Scientists want to measure goosebumps to understand your emotions

A research team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has invented a sensor that can measure the size and duration of goosebumps on the skin. (Hey, everyone needs a hobby.) It's made from a small piece of thin, transparent stick-on polymer with a tiny conductive element. When its ability to store an…

Will Adidas beat Nike in the wearables game with its new miCoach Fit Smart Band?

Over the past few days there have been a whole host of leaks, providing anxious wearable-lovers with photos and specs about Adidas' latest foray into the activity tracking market: the miCoach Fit Smart band (or at least that's what the rumours suggest it's called). It looks like the huge sporting brand has taken advantage of…

NASA wants to send your messages, tweets and selfies into space

What would you like to say to aliens? That might not be a rhetorical question: NASA really does plan to collect messages from members of the public that it'll send into space as some kind of intergalactic time capsule. (And who knows who or what might find them...) Next summer, NASA's New Horizons probe, which…

Apple announces new updated iPod touch – UK launch today

Does anyone remember iPods? Those who still use Apple’s music devices, as opposed to listening to music on your phone like everyone else, will be excited to know that the company is still giving its attention to the iPod market, and has quietly released a new version of its iPod touch model. It comes with three different storage…

LiveLight cuts out the boring bits of videos

We all know that sinking feeling of opening a video that a friend has sent us because it’s "SO cute" or a "must-watch" and discovering that it’s five minutes long. (One of my relatives once sent me a 10-minute long music video that didn’t even have any words. I’ve got things to do here, people!)…

OwnPhones wants to make custom-fit, 3D printed buds for your ears

Tangled wires and aural discomfort could be things of the past thanks to San Diego tech startup OwnPhones, which has developed 3D-printed tailored earbuds with a range of pretty impressive features. It works like this: using an app (currently only iOS, Android on the way) and the help of a friend, users take a short close-up…

Sony SmartBand SWR10 review: great for tracking, not so great for motivating

This week we're back with a wearable review of the new Sony SmartBand SWR10. But this time it's got a twist. Instead of me talking about what I do and don't like about today's gadget, our staff writer Hayley asks those all important questions when it comes to splashing the cash on a wearable, like…

Activité: We love this luxury activity tracking watch from Withings

Here at shinyshiny we pride ourselves on knowing all about the latest news in wearables and activity trackers. This means we know what to expect from a modern day tracker: fairly accurate data, some gaping holes and... more often that not... a bulky plastic strap. But Withings is now reinventing activity tracking and turning it…

Why Fitbit’s awesome new running update is a great move: pace, route, distance

Fitbit has always been one of our favourite app and tracker combos for monitoring steps and calorie intake throughout the day, but this week it announced a bunch of new updates to its iOS app that could catapult it into the wearable stratosphere. Now don't get too excited unless you take running seriously (if you…