Weather forecasters know that the surest bet is to predict tomorrow; in most cases, it's going to be more or less like today with a few things changing. Only in rare cases will today be snowing but tomorrow be in the 70s. The further out you go, the more likely things will be different. But tomorrow? A lot like today. Technology forecasters know that what you predict for … [Read more...]
About Dan Rosenbaum
Samsung BioProcessor Sensor Promises More Advanced Wearables
Those of us obsessed with finished goods can forget that Samsung is one of the world's powers in microprocessors. The Korean giant announced this week a new sensor chip, the BioProcessor (part number S3FBP5A, for those of you keeping score at home), that promises to measure heart rate and rhythm, skin temperature, body fat, and stress level. Samsung says the chip is in … [Read more...]
Google Glass for Enterprise Hits the FCC
All electronic devices in the United States need approval from the FCC before they hit the market; it's usually (but not always) the last stop between Engineering or Manufacturing and Sales. Google has filed an application for Glass for Enterprise, the refined business version of the Glass that the company sold to "explorers" up until early this year. The enterprise version … [Read more...]
Wearables in 2015: Top Six Stories of the Year
We wrote last week about the most trafficked posts of the year. But these are what we believe to be the most important things that happened last year -- whether they were in a single post or represented an ongoing trend. These are what Wearable Tech Insider believes were the biggest stories of 2015. 1. Fitbit goes public. For all the hype, investment, and noise around … [Read more...]
Year in Review: The 10 Most Popular Wearables Stories of the Year
It's hard to believe that 2015 is drawing to a close. A year that started with dread and anticipation of the Apple Watch, peaked with the Fitbit IPO, is ending with connected clothing on the cusp of the mainstream. But more about next year later. The stories that you, the readers, clicked on the most illustrated the wide range of concerns you have, and your deep interest in … [Read more...]
Misfit Introduces Foot-Worn Cycling Tracker
Few, if any, inexpensive fitness trackers can deal with cycling. Vigorous as it might be, cycling just doesn't involve the arms, which is where most trackers live. Misfit's figured it out: put the tracker on your foot, which does move. Oh, duh. The Misfit Flash Cyclist Edition puts one of Misfit's signature tracker buttons in a clip that mounts on your shoe. For $50, you … [Read more...]
Hexoskin Raises Nearly $1 Million for Connected Fabrics to Chase FDA Approval
It's been a good year for the connected fabrics business: OMSignal shipped shirts with Ralph Lauren, Clothing+ got scooped up by Jabil (which developed a reference platform), and now Hexoskin has closed a funding round of just under $1 million so it can chase FDA approval for a new line of clothing. Hexoskin's parent company, Carre Technologies, says the upcoming line will … [Read more...]
Pebble Rolls Out Minimal Health Tracking
One of the interesting things about Pebble's smartwatch strategy is its minimalism. Feature creep has no apparent part in the company's culture; they make watches and notification devices, and motion detectors seem to have been included in later models because they're dirt cheap and take hardly any power. Now, Pebble says they'll activate the motion trackers in something … [Read more...]
Urine-Powered Wearables on the Horizon
If you really need electrical power, it may ill suit you to be fussy about where it comes from. British researchers, for instance, have developed a fuel cell that can use urine and steps to generate electricity. The urine comes from the expected source. The breakthrough here is using human power generated by walking to circulate the pee through microbial fuel cells, which … [Read more...]
The Rumor Mill Grinds Out an Apple Watch 2 in March
We're writing this out of a sense of obligation, not belief: the generally reliable 9to5Mac is citing "sources" as saying Apple will announce an Apple Watch 2 in March, maybe with a new camera, wireless, sleep tracking, and sensor pack. Or maybe not. Or maybe with a smaller, 4-inch, "iPhone 6c." Or maybe not at all. One thing we do know: there will be an Apple Watch 2. But … [Read more...]