Qualcomm, the chip maker whose business is built almost entirely around processors and radios for mobile applications, is reportedly making a run at buying NXP, which pretty much owns the NFC chip business. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a deal could come before the end of the year. NXP is a public company with a current market capitalization of $28 billion; its … [Read more...]
About Dan Rosenbaum
Is Jawbone Near the End?
It has not been a good year for Jawbone, the once-pioneering maker of fitness trackers and Bluetooth speakers, and it appears to be getting worse. Multiple reports over the weekend say that the company is running on fumes, unable to pay its third-party support vendor and nearly sold out of products. Jawbone had apparently been using the Portland, Maine company NexRep to … [Read more...]
A Rebranded Snapchat Launches Spectacles Wearable Camera
We're somewhat optimistic about Snapchat's Spectacles, which the company (now apparently known as Snap Inc.) dumped on the world Friday afternoon. They're $130 brightly colored shades -- teal, coral, and black -- with a small camera and a couple of radios (and a rechargeable battery) built into the frame. The glasses take up to three 10-second videos and dump them, through your … [Read more...]
Study Finds That Fitness Trackers May Not Help Weight Loss
A study led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh has found that people who wear fitness trackers may lose less weight than people who don't. As reported in JAMA, the study followed 471 overweight adults between 18 and 35 years old for two years. The group was put on a low-calorie diet for six months, instructed to increase their physical activity, and were counseled … [Read more...]
Thalmic Labs, Makers of Myo, Raises $120M from Intel, Amazon
Thalmic Labs, which makes the Myo gesture-sending armband, has raised another $120 million from Intel Capital, Amazon Alexa Fund and others. VentureBeat notes that this is the first fundraising round since 2013, which yielded $20 million. Intel Capital led that round, too. The Myo band is a particularly interesting product. It fits around your forearm and senses -- and … [Read more...]
Epson, DJI Ink Consumer AR Drone Deal
DJI, the maker of consumer drone aircraft, and Epson, which makes the Moverio augmented reality visor, have partnered to give customers a first-person perspective on what their aircraft is doing. The Moverio BT-300 binocular visor -- significantly smaller and lighter than previous models -- was introduced earlier this year at Mobile World Congress and is expected to ship in … [Read more...]
IDC Says Basic Wearables Growing Fast; Fitbit, Xiaomi, Apple, Garmin Top Vendors
IDC is out with its quarterly count of the fitness tracker market, and it's finding that basic models are growing fast, while more advanced gadgets aren't. The market researcher breaks the world down into "basic" and "smart" wearables; the latter supports third-party apps, the former doesn't. If you accept those definitions, and we think it's a little simplistic, IDC's count … [Read more...]
Apple Debuts Waterproof Watch Series 2 with GPS, a Nike Version, and Pokemon App
Apple introduced its follow-up to the original Apple Watch today with the Watch Series 2, which is waterproof, includes a GPS radio, faster processors, and a brighter screen. The new watches are available in aluminum (gold, rose gold, silver or space black) or stainless steel (stainless or space black). Pricing starts at $369. There's a new Watch Edition in white ceramic for … [Read more...]
Former Employee of Bankrupt Skully Sues Founders & Company
Nothing like fighting over scraps of a dead company. Buzzfeed reports that a former bookkeeper at the augmented reality company Skully is suing the company, alleging that founders Marcus and Mitch Weller misappropriated corporate money for their personal use. Isabelle Faithhhauer says the Wellers forced her into practices that defrauded investors. Those investors are … [Read more...]
Next Apple Watch Tipped to Have GPS
It's late summer, so it's time for the latest Apple mobile rumors. MacRumors quotes a research note from KGI Securities as saying an Apple Watch 2 is likely to announced next month along with the iPhone 7. The major features of the watch would be GPS, a faster processor, and a larger battery enabled by a slimmer display -- handy because GPS kills battery life. Earlier rumors … [Read more...]