The Jawbone Up debuted last year with big ambitions: A bracelet-like device that you’d wear all the time, tracking how much you move and how well you sleep. Paired with an app, the Up helps you recognize patterns in your habits, empowering you to improve your health. One problem: It wasn’t built to withstand the punishment of being a wearable device. Unlike a cellphone that resides in your pocket or a bag, the Up wraps around your wrist, exposed to the world just as much as your skin is. Many users found it quickly malfunctioned, and Jawbone recalled the Up and issued refunds. After nearly a year of revamping and beta testing, Jawbone is releasing Up 2.0. Although it looks exactly the same on the outside, the internals have been thoroughly changed, built to a new strength that goes way beyond industry standards, the company says. For instance, Jawbone exposed the Up to various chemicals and solvents, tested it, then exposed it again and again. There were also many drop tests. In total, 2.9 million hours of testing went into the second version of the product, the company says. Now the new Up is here, selling for $129.99, or $30 more than the original (those extra man-hours don’t pay for themselves). It comes in three sizes and eight different colors. You can get one, starting today, at Jawbone’s website, the Apple Store, Best Buy and AT&T stores. We’ll have a review after we’ve had a chance to check it out for a few days. What do you think of the Up? And what would convince you to use it? Share your impressions in the comments. Image courtesy of Jawbone Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/13/jawbone-up-new/
“Here come the balls, big orange balls…” Sound familiar? That’s essentially the NBA‘s take on the classic holiday tune “Carol of the Bells,” as seen in the creative ad embedded above. Featuring five of the NBA’s biggest stars covering the song via basketball dribble, it’s meant to promote the NBA’s special one-color jerseys players will wear Christmas Day and premieres on TV during Wednesday night’s games. The spot was produced by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, the advertising agency behind the legendary “Got Milk?” spots and other well-known campaigns. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/21/nba-ad-holiday/
Lately, it seems more and more like getting off of this planet would be a great idea. Unfortunately, we’ve just got the one habitable planet in the solar system, so it seems like we’re stuck here. That is, unless the United Arab Emirates (UAE) succeeds in their mission. The UAE plans to build the first settlement on Mars within the next hundred years. Because so few of us will be sticking around to see that come to fruition, they’ve released a 3D Virtual Tour showing what that future settlement on Mars might look like. Even if you don’t have a VR headset, you can click and move around on screen for the full 360 degree experience of the “City of Wisdom.” Youtube / World Government Summit The “Mars 2117” project was envisioned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. He said at its launch, “Human ambitions have no limits, and whoever looks into the scientific breakthroughs in the current century believes that human abilities can realize the most important human dream.” Youtube / World Government Summit While the UAE doesn’t have one of the biggest space programs in the world, they’ve majorly upgraded in the past few years and are dedicating a serious amount of money to this project. Youtube / World Government Summit <div class="llcust" data-lltype="video" id="ll_5a2df61de92c9" data-source=" Youtube / World Government Summit Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/living-on-mars/
Winning or losing doesn’t matter when it comes to some athletes. What matters is the well-being of those in need. North Dakota teen Melanie Bailey was faced with a tough choice in her final high school cross-country meet. While passing the two-mile mark of the 2.4 mile course, she noticed that the runner ahead of her, fellow senior Danielle Lenoue, was in a great deal of pain. Lenoue was limping and crying, lagging behind in the race. Bailey stopped and offered help, and though the other runner kept telling her to “go on,” Bailey refused and offered her help. When that didn’t do much to relieve the poor girl’s pain, Bailey took the girl onto her back and carried her a quarter mile to receive medical attention. (Source: Tricia Kelley) She may not have won the race, but she won what really mattered: being a good caring person. Read more: http://viralnova.com/runner-helps-competitor/
We don’t love sports so much because we actually care about who can put a ball in a net or through a hoop. The true appeal is in the way these silly, arbitrary games we invest so much in reflect and bring out core elements of the universal human experience — success, failure, determination, community, joy and sorrow, for example. The YouTube clip above captures this perfectly. Shot at a Windy City bar called The Pony on Monday night as the Chicago Blackhawks came back to win the NHL‘s Stanley Cup title in thrilling fashion, the two-minute video is raw, unedited and so, so real. The ‘Hawks scored two goals in 17 seconds just before the final horn to win their series against the Boston Bruins in six games. Watch fans in the packed bar go nuts over the first goal that tied the game, slowly process what just happened, then completely lose their minds after Chicago scores again. Unfortunately, the scene in Boston bars was probably the exact opposite of what you see here. But at least Bruins fans had one small victory to cling to for a few short hours after their team’s tragic loss. Then there was also this fantastic Vine video posted by Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference, in which he removes his burly playoff beard with an eraser and a sneeze: Time to get ready for next year. https://t.co/LIooTouZuT — Andrew Ference (@Ferknuckle) June 25, 2013 Homepage image by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images window._msla=window.loadScriptAsync||function(src,id){if(document.getElementById(id))return;var js=document.createElement(‘script’);js.id=id;js.src=src;document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0].parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}; _msla(“//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”,”twitter_jssdk”); Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/06/26/stanley-cup-bar-footage/
Just because you hear that a movie is “certified fresh” doesn’t mean you’re going to like it. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/why-you-shouldnt-put-too-much-stock-into-rotten-tomatoes-ratings/
No one knows how long this elderly dog had been stuck in a sewage gutter before a kind soul fished him out. Sadly, though, that wasn’t the end of his hardship. The poor boy suffered a severe gash on his hindquarters and was in so much pain that he couldn’t stand. If the amazing people from Animal Aid Unlimited hadn’t come to rescue him, there’s no telling if he would have ever moved from where he was left. I was cheering in my seat when he was lifted up and stood on his own for the first time! If you don’t know about all the wonderful work Animal Aid Unlimited is doing for strays in India, find out here. And please consider donating to their cause here. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/street-dog/
Integrating cows into the herd is usually a pretty straightforward task — rather unexciting, even. The animals meet and get along instantly because cows love meeting new friends. So when Panda (the black-and-white bovine in the below video) and Jazzy (the smaller brown one) were let loose to introduce themselves to a herd of cows, their owner didn’t think much would happen. But boy, was she wrong! Who knew cows could be this happy, let alone run that fast! YouTube Rescuing farmed animals from potential slaughter, Animal Place provides cows and other creatures with a sanctuary where they can always live free. Which in the case of these happy-go-lucky guys, seems like a pretty great reason to celebrate! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/meeting-cows/
Unlike most other celebrities, Robin Williams cared deeply for his fans. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/before-he-died-robin-williams-sent-this-message-to-a-fan-with-cancer/
