CMO – July 29 – Rip Curl has launched its Search GPS smartwatch designed for surfers. It uses satellite positioning and other sensors to measure wave count, speeds reached, ride and session distances. Users can also sync the watch to an iPhone, iPad or computer to view the data on a digital map and analyze it to gain insights into their performance. Rackspace provides the cloud-based back end powering data collection and analysis with DBaaS for NoSQL MongoDB. The watch will be available mid-September for $499.
« June 2014 | Main | August 2014 »
VivaLnk Tattoo May Enable Payments In The Future
PAYMENTS SOURCE – July 29 – VivaLnk's tattoo uses Near Field Communication (NFC) to allow users to unlock Motorola's Moto X smartphone. However, if the technology advances, it could be used to facilitate mobile payments through tapping the tattoo. VivaLnk is an adhesive bandage-like pad which sticks to the skin for up to 5 days. Banks such as Barclays, U.S. Bank and La Caixa, are offering NFC stickers that function similarly, and startups such as Moven use the technology as well. Barclays has issued 1M+ of its PayTag stickers since the 2012 launch.
Apple's TouchID Could Enable Mobile Payments On iWatch
BUSINESS INSIDER – July 29 – There has been a lot of discussion about Near Field Communication (NFC) coming to the iPhone and iWatch. There are also reports of Apple building a mobile payments system which could be tied to the TouchID fingerprint sensor. Apple may use these technologies to add mobile payments to the iWatch. Samsung has partnered with PayPal to allows Galaxy S5 owners to make payments by authenticating with a fingerprint rather than a password.
Fin Smart Ring Translates Hand Gestures Into Commands
NEW TECH FOR OLD INDIA – July 29 – The Fin smart ring successfully raised twice its $100K goal on Indiegogo from 1600 pre-orders. The device is worn on the thumb and uses an optical sensor to recognize each segment of every finger on the hand, translating swipes and taps into commands. Fin uses Bluetooth to transmit the commands to other devices. The battery lasts up to a month with 8 hours of use per day.
by Rajiv Rao
See full article at ZD Net
Oaxis Launches Pozible Campaign For Star.21
THE INQUIRER – July 28 – Oaxis has launched a campaign on crowd funding site Pozible. The fitness band is focused on the gamification of the 21-day goal for forming habits and is available for a pledge of £19. 21 LED lights indicate the progress towards the goal. The band is IP57 waterproof and dustproof, with a 50mAh good for tracking pedometer data recording for up to 7 days and sleep data for up to 2 days. Retail price is set at £55.
by Lee Bell
See full article at The Inquirer
Kopin To Supply Near Eye Displays For Wearables
SEEKING ALPHA – July 27 – Kopin Corporation has developed its CyberDisplay optical engine with a focus on the wearables market, particularly for headset displays. The technology uses LED back light utilizing waveguide technology to achieve high brightness with low power consumption. Multiple optics are available to match the wearable application, including pupil, pearl, and prism. Kopin has an estimated 80% share of the global micro-display market.
Google Glass Could Benefit Agriculture
NDTV – July 28 – Basecamp Networks has developed IntelliScout to aid crop scouts in monitoring the health of crops using Google Glass. The app enables the scout to share exactly what they are seeing, dictate notes or even shoot a small video and instantly mail it, while still at the farm. It also allows for image recognition of crop types, crop diseases, insects and other defects. The company has international growth plans, including India, Africa, and Asia.
by Rohan Swamy
See full article at NDTV
Swatch To Launch Fitness Watch In 2015
REUTERS – July 28 – According to Swatch CEO Nick Hayek, the company will begin integrating fitness monitoring functions into its Swatch Touch, originally launched in 2011. The company will use its own electronic components in the updated device, as to not be reliant on software and components from other companies.
Lenovo Reveals Smart Glass Prototype, Seeks Partnerships
ANDROID AUTHORITY – July 24 – Lenovo has revealed a smart glass prototype, which looks similar to Google Glass, but has a battery pack worn around the neck. The company's new business development (NBD) platform has launched, and is seeking partners to develop wearables and IoT devices for the Chinese market. Lenovo's first commercial smart glasses, produced by Vuzix as part of the NBD program, will be released in August or September. The 8000 yuan (~$1298) M100 will be co-branded and is powered by Android 4.0.4 with a 1Ghz dual-core processor.
Unvired Releases App Development Platform For Wearables
PR NEWSWIRE – July 25 – Unvired has released their Application Development Platform for Wearables, which enables developers to build apps for smart glasses and smart watches. The company also launched their Glass and Wear apps that integrate SAP and bring info from SAP onto devices. Unvired's first set of Glass Apps allow warehouse workers to check for stock and do goods movement on their SAP system with voice or head control, while physically moving goods using their hands.
Qualcomm: Interoperability, Community Keys To Wearables Success
NETWORK WORLD – July 24 – According to Qualcomm exec Rob Chandhok, the current device-to-cloud based model for wearables may not be the best fit. Furthermore, a full, healthy ecosystem of wearable products and services will require major efforts by multiple brands to ensure interoperability. Qualcomm is a system-on-a-chip OEM used by many smartphone manufacturers. The company released its Toq smartwatch last year.
Razer Nabu Will Be Fully Integrated With WeChat
FORBES – July 23 – Razer's Nabu smartband will be the first wearable that is fully integrated with Tencent's WeChat messaging platform, which has over 400M daily active users. The Nabu band will show all of the notifications a smartphone would, record all of the metrics a fitness band would, and allow users to share information by shaking hands. Razer hasn’t announced the official price yet, but expects to ship millions of units at under $100. Nabu will launch in China in Q4 2014.
Groove Smartwatch Launches Indiegogo Campaign
GEEKY GADGETS – July 23 – The Groove Smartwatch is launching on IndieGogo with a $200K funding goal and a backer price of $99. The device is designed to be a fully functional smartwatch with a fitness tracking focus. It is describe as a hybrid between a traditional watch and a fitness band.
Japan Airlines Equipping Gate Staff With Smartwatches
COMPUTERWORLD – July 23 – Japan Airlines demonstrated how some of its staff at Haneda Airport in Tokyo are using Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatches to locate and communicate with each other. The goal is to improve efficiency in assigning staff and improve passenger service. The watches were connected to an app which received data from the airports back office and location information was enabled using iBeacons. The trial will continue through mid-August and is the first commercial application of smartwatches in Japan.
Lechal Smart Shoes Provide Directions
IT PRO PORTAL – July 24 – The Lechal smart shoes by Ducere Technologies connect, via Bluetooth, to a smartphone, running iOS, Android or Windows Phone and the Google Maps app to provide directions. The shoes use haptic feedback to indicate which direction to turn and when, by buzzing either the left or right foot. The smart shoes can also record your path taken, distance traveled, and calories burned. Pricing is expected to be around $100 to $150.
ActvContent Launches Sync Smartband On Indiegogo
TECH CRUNCH – July 23 – ActvContent has launched its Indiegogo campaign for the Sync smartband, with a funding goal of $50,000. Backers can get a Sync for $69, with retail pricing set for $129. The device is focused on families, providing location, fitness and sleep tracking for kids and adults alike. The child band is smaller and the device is designed to alert the parent when the child ventures beyond the Bluetooth range of 150 feet, outdoors.
Turkish Airlines Using iBeacons For Sky Library Access
FUTURE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE – July 23 – Turkish Airlines is using iBeacons at its Lounge Istanbul at Atatürk Airport to enable free access to the digital Sky Library on visitors' devices. The iBeacons use Bluetooth LE and geofencing through the location services on iOS devices to notify passengers that they can access the content, automatically providing users of the app a Wi-Fi password and support number. iBeacons are being installed at a number of other airports worldwide for other programs.
Mighty Cast Set To Secure More Funding
MOBILE WORLD LIVE – July 23 – Mighty Cast is set to secure another round of funding to bring its NEX Band to market. The NEX Band is a modular wearable with interchangeable Mods to add new features and notifications. The target demographic is ages 12-25.
Batteries Are Top Challenge For Wearables
MASHABLE – July 23 – According to Pebble exec Myriam Joire, batteries are the top challenge for wearables right now, forcing compromises on design. The 130mA batteries used in most smartwatches drain quickly, but larger batteries leads to larger wearables. Pebble's black and white display is daytime-readable and low-powered, while high resolution and AMOLED displays use more power. Another challenge for wearables is in the retail environment, where there are no demo stations and devices are displayed in plastic packaging or locked in cases where consumers cannot get a feel for the products before purchase.
Subscribe
Consulting
Search
CEO Interviews
- Q&A With Linden Tibbets, CEO Of IFTTT, 2nd part
- Q&A With Linden Tibbets, CEO Of IFTTT, 1st part
- Q&A With Mark Gainey, CEO Of Strava
- Q&A With Niina Venho, CEO Of Moodmetric
- Q&A With Chaotic Moon Studios
- Q&A With Benjamin Hubert, Founder Of Layer
- Neuro-marketing Primer Part 2
- Neuro-marketing Primer Part 1
- All interviews