INVESTOR SPOT - Aug 31 - Project Soli focuses on the fact that the ability to function is not always the job of the device but rather the movements of the user, specifically, hands and fingers. In order to transform human hands and fingers into a usable interface, Project Soli relies on a super-tiny chip with radar-like capabilities that can detect the slightest of movements. It can fit into many devices, where it picks up movements in real time and alters its signals accordingly.
« July 2015 | Main | September 2015 »
Iranian Entrepreneur Taking On Apple Watch
FORBES - Aug 30 - Blocks Wearables is about to launch a modular smartwatch that will sell for $270. Blocks has $500K in funding, including from one of Silicon Valley’s top angel investors, and 70K people who have signed up as interested in ordering one. And the watch, which will be sold online and is launching in weeks, is being produced with Qualcomm mobile processors. The watch will launch with modules that include a GPS sensor, a payment module, a heart rate monitor and a motion sensor. Consumers mix and match as they order.
Apple Teams With Pentagon On Military Wearables
ADN - Aug 30 - The partnership includes Apple, Boeing, and 160 other companies and universities. The FlexTech Alliance will work together to produce “stretchable electronics” that could be worn by soldiers or even molded to fit on the outsides of jets and military vehicles. The federal government will contribute $75M toward the research over five years, with private companies managed by the US Air Force Research Laboratory contributing another $90M and local governments contributing a bit more than $6M.
by Jeff Ward-Bailey
See full article at Alaska Dispatch News
Tencent's Kids Smartwatch
ENGADGET - Aug 28 - The QQ Watch comes with a 1.12-inch 128 x 128 OLED screen, IP65 ruggedness, an SOS call button, 0.3-megapixel camera and a 2G radio. The tracking functionality uses GPS, WiFi and cellular triangulation simultaneously for higher accuracy.
Research Says Basic Activity Trackers Are Dead
FORBES - Aug 27 - The state of activity-tracking wearable investments is at a near standstill after a busy and drawn-out run says Teresa Wang, strategy manager at venture firm Rock Health. Asia-led investments went to any activity tracker who was anyone in 2014. “Without the Chinese investors eyeing the Asian market, a lot of the large wearable investments won’t be in a top category,” she says.
The Newest Advances In Smart Clothing
THE STREET - Aug 27 - Bluetooth bras that detect early signs of breast cancer, hairclips and jewelry designed to help you measure UV exposure and possibly avoid skin cancer and smart socks aimed at improving running performance and providing real time feedback, thus minimizing injuries. These types of developments have been made possible thanks to advances in technology tied to the shrinking size of components, their improved performance, increasingly powerful algorithms and reduced price.
Rufus Labs: The Future Of Wearables In Government
NEXTGOV - Aug 27 - Wearables are going to get smaller, smarter and much more popular in federal agencies, predicts Gabe Grifoni, co-founder and CEO of Rufus Labs. First things first: Security measures must catch up with the new technology. “I think that there's a lot of stuff that people don't know and I think the government isn’t going to let things in the door until they’re vetted,” he said.
Apple Watch Now #2 Wearable, Just Behind Fitbit
TECHCRUNCH - Aug 27 - According to a new report from IDC, Apple is now the number two wearable maker, thanks to its Apple Watch, coming in just behind market leader Fitbit during Q2 of 2015. Apple shipped 3.6M units in Q2 2015, just 0.8M units shy of Fitbit’s total 4.4M units. Those figures mean that Apple now has nearly 20% of the wearables market, while Fitbit has just over 24%. Other wearables of interest during Q2 included Xiaomi’s Mi Band, Garmin’s fitness trackers for runners, cyclists and swimmers, and Samsung’s Gear S and Gear Fit devices.
Apple Patents Earbuds With Noise-Canceling Sensors
TECHCRUNCH - Aug 27 - Apple is looking at making wireless earbuds that also incorporate bone-conduction technology in order to improve voice communications. The patent also describes deploying a range of other sensors — such as internal microphones and accelerometers — to better detect external noise to boost noise-canceling capabilities and enhance the in-ear audio experience.
Boldr Voyage Smartwatch
MASHABLE - Aug 26 - The Boldr Voyage is billed as a "clever watch," not a smartwatch with a watch dial is inspired by pilot and aviator watches. The watch has a built-in pedometer to keep track of fitness goals and syncs with a phone app via Bluetooth 4.0. Each hour mark, starting from 1 to 12 corresponds to how much exercise you've done. The 1 is 0% and the 12 is 110%. Notifications are pushed from phone and alert users through the LEDs or vibrations.
Eventbrite Ticketing App Comes To Wearables
COMPLETE MUSIC UPDATE - Aug 26 - The Eventbrite ticketing app is now available for Apple Watch, Android Wear and Pebble Time, so promoters selling tickets via the platform will now be able to check-in punters by scanning the code displayed on their wrist. Punters will also be able to use to the app to discover events that are happening near their wrist and be able to buy tickets through their watch.
SmartHalo Upgrades Any Bicycle Into A Smartbike
TREE HUGGER - Aug 25 - The device offers users directions, cycling metrics, an alarm, an automatic headlight, call & text notifications, and more. This all-in-one device is claimed to fit virtually any bike, and it incorporates a 250 lumen headlight that turns on and off automatically, a motion sensing alarm system which automatically deactivates wirelessly when the rider is near, and "seamless" tracking of metrics, including distance, time, speed, elevation, and estimated calories burned.
Intel’s Aggressive Push In IoT To Leverage Growth In The Market
TREFIS - Aug 25 - Learning from its short-shortsightedness in the smartphone market, Intel is determined to be one of the early entrants in IoT and has been aggressively investing to gain a wide footprint in the space. The research firm IoT Analytics has recently placed Intel at the head of the top 20 IoT. Intel is at the forefront of developing new generation low-power chips for connected IoT devices. In addition to introducing new platforms, the company has launched a number of products and initiatives in the past year with different fashion, fitness and lifestyle brands, to accelerate its presence in wearables.
Fitbit May Be Soaring, But It’s Still A Huge Buy
INVESTOR PLACE - Aug 25 - With Fitbit up 4% and trading around the $40 level, investors might be worried that they’ve missed their opportune moment to get FIT.The company is a dominant first-mover in the rapidly growing wearables market. Some figures put Fitbit’s share of the wearable fitness product category at 85%, and with the market expected to triple in size by 2018, Fitbit is poised to be a huge winner. Although there were concerns after the most recent quarter over Fitbit’s margins, the company’s 48% gross margin is higher than even the almighty Apple’s. Plus, Revenue jumped 250% in the second quarter, as earnings roared 130% higher, so margins definitely haven’t been a problem.
Microsoft Signs Deals To Take Advantage Of Fitness Wearables
TECH REPUBLIC - Aug 26 - Microsoft has recently signed deals with Fitbit and TaylorMade to integrate data from wearable gadgets and services directly into Windows 10 and the Microsoft ecosystem, allowing Microsoft to offer an integrated health and fitness service that matches or surpasses much of the competition.
Biometrics, Wearables Will Ease Financial Services Access
SECURE ID NEWS - Aug 25 - Goode Intelligence’s latest research, Biometrics for Banking; Market and Technology Analysis, Adoption Strategies and Forecasts 2015-2020, identifies that the rapid adoption of biometrics on mobile and wearable devices will deliver frictionless authentication and identity verification services across the banking industry. They forecast that by 2020 more than 620M mobile banking app downloads will support biometrics for customer authentication and transaction verification. Additionally almost 160M wearable devices will benefit from seamless biometric authentication for accessing banking services.
by Zack Martin
See full article at Secure ID News
Fitbit Heading For The Philippines, Indonesia And Taiwan
WAREABLE - Aug 24 - Fitbit VP and general manager for Asia Pacific Steve Morley said that the company is targeting Asian countries with high smartphone penetration, busy and modern lifestyles and the retail spaces to display its products. "These three elements are very important to us as it helps us position our brand nicely in the markets we go into," he said.
Micromax Planning To Develop Its Own OS
TJC NEWSPAPER - Aug 24 - The company also plans to use its operating system on its tablets, televisions, and wearables. The company would not be making an OS from ground up, but will rather fork Android much like Amazon and Xiaomi.
by Judy Enderson
See full article at TJC Newspaper
Huawei Glory Small K Smartwatch For Children
PHONES REVIEW - Aug 24 - The Huawei Glory small K smartwatch for children has shown up over on Vmall for purchase in China, and it’s available in four different styles: Toy Story, Disney Princesses, Frozen, and Big Hero 6. The Disney themed device will sport a 1.3GHz PMOLED panel with a resolution of 128 x 128, and it will be powered by a 300mAh battery. It has a nano-SIM card slot, Bluetooth 4.0, and two-way voice communication to help you keep tabs on your tot.
Lycos Life Band Could Become Hub For Wearables
MANUFACTURING - Aug 24 - The Lycos Life project aims to create a wearable that acts as “mission control” for users’ fitness and everyday activities. Lycos Life products are Lycos’ Internet of Things-enabled suite of products, which include a fitness monitor, Tap2Transfer capabilities, and password-free security enabled by the on-board personal security manager. Users’ everyday habits and patterns can be communicated from the “Mission Control” software and sensors on the wrist or hand to a smartphone. The wearables are designed as “a single point of entry into users’ digital lives.”
by Megan Crouse
See full article at Manufacturing
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