THE REM – Aug 16 – Sony is expected to launch its Smartwatch 3 at IFA next month. The company has decided to use its own smartwatch OS instead of Android Wear. The watch will likely be able to operate without a smartphone with a built in WiFi module. It will also feature wireless charging. One of Sony's primary markets is China, where Google services are limited. This may have been a deciding factor in not using Android Wear.
by Mark David
See full article at The Rem
TECH HIVE – FeliCa Networks is modifying its contactless card technology, which is widely used in Japan for public transit and e-money payments, to work with wearables. The company is designing a low-power chip that could be integrated into wearables to enable payment by waving the device near a reader. 236M of the FeliCa chips have shipped as of December 2013, including 45M used in Android smartphones. There are plans to introduce LCD smartcards in April 2016. 230K stores accept Suica, which is a FeliCa-based smartcard, for payments.
GEEKY GADGETS - June 6 - Sony has announced a 0.23” OLED panel for wearables. It features a 640 x 480 pixel resolution, 100,000:1 contrast ratio, 800cd/m2 brightness, 70° viewing angle, and 140mW power consumption. Sony plans to launch the new display in wearables next year.
PC ADVISOR - May 26 - Sony is looking to wearables as an extension of existing consumer electronics, including smartphones, game consoles, cameras, and TVs. The company hopes to leverage its image sensor and display tech in its wearables. Sony has unveiled concepts for Morpheus, a VR headset, the LifeLog wearable camera, and SmartEyeglass.
FUTURE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE - Apr 25 - Spanish carrier Iberia has teamed up with Samsung to offer the mobile version of its site, including boarding passes, on the Samsung Gear 2 smartwatch, while users of Airberlin’s iPhone app can send their boarding pass to Pebble smartwatch. Virgin Atlantic this year became the first airline to trial Google Glass and Sony Smartwatches.
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CNET NEWS - Mar 25 - Sony won't be using Google's recently unveiled Android Wear, a modified version of Android specifically designed for wearable products, as the basis for its own smartwatch. They would stick with their own Android-based SmartWatch platform. LG will be the first to debut an Android Wear device with its G Watch. Even Samsung Electronics pulled back on using Android in its Gear 2, instead utilizing its own Tizen OS. Samsung was listed as an Android Wear partner.
NY TIMES - Mar 18 - Virgin Atlantic and Qantas are using wearable devices and other technology to get closer to their customers. Virgin Atlantic’s use of Google Glass headsets, as well as Sony smart watches worn by its Heathrow lounge staff, are part of a six-week experiment that began last month.
IDG NEWS - Mar 10 - Sony showed off its SmartEyeglass at the Wearables DevCon conference this week. Like Google Glass, SmartEyeglass displays info instantly in front of a user's eyes but it looks more like a normal pair of eyeglasses and shows info in green over a pair of see-through lenses. The glasses have a binocular-type display that makes the text look further away, which makes it more comfortable to read. They also have an embedded camera and a microphone and sensors similar to those in a smartphone, including an accelerometer, gyroscope and compass.
by Melissa Aparicio
See full article at InfoWorld
ZDNET - Feb 27 - Telefonica, one of Europe's biggest telcos, plans to work with LG, Samsung and Sony on their development of wearable technology. It will integrate its services, such as VoIP app Tu Go, into their hardware.
FIRST POST - Feb 26 - Sony has revealed more info about its SmartEyeglass. The idea behind the SmartEyeglass is to bring notifications and information right in front of the users’ eyes. It uses a binocular see-through display for the lenses. Within the frame are crammed in features like an embedded camera, accelerometer, gyro, compass and brightness sensors and a microphone. It comes with a separate controller with a touchpad that comes with a power, navigation and camera buttons.
by Nishtha Kanal
See full article at First Post
MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT - Feb 26 - According to VoucherCodes.co.uk, 1 in 10 Brits have made plans to invest in their first wearable gadget in 2014. 33% would choose a device that helps them stay active. The most desired gadgets:
INFORMATION WEEK - Feb 25 - As Mobile World Congress opens, Samsung debuts two new smartwatches: the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. Both devices are more or less the same. The most significant detail about the Gear 2 is that it drops Android in favor of Samsung's own Tizen OS. Samsung built the Gear 2's camera into the body of the watch itself, rather than the strap. The watch also includes an IR port and a remote control app for home theater equipment. The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo (which doesn't have a camera) will be available worldwide in April. Pricing wasn't announced.
Sony debuted their SmartBand, which resembles a simple plastic bracelet. It can track the steps, activity, sleep cycles, and set health and fitness goals. It can also be used to control the Walkman music player on Sony smartphones, as well as provide vibrating alerts for incoming calls, messages, emails, and social media activity. The SmartBand will be available globally in March.
GIZBOT - Feb 21 - Further, Sony is expected to integrate Garmin Navigation app into its upcoming high-end smartphone, dubbed the "Sirius".
