TECHMALAK - Mar 31 - Sony is selling its SmartEyeGlass developer edition for $840. Much like Google’s creation, the SmartEyeGlass will allow the user to take pictures, send texts, use the controller for gestures, and dictate voice commands all through its interface. SmartEyeGlass is available to customers in Germany, US and Japan.
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Xiaomi May Launch Its First Smartwatch
FORBES - Mar 31 - China’s rapidly-growing smartphone and electronics vendor Xiaomi is unveiling new products. Multiple reports suggest one of those products will be a smartwatch with a round display and brushed metal build, running on a customized version of Xiaomi’s MiUI OS rather than Google’s Android Wear.
Fitbit Likely Paid ~$17.8M To Acquire Fitstar
VENTURE BEAT - Mar 31 - Fitbit, long the leader in the fitness wearables space, has reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission its acquisition earlier this month of the fitness app maker FitStar. A Fitbit spokeswoman would not confirm that the $17.8M figure reported in the filing was the exact cost of the acquisition. The $17.8 figure may represent the total equity that changed hands between the two companies, but there may also have been a cash element of the total acquisition price.
Wristwear To Dominate The Market
CNET - Mar 30 - Thanks to the Apple Watch, the wearable-gadgets market is poised to soar, says IDC. Total worldwide wearable shipments will reach 45.7M this year, up from 19.6M last year, said IDC. ~90% of that will be in the form of wristwear, at 40.7M units. Apple Watch goes on sale in April 24 in nine countries.
It Might Be Time For Google To Partner With Apple
THE MOTLEY FOOL - Mar 30 - Google hasn't been doing so well in the wearables market. Its OEM partners shipped just 720K smartwatches worldwide last year, according to Canalys. By comparison, Samsung shipped 1.2M units in 2014, most of which run Samsung's own OS, Tizen. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to sell 10 - 30M Apple Watches within the first year. It might be a good idea for Google to make Android Wear compatible with iOS devices. If Google updates Android Wear to work with iOS, top Android Wear devices like the Moto 360 will be able to compete head-to-head against the Apple Watch. There are major API and technical hurdles to overcome, which would likely cause Android Wear devices to shed some features.
Intel's Curie Chip Can Work With Wearables
THE MOTLEY FOOL - Mar 30 - Intel established a new IoT division last year, which houses its smallest SoCs (systems on chips). One of the IoT division's most fascinating products is Curie, a button-sized, ultra-low power module with a six-axis sensor, accelerometer, and gyroscope. Curie has just 80KB of onboard SRAM and 384KB of flash storage, and lacks an application processor, wireless connectivity, or Wi-Fi. The only way to sync with Curie is via Bluetooth. Curie can't power full-featured smartwatches, but it could be installed in less demanding devices like fitness bands, medical monitors, and security tokens.
Xiaomi To Announce A Product Aimed At Women
ANDROID HEADLINES - Mar 26 - The “NSSJ” title accompanied by a dress indicates Xiaomi is preparing to launch a product targeted at women in collaboration with a well-known Chinese fashion group.
Jet Smart Eyewear Solution With SAP AR Mobile Apps
NEWS.GNOM.ES - Mar 26 - Recon Instruments has announced it has been working with SAP to integrate its new Jet smart eyewear with AR mobile apps from SAP SE. Jet smart eyewear will enable workers in industries like manufacturing, field service and oil & gas to communicate clearly and access critical data at a glance, without interruption from the task at hand.
Smartwatch Ditches Apps For Great Design
GIZMODO - Mar 26 - Olio, led by former Apple and HP designer Steve Jacobs, is a gorgeous new smartwatch with a minimalist features. Preorders start at $545, and with a premium-looking steel design (and a promised two days of battery life), rather than running Android Wear, Olio has developed its own iOS and Android apps and uses a cloud based notification system.
by Chris Mills
See full article at Gizmodo
Pebble Surpasses $20M In Kickstarter Preorders
VENTURE BEAT - Mar 26 - The campaign’s initial goal was $500,000. The Pebble Time is the company’s third device, a $159+ smartwatch with several new features. Among them, a redesigned OS, a colorful display reminiscent of e-paper, a Gorilla Glass screen, and a smaller form factor.
by Harrison Weber & Fletcher Babb
See full article at VentureBeat
Apple Watch Appointments To Start On 10 April In US, UK
TELECOMPAPER - Mar 27 - Although appointments for the standard Apple Watch and Apple Watch Sport will last 15 minutes, people interested in the more expensive Apple Watch Edition range will have 30 minutes.
Philips Partners With Leiden Medical School
TELECOMPAPER - Mar 26 - Under the multi-year partnership, they will fit people over 50 with wearable sensors, such as 'smart' bandages, clothing and watches. These will collect data to monitor and help improve the participants health.
Cyborg Tech Is The Future
BETA NEWS - Mar 27 - 5 high-profile examples of advances made in body modification technology:
The DEKA arm can carry out a series of complex movements controlled by electrical signals sent from electrodes connected to the user’s muscles and can carry out 10 different types of movements. Neil Harbisson’s antenna has used technology to overcome the extreme form of color blindness that has afflicted him since birth.
The "Eyeborg" allows him to experience colors by translating them into sounds. An Internet connection also allows Harbisson to receive phone calls directly into his skull.
Deep brain stimulation electrodes are connected to a neurostimulator placed under the skin in the chest or stomach area, which delivers high-frequency stimulation to specific areas of the brain.
RFID chip is inserted under the skin, following only a brief moment of pain, and can be put to various uses. Most often, the chip is used to unlock doors, providing a more secure solution than employee ID cards.
The Circadia 1.0 implant can be connected to appliances in his home and is programmable via tablet. In fact, by monitoring various health metrics, the Circadia 1.0 can automatically provide a helping hand.
UNICEF Wearables
TIME WARNER CABLE - Mar 26 - UNICEF is giving high tech fitness bands to thousands of school children around the U.S. Every time a child hits 12,000 steps, a nutrition packs is donated to a child in need. In addition to the exercise, the program also brings into the classroom a curriculum to help better teach these children about malnutrition around the world.
Google Glass’s Curious Patent Move
SILICONBEAT - Mar 25 - Google has been awarded a patent for a system that would display dance moves that correspond to whatever music is playing.
Singapore Bought Over 4.6M Connected Devices In 2014
DIGITAL NEWS ASIA - Mar 25 - While the connected devices sector in Singapore was valued at only US$950M five years ago, it has today expanded substantially, with sales reaching over US$1.8B in revenue in 2014, GfK said in a statement. The top three fastest growing connected devices in Singapore last year were docking/ mini-speakers, phablets and loudspeakers/ soundbars at 162%, 60% and 55% increased sales respectively over 2014.
ARWatch iPhone App To Try On The Apple Watch
BGR - Mar 25 - Developers at the Belgian IT firm Underside have created a free iPhone app that allows users to see how the Apple Watch will look on their wrist using augmented reality.
Connected Fitness Trackers To Exceed $5B By 2019
HOMETOYS - Mar 25 - Parks Associates, which has analyzed the connected health markets for nearly 10 years, announced this new connected health data today as part of its support of the World Health Care Congress. "Our latest data finds adoption of connected health devices increased from 24% of U.S. broadband households at the beginning of 2013 to nearly 30% by the end of 2014," said Harry Wang, Director, Health & Mobile Product Research.
Partners Nabs RWJF Grant For Wearables Engagement Tool
IHEALTHBEAT - Mar 25 - Partners HealthCare has received a $468K grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop a tool to help patients overcome barriers to using personal health devices. The tool, called the "Engagement Engine," will use machine learning and big data analytic tools to convert user insight into targeted feedback.
Facebook Is Getting Ready For Oculus Rift
TECHRADAR - Mar 25 - CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced spherical videos that will soon begin appearing on the News Feed. Users can see all around in the space in which the videos were taken, essentially controlling where their view is pointing at any given moment.
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