Apple, Motorola lead upcoming parade of shiny new gadgets

It's shaping up to be an especially interesting September for mobile gadgets, and for the companies that make them. Rumored new phones, tablets and smartwatches from Apple ( AAPL), Motorola ( GOOGL), Sony ( SNE) and others could shake up the market and offer consumers a wider range of choices, possibly with compelling new features.

The leading companies are aiming to prove wrong analysts who say there's not much excitement or innovation left in the smartphone arena as sales growth slows and competition from cheaper, Asian manufacturers intensifies.

Apple overhauls the iPhone's physical design every other year, making 2014 a potentially exciting year for the company's many devoted fans. Based on numerous media reports, Apple is expected to unveil two larger-screen models at a September 9 event. A smartwatch or other wrist-worn device is also a possibility, according to some reports. The company has not confirmed the rumors, however.

Upping the iPhone's screen size from 4 inches to 4.7 and 5.5 inches will give customers a lot more space to play their favorite games and watch Youtube videos. It should also help boost Apple's market share at the high end of the smartphone market, where larger-screen models have captured an increasing proportion of sales.

The new phones, and rumored wearables, will also be compatible with Apple's new HealthKit and HomeKit initiatives. HealthKit will store a user's biometric and exercise data while HomeKit will connect iPhones to home automation systems.

Will Apple sell on the news?

For investors, the question is whether Apple's shares will repeat their prior pattern of rallying ahead of an announcement and then selling off once the news is disclosed. Shares of Apple gained an average of 8% in the month ahead of the past two iPhone announcements, then lost an average of 4% for the following month. Apple shares have been strong of late, gaining 33% since the end of April and hitting a split-adjusted record of $101.98.

Five days before the Apple event, Google's Motorola division is expected to take the wraps off its newest phones, also including models with larger screen sizes. Moto has been steadily gaining critical acclaim - and sales - for new models it started rolling out last year, including the high-end Moto X and less expensive Moto G and E. But the once dominant mobile phone maker hasn't made any profits since Google bought the company in 2012. Lenovo agreed to buy the unit for $2.9 billion in January, but the deal hasn't closed yet.The rumored Moto X+1 is expected to arrive with a 5-inch screen, up from last year's 4.7 inches, while the Moto S is expected to compete among phablets with its almost 6-inch screen.

Most of the other announcements, including from Samsung and Sony, will happen around the annual German tech conference, Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, known as IFA.

Samsung had been the hottest smartphone maker until this year. In the premium market, the Galaxy S5, introduced in February, has sold relatively well but not as well as the company hoped. And Samsung has been rapidly losing ground to Lenovo, Huawei and other Asian makers at the lower end of the Android market.

But expectations are muted for Samsung's scheduled September 3 press conference. Analysts don't think the expected new phablet, a 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 4, will help Samsung claw back much of the lost ground.

Sony has also struggled lately. In July, the company slashed its smartphone sales forecast to 43 million devices from 50 million for its fiscal year ending next March, representing only 10% growth.

On Facebook, Sony teased a new mid-range phone, the Xperia M2 Aqua, and a waterproof version of its Smartband fitness tracker. That won't be enough to reverse the company's fortunes but should give swimmers a new choice for activity tracking. It's also expected to make official its much-leaked new flagship phone, the Xperia Z3, and possibly new tablets and watches.

With rumors swirling about a possible smartwatch from Apple, LG and Asus are moving to pre-empt. Asus touted its September 3 event by tweeting a quote from Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran: 'Time has transformed and we have changed.'

Something #Incredible is going to happen at #IFA2014, see you there! http://ift.tt/1tjNmZE

- ASUS (@ASUS) August 19, 2014

LG, which introduced a square-shaped smartwatch earlier this year, is expected to go round at its event; a round watch with step counting and a compass is clearly visible in LG's promotional video.But smartwatches have garnered few sales so far this year, and analysts aren't much excited about the prospects of the upcoming debuts. Still, with all the announcements coming in September, gadget lovers will have a host of new options to consider.

Enter our Back to School 2014 sweepstakes for a gadget

If you haven't entered our Back to School 2014 sweepstakes yet, you've got some catching up to do. We're giving away 15 Timbuk2 Command messenger bags stuffed with a Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 13 laptop, an LG G3 smartphone from AT&T and much, much more. For a chance to make one of these prizes yours, simply enter the raffle here and on the 14 other eligible Back To School posts (you'll find the complete list at the giveaway page here). Good luck!

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The LG G Watch R is the most exciting gadget I've ever hated

Honestly, I don't like the looks of the LG G Watch R. But I'm really excited about it.

That's because what LG actually did last night was verify that round displays on smartwatches are real. They're 'a thing.' The Moto 360 isn't a one-trick pony, a one-off; the industry has officially figured out how to deliver round wearables, and it's going to do so on a measurable scale.

Smartwatches still just don't look that great

I can't overstate how important that is. Smartwatch adoption is held back primarily by two things: one, it's hard to convince people that they need notifications on their wrist, especially when a significant percentage of consumers have simply never worn a wristwatch and don't care to start now. That's an ongoing challenge, and the ball now lies in Apple's court to see if the industry is ready and able to turn that corner. But secondly, smartwatches still just don't look that great. It's a complaint I've been lodging since before the launch of Samsung's original Galaxy Gear last year. Even the best-looking ones are compromises: the Pebble Steel, which is the consensus best-looking smartwatch currently on sale, has a square, black-and-white display as its centerpiece.

That's not to say a wrist-worn device must have a round face to look good, of course, but it can't look like a physical manifestation of high technology - it has to put fashion first, because it's always visible. You can hide a smartphone in your pocket or purse when it's not in use, but wearables have to ascribe to the same rules of design as a shirt, shoe, or hat. (Imagine how many more Google Glass would be sold if they were indistinguishable from regular sunglasses or eyeglasses.) The round face, an iconic element of the classic wristwatch, is a huge leap in that direction.

Analog watch hands aren't dead

But it's only a leap, not the finish line. Multiple industry sources have indicated to me that manufacturers are aggressively pursuing display technologies that would make smartwatches virtually indistinguishable from a 30-year-old Timex or Tag Heuer without sacrificing functionality. Analog watch hands aren't dead: consider a round, full-color display with hands above, or a transparent OLED with hands underneath, for instance. The technology is close, and designers are fully aware that they need to get there.

And for smartwatches, that's the dream: once engineers figure out how to seamlessly walk us back to analog, they'll be able to replicate the full spectrum of designs found in traditional wristwatches. Obviously analog hands aren't for everyone, but then you'll be able to choose something more akin to a Moto 360 or G Watch R, or even a rectangular display if that's more your style. That variety is a wonderful thing. It's a celebration of form factor diversity that we've lost with smartphones in the age of the glass rectangle - but thankfully we won't have to lose it with the wearable.

So, no, I'm not buying a G Watch R; the faux timing bezel just doesn't do anything for me. Nor will I buy a Samsung Gear S, for that matter. I'm just awfully glad they exist.

Flight Grounded After 'Knee Defender' Gadget Leads To Inevitable Row

A flight has been grounded after a customer refused to remove a gadget designed to prevent the seat in front being reclined.

The 'Knee Defender' is a small, $21.95 piece of plastic which attaches to your tray table, and is intended to stop the passenger in front reclining their seat.

The idea is that by using the gadget, you can ensure that you can use your laptop without being disturbed.

It's not specifically banned - the Federal Aviation Administration lets airlines in the US decide whether to prohibit the device's use - but it's not hard to see how it causes problems.

Logically, in fact, we can see how this thing might almost always leads to an argument, because the only time the gadget would be tested is when the person in front tries to recline, and can't. At which point they realise you'd rather use a 'Knee Defender' than ask them politely not to recline their seat. Thus, argument.

The gadget's makers provide this advice on their website if such a thing should occur:

'If you are using Knee Defender™ to protect your knees from being banged by the person's seatback, then simply let the person know that there really is not enough room for him/her to recline the seat without knocking into and/or compressing part of your body. If you are using Knee Defender™ simply to provide you with a warning that the person in front of you wants to recline his/her seat - so that, for example, you can close your notebook computer to protect its screen - then ask the person for a moment, move your computer and remove your Knee Defender™, and then let the person know that it is OK to recline.'

But we think there might still be issues. And so it apparently proved on United Flight 1462 from Newark to Denver over the weekend, according to AP.

United said that a male passenger seated in Economy Plus - an area of the plane which boasts four inches of extra leg room - decided to use the gadget so he could work on his computer.

All was probably well, until the woman tried to decline her seat and couldn't. Presumably after words with his fellow Economy Plus traveller, he was asked to remove it by airline staff - and declined. The woman in front then threw water at him, at which point the plane was diverted to Chicago and the passengers - both 48 - were removed.

They then were able to enjoy all the legroom they wanted while they arranged alternative travel plans.

The FAA said that neither passenger was arrested, and are unlikely to be fined. And given the maximum fine for unruly passengers is $25,000 in the US, that's got to count as a win...

A Little Gadget Called the Knee Defender Caused a Flight to Make an ...

David McNew/Getty Images

On Sunday, a United Airlines fight had to make an emergency landing because two passengers got into a very heated argument. This situation is not out of the ordinary because let's face it, when you cram hundreds of people into a fart filled tube that serves booze, you're bound to get some fights.

What's weird about this particular confrontation is that the whole dispute was over a little device called the Knee Defender, which is not just a name for the lamest super hero ever.

The Knee Defender is a gadget invented in 2003 by Ira Goldman , a Washington D.C. man towering over six feet tall who was tired of people reclining into his lap and having no leg room during flights.

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This tiny device attaches to your tray table and prevents the person in front of you from reclining. Pretty ingenious, right? Until is causes two people to get so pissed off at each other a flight has to make an emergency landing, which is exactly what happened this past weekend.

It all started when one passenger on a flight from New Jersey to Denver used the Knee Defender to keep the woman in front of him from reclining back while he was on his laptop. According to ABC News, the woman complained and a flight attendant asked him to remove the Knee Defender. He refused, and that's when the woman turned around and threw a cup of water on him. After the altercation, the flight team decided to land the plane in Chicago and have the passengers, who were both sitting in the Economy Plus section, escorted off.

The Knee Defender has not been banned by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (yet) because it doesn't affect passenger safety (again, yet). But airlines have the right to ban it themselves, and most of them do, including United Airlines.

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According to the website for the Knee Defender, it is a crucial purchase for 'airline passengers with small children, 'road warriors' who need to work while flying, and any traveler who simply does not like being hit by a reclining airplane seat.'

On one hand, we do hate when people recline into our lap when we are on our computers trying to catch up on all the latest episode of Chopped, but on the other hand, it's not really fair to take away someone's right to recline back.

What do you guys think? Is the Knee Defender a terrible invention or should people be free to use it?

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'Knee defender' gadget sparks fight on United Airlines flight; plane forced down

NEW YORK (AP) -- Airline passengers have come to expect a tiny escape from the confined space of today's packed planes: the ability to recline their seat a few inches. When one passenger was denied that bit of personal space Sunday, it led to a heated argument and the unscheduled landing of their plane, just halfway to its destination.

The fight started on a United Airlines flight because one passenger was using the Knee Defender, a $21.95 gadget that attaches to a passenger's tray table and prevents the person in front of them from reclining.

The Federal Aviation Administration leaves it up to individual airlines to set rules about the device. United Airlines said it prohibits use of the device, like all major U.S. airlines. Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air take the reclining mechanisms out of their seats, leaving them permanently upright.

The dispute on United Flight 1462 from Newark, New Jersey to Denver escalated to the point where the airline decided to divert to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, according to Transportation Security Administration spokesman Ross Feinstein.

Chicago Police and TSA officers met the flight, spoke to the passengers -- a man and a woman, both 48 -- and 'deemed it a customer service issue,' Feinstein said. The TSA would not name the passengers.

The plane then continued to Denver without them, arriving 1 hour and 38 minutes late, according to the airline's website.

The Federal Aviation Administration can impose a civil fine of up to $25,000 for passengers who are unruly. In this case, no arrest was made, according to airport spokesman Gregg Cunningham.

The fight started when the male passenger, seated in a middle seat of row 12, used the Knee Defender to stop the woman in front of him from reclining while he was on his laptop, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak.

A flight attendant asked him to remove the device and he refused. The woman then stood up, turned around and threw a cup of water at him, the official says. That's when United decided to land in Chicago. The two passengers were not allowed to continue to Denver.

Both passengers were sitting in United's Economy Plus section, the part of the plane that has four more inches of legroom than the rest of coach.

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MIT Students Invent Gadget to Detect Concussions in Young Athletes

Jolt Sensor is a wearable teach sensor clip that can detect and alert parents and coaches to concussions and potential serious head injuries. (Jolt)

Two MIT graduates have invented a wearable sensor that instantly alerts parents and coaches when a child received a hard blow to the head that could cause a serious injury.

The Jolt Sensor, founded by Ben Harvatine and Seth Berg, was originally an engineering lab project at MIT that was inspired by a concussion suffered by Harvatine during wrestling practice.

The condition was not immediately detected by doctors and became worse as Harvatine's brain was exposed to additional impacts.

The duo realised this problem was prevalent among young athletes, who lack adequate sideline technology and medical personnel to identify and evaluate dangerous head impacts as soon as they happen.

'Through the ensuing hospital visits and months of recovery, the same thought kept crossing my mind - how could this have been prevented?' Harvatine said in his Kickstarter video.

'Many athletes like myself continue to play without realising they've been concussed, so there needs to be a way to alert parents, coaches and athletes of dangerous impacts as soon as they happen.'

The Jolt sensor. (Jolt)

The Jolt Sensor is a tiny 1.37in smart wearable clip that can be attached to any type of athletic headgear. The sensor vibrates to warn an athlete if it detects that the person's head is accelerating in a potentially dangerous way.

( A white Jolt sensor, embedded in a football helmet.)

The Jolt Sensor also makes use of Low-Energy Bluetooth technology to wirelessly send an alert to an accompanying iOS and Android smartphone app held by the parent or coach on the sidelines.

The technology enables information to be sent to devices that are up to 50m away, which means it is strong enough to be used on the pitch or court.

The sensor is waterproof and protected by soft silicone rubber. It comes with a micro-USB port and a battery that lasts several weeks on a single charge.

Jolt has just launched its Kickstarter campaign and has already had 132 backers pledge $11,840 (£7,129) within 24 hours, out of the $60,000 goal it hopes to achieve.

Backers will receive the Jolt Sensor if they pledge $75 or more and the startup hopes to ship the devices in April 2015.