the year of sleep tech. I called it a few months ago, and now that the announcements are starting to trickle out, I’m re-staking that claim. Technology has played an important role in completely destroying my sleep cycle.. Yet somehow, it appears to be my only hope of saving it.

URGONight seems to be one of the more interesting takes on the space. Though it does overlap pretty significantly with the Muse S headband that was also literally just announced this very minute (I know, I wrote that story, too). The hook to this specific neurofeedback headband (a phrase I knew I would be writing at some point in 2020) is that it’s designed for daytime use for sleep training.

The headband is designed to be used for 20 minutes a day, three days a week. It has two electrodes that detect brain activity. Wearers can view their brain feedback in real-time, via the Android/iOS app. There are a bunch of different exercises, including growing leaves on trees and drawing patterns. The idea is to essentially train your brain to sleep better.

“Just as you can train your body to run faster, jump higher, swim further or become more flexible, clinical studies have shown neurofeedback therapy can help people learn how to improve the quality of their sleep,” founder Guirec said in a release. “The technology has been used in clinical sleep centers around the world for decades and now with URGOnight, we are making it more fun and accessible and conveniently usable in the comfort of the home.”

It’s interesting, for sure. I certainly can’t speak to the product’s efficacy — or any of the science here (though “sleep spindles” are a real thing, according to a very quick Google search I just did). I’m willing to give anything a shot at this point, though. You can, too, in Q2. Though it’s gonna cost you $500.

Muse’s innovative meditation headband gets a softer, sleepier version

Maybe you remember the Muse Softband from last year’s CES. Honestly, probably you don’t. I do, but only because A. I was there and B. I actually really liked the company’s regular version. I’m still pretty skeptical about the concept of using meditation to jumpstart mindfulness, but the Muse 2 makes a compelling case for hardware as a means of quieting one’s thoughts.

After a year of silence, the rebranded Muse S is ready to launch. I like the name. It beats Softband, in that it doesn’t sound like a Japanese investment firm. “S” is for “soft” and also “sleep” — two elements that obviously go hand in hand. It’s also “s” for “savvy move on Muse’s part,” as sleep tech is all the rage this CES. And certainly meditation and sleep go hand in hand.

The fabric headband offers similar “biofeedback-enhanced meditation,” measuring brainwaves to determine where your concentration is at. Sleep is added to the mix, as well, designed to be worn for five or so minutes a night before trying to get to sleep. The system pairs up with the Muse app, which features “Go-to-Sleep Journeys” — essentially guided sleep meditations. Unlike some comparable sleep masks, however, the headphones aren’t built in.

Instead, you pair it with your headphones and put your phone away. Comfort levels will vary, of course, depending on your headphones. The sounds are impacted in real-time based on biofeedback including brain activity, movement and heart rate, adjusting the soundtrack accordingly. Compelling for sure. I’ve got it on good authority that there’s a unit waiting for me back at home. Sadly, it didn’t get to me in time — would have been nice for CES hell week.

Anyway, review soon, probably. For the rest of you, the Muse S is currently available for $350 through Muse’s site and Amazon. The Muse meditation app runs $13 a month.

Waverly Labs’ new wearable translater arrives in April at $200

There are a lot of companies trying to do this. And understandably so. It’s a really cool thing to do — and if someone can really crack it, there’s a lot of money to be made. For a years now, Waverly Labs has been among the more interesting startups in the real-time translation space — and perhaps even more significantly, it’s actually had a product on the market for a while now.

This week at CES, the New York-based startup announced the availability of its latest commercial offering. Announced back in May as part of a crowdfunding/presale campaign, Ambassador will be available or sale in April, priced at $200. Like most headphones, the Ambassador is sold two ears at a time, though the idea here is to put one over your own ear and hand one off to another speaker.

Converse is one of three of the device’s modes, letting users engage in a two-way conversation using a single smartphone. The device listens and translates in real-time. There’s also a Listen mode, which automatically, well, Listen to anyone within an eight foot range and Lecture mode, which speaks live translations through a connected handset.

The system is capable of translating 20 languages and 42 dialect (which I will not be writing out here), feature a two mic array, with up to four units able to communicate with a single smartphone at once.

The company’s first device managed $5 million in pre-sales and has since shipped 40,000 units — not to shabby for a first-ten startup project. The Ambassador, meanwhile, has generate a solid, but less impressive $500,000 so far. The company’s got plenty of competition, including startups like Timekettle and behemoths like Google, which is due to release a new take on Pixelbuds later this year.

Withings says its latest watch can detect sleep apnea

Sure to be the next big battlefield for wrist-worn wearables, Withings today announced sleep apnea detection for its latest smartwatch. The company notes in press materials for the newly announced ScanWatch, that eight out of 10 people with the serious sleeping condition aren’t aware that they have it.

It’s not a full-fledged medical device, of course, but the prevalence of such a feature could go a ways toward helping the more than 18 million Americans who suffer from the condition (according to numbers I just looked up from the National Sleep Foundation).

The system uses an on-board SpO2 sensor that transmits a light was into blood vessels. The system takes measurements throughout the night, nothing when wearers aren’t getting enough oxygen. That, in turn, can point to sleep apnea as a root cause. Left untreated, it can lead to a whole slew of problems, including stroke and heart failure.

It’s an issue a number of different manufacturers are looking to address with wearables. Fitbit, notably, has publicly outlined its intentions to bring such functionality to its devices. The company has conducted public studies, but has yet to offer a firm timeline.

Like other recent devices, the ScanWatch also includes detection of irregular heart rhythm like AFib, through an on-board ECG scanner. Like past Withings watches, this one’s a hybrid, featuring an analog face, coupled with a small display that offers up health feedback, notifications and the like.

It will arrive in Q2, priced at $249.

HP will start integrating Tile tracking into laptops

Here’s one those “why didn’t they do this sooner” deals. HP just announced at CES that it will be the first PC company to integrate Tile’s tracking technology directly into its laptops. The company’s Elite Dragonfly line will be the first get the technology, with a model dropping some point during Q1 of this year.

The biggest winner of the deal here is Bay Area-based Tile. People who purchase laptops with the technology built in will need to download the Tile app order to track missing laptops. Likely it will only be available in a handful of systems to start, but as HP integrates it into more to differentiate devices, that’s a big potential for a lot more installs.

The app can be used to note the last place the laptop was seen and locate devices even when the system is not connected to a WiFi network or powered down. Once it goes beyond bluetooth range, Tile’s finding network kicks in. Likely, however, it will mostly be used in those moments when you’re scrambling to leave the house in the money and can’t find your laptop under a pile of dirty laundry — a hypothetical that I have clearly never experienced.

The finding range should be akin to that of the standalone Tile units. The system will also feature a similar ringing feature to help locate misplaced systems. HP apparently conducted a survey in which some 72 percent of people said the ability to find a lost or misplaced laptop would be “very or extremely valuable,” which, fair enough.

No word on pricing, though Elite Dragonfly is one of the company’s pricier models, starting at $1,500, so it seems unlikely the new feature will add much of a premium.

TypingDNA raises $7M Series A led by Google's Gradient Ventures for its service that enables companies to identify people by how they type (Connie Loizos/TechCrunch)

Connie Loizos / TechCrunch:
TypingDNA raises $7M Series A led by Google's Gradient Ventures for its service that enables companies to identify people by how they type  —  TypingDNA, a four-year-old, 18-person startup that was founded in Bucharest, Romania and more recently moved its headquarters to Brooklyn, New York …

HP updates Elite Dragonfly laptop with 10th-gen Intel processors, Tile integration

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  The updated HP Elite Dragonfly (left) next to the updated HP Spectre x360 15 (right). [credit: Valentina Palladino ]

HP's Elite Dragonfly laptop may have only come out a month or two ago, but the company is already updating it. The newest member of the Elite family received mostly an internal update ahead of CES 2020, including 10th-gen Intel processors and a new Tile integration that should make it easier for users to find their misplaced laptops.

We reviewed the Elite Dragonfly last month and were impressed at how well it combined a thin-and-light design with solid performance and good battery life. We were disappointed that the laptop didn't launch with 10th-gen Intel processors, but the wait for that is now over. Any users buying an Elite Dragonfly in 2020 will have the option to get the newest processors, as well as HP's 4th-gen SureView privacy screen technology and newly added support for 5G. The latter expands upon the Elite Dragonfly's optional LTE support and, while nice to include in a spec sheet, it does more to future-proof the device than it does to add immediate value for users.

HP also partnered with Tile to bring device-tracking features to the Elite Dragonfly. Tile makes small Bluetooth trackers that you can attach to your keys, stick in your backpack, and place with other important possessions to monitor their location using the Tile mobile app. The new Elite Dragonfly laptops will have Tile technology embedded into the chassis, allowing users to find their laptop if they lose it.

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Byton is launching an app developer program for its M-Byte electric SUV

China-based electric car startup Byton might be best known for its massive 48-inch wraparound digital dashboard screen in its upcoming M-Byte SUV as well as a host of other screens sprinkled throughout the vehicle. Those screens might get all the attention, but they are merely the delivery mechanism or “stage” for what Byton hopes will be a smart device on wheels.

The company announced Sunday ahead of CES, the annual tech trade show in Las Vegas, it will launch a developer program to unlock the kinds of apps that will turn these screens into an interactive and valuable experience for customers.

Jeff Chung, Byton’s vp of digital engineering, said the company has known from the outset that it would need to invite partners to “create truly compelling interactions.”

“Byton’s unique user interface offers developers a challenge and an opportunity to engage with an in-car experience like none they ever seen,” he added.

Byton has already been working with companies like Access, Accuweather, Aiqudo, CloudCar, Road.Travel, and Xperi to develop apps and services for entertainment, health and ecommerce. The developer program aims to expand that app ecosystem.

Byton has released UX design documentation as well as app development guidelines with the launch of the program.