Android Wear 2.0 opens up new hardware possibilities
for wearable makers, including the inclusion of extra hardware shortcut buttons on the case.
Not exact matches
Following last week's purchase of Vancouver - based web - enabled sports eyewear
maker Recon Instruments by chip -
maker Intel Corp.
for a reported $ 175 million, I spoke to Recon co-founder and CEO Dan Eisenhardt about the deal, what it means
for both companies, and the opportunity in the
wearables market.
Fitbit and Chinese low - cost gadget
maker Xiaomi tied
for first place with 3.6 million
wearable devices shipped in the quarter.
Co-founded by Claremont McKenna College student Louis - Victor Jadavji, this
wearable device
maker's first product is a 3 - D - printed «intelligent» foot support that can be optimized
for everyday
The fitness tracker
maker announced on Monday that it would use Google's recently announced health data standards
for apps, known as the Google Healthcare API, to connect its
wearable devices to the electronic medical records systems used by doctors and hospitals.
• PogoTec, a Roanoke, Va. - based
wearable camera
maker, filed
for a Reg A + IPO to raise between $ 10 million to $ 32 million.
Wearable device
maker Fitbit forecast current - quarter revenue below Wall Street estimates on Wednesday as the company expects further sales declines
for its fitness tracking devices.
Recently, she mentored
wearable / IoT startups at Intel
for the reality TV show America's Greatest
Makers broadcasted at TBS.
At the event in San Francisco last week, Hosain Rahman, chief executive of Jawbone, the
maker of the Up, a wrist device that tracks people's energy and sleep, said that «a decade from now we won't be able to imagine life without the
wearables that we use to access information, unlock our doors, pay
for goods and most importantly track our health.»
China's Huami, which makes connected
wearable devices including fitness - tracking bands
for smartphone -
maker Xiaomi, submitted a prospectus
for an initial public offering on Jan. 12.
Recently Ray
Maker, of the DC Rainmaker blog, joined the Too Embarrassed to Ask podcast and we geeked out over
wearables for over an hour.
Hardware
maker Razer said late Wednesday that it is adding support
for WeChat into its forthcoming
wearable device, the Nabu smartband.
At CES 2017, fashion accessory
maker Fossil is announcing yet another set of such hybrid smartwatches
for its Q brand of smart
wearables, the Q Accomplice, Q Grant, and Q Modern Pursuit, all focusing on slim designs to match your fashion taste.
Fitbit, the leader in the
wearables category, is close to an agreement to buy struggling smartwatch
maker Pebble
for up to US$ 40 million, in a move to gain the firm's intellectual property and software.
For now, one phone
maker, one tablet
maker, one
wearable maker, and one aftermarket screen protector manufacturer are involved in the testing alongside Akhan to get Mirage Diamond Glass optimized and into consumers» hands, but no names have been revealed just yet.
As I stated in the Android Wear review, «Android Wear has more promise than those [rival
wearable makers»] efforts because Google has a clear vision of what it wants Android Wear to offer: concise and useful information
for the user, pushed out to the user, when the user needs to see it, all available at a glance.»
When Google announced Android Wear, its dedicated OS
for wearables, it listed «Asus, HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung; chip
makers Broadcom, Imagination, Intel, Mediatek and Qualcomm; and fashion brands like the Fossil Group.»
«Smart
wearables like the Apple Watch and Micosoft's Hololens are indicative of an upcoming change in computing, and the transition from basic to smart
wearables opens up a slew of opportunities
for vendors, app developers, and accessory
makers,» he added.
Fitbit's shiny new Ionic smartwatch was supposed to help the struggling
wearables maker get back on top
for the holidays, but it's looking like a grim reckoning may be coming
for the company next year instead.
The dispute comes at a sensitive time
for the overall
wearables market, with Fitbit having just agreed to acquire struggling smartwatch
maker Pebble, reportedly
for US$ 40 million.
«The best graphic user interface (GUI)
for wearable headsets has yet to be determined — device
makers have so far experimented with voice navigation, companion devices and even projection, but in order
for consumers to adopt new technology on a massive level it needs to be convenient and, above all, accessible in countless scenarios,» Metaio said.
This marks the first time Apple has unseated Fitbit
for the crown, and there has been quite a shakeup throughout the ranks of the
wearable makers.
What of smart
wearables Jitesh expects these to take the lead in 2016, ``... Smart
wearables like the Apple Watch and Micosoft's Hololens are indicative of an upcoming change in computing, and the transition from basic to smart
wearables opens up a slew of opportunities
for vendors, app developers, and accessory
makers.
Fitbit, the company which is very popular
for its fitness
wearable devices in the market earlier announced its successful acquisition of yet another popular smartwatch
maker Pebble.
Hot on the heels of Tag Heuer another watch
maker has turned its hand to an Android Wear
wearable, although this time it's Casio - a brand famous
for putting calculators, TV remotes and more on our wrists.
Nobody is sure that smartwatches are the answer, but persistent rumours that Apple is working on an «iWatch» means that most smartphone
makers feel obliged to have a plan
for wearables too.
I haven't always been this skeptical (many will know that I was on the «
wearables are the next big thing» bandwagon
for quite some time), but they've become little more than a way
for smartphone
makers to upsell you on an add - on.
The Fitbit Ionic is the fitness
wearable makers first true smartwatch, but at # 300 it's a pretty pricey thing to have, especially
for a platform that's still building out.
The
wearables maker says American Express is also on the way, in addition to support
for credit and debit cards from the world's top banks.
Wearable health band
maker Fitbit is in the process of developing a Windows 8.1 application
for its popular smartbands.
Wearable fitness device
maker Fitbit Inc's profit forecast
for the current quarter fell far short of analysts» estimates, overshadowing a strong first - quarter report, sending the company's shares down 13 per cent in after - hours trading.
Fitbit, the
maker of a popular line of
wearable fitness - tracking devices, on Thursday filed
for an initial public offering worth up to $ 100 million.
As it turns out, the fitness
wearable maker has larger plans
for its future.
At the same time, the kit should also make it easier
for device
makers to add Alexa support to their
wearables.
That means you won't need to have a smartphone connected to the
wearable in order to run both Google apps and those developed by third - party software
makers — at least
for apps that are capable of running as standalone versions.