Thalmic Labs’s Myo Armband, which lets you control various devices by gesture, has been recognized from the beginning as a device with great potential. There are now apps to control electronic devices and services such as drones, Netflix, iTunes, keyboards, computer screens, and menus by hand and arm gestures. It’s not quite full Internet access by gesture and VR that Keanu … [Read more...]
Mattel Snaps Up Sproutling
In the latest sign of consolidation in the wearables market, Mattel, the toy giant that's home to Barbie and Hot Wheels, has bought Sproutling, the wearable baby monitor company. Sproutling makes an ankle bracelet that tracks a baby's heart rate, skin temperature, motion, and position; it works with a camera, base station and app. Price was not announced, but the Silicon … [Read more...]
Volvo and Microsoft Band Together
The Microsoft Band 2 received generally positive reviews when it first appeared as an efficient way to keep track of your health, email, workouts, and golf game. Now, thanks to a partnership between Microsoft and Volvo, it’s coming to your car. If you have a Volvo. And a Band 2 Those of you who currently fall into the small intersection of Volvo and Band owners will be … [Read more...]
Apple Forecasts Sales Drop; Doesn’t Break out Watch Sales (Updated)
Apple reported its fourth quarter earnings today -- $18.4 billion net on sales of $75.9 billion -- but said it anticipated its first quarterly sales drop since 2003 in the first quarter of 2016. Overall sales and iPhone shipments fell short of predictions. For the record: the company didn't break out sales of the Apple Watch. [Update: $4.35 billion in "Other" sales … [Read more...]
Consumer Reports Validates Fitbit’s Heart Rate Tracker
The day Fitbit announced the Blaze tracker at CES, a class-action lawsuit harshed the company's buzz. (That, and an 18 percent drop in its stock price.) The claim was the heart rate monitor on the Fitbit Charge HR and Surge were inaccurate enough to cause harm. Fitbit pointed to its disclaimers, saying the monitor wasn't meant to be a medical device after all. Maybe Fitbit … [Read more...]
Jawbone Raises $165 Million in a Down Round as President Heads Back to Google
If you still think that tech valuations will always grow the sky, you need to start paying attention. Troubled tracker/speaker/headset maker Jawbone just raised $165 million at a valuation about half its previous round. At the same time, the company confirmed that its president, Sameer Samat, was returning to Google. The new funding round valued the company at $1.5 billion. … [Read more...]
iTENS: Portable Pain Relief without Pills: CES
Chronic pain is an unwelcome and debilitating part of life for millions people, and the side effects from medications and therapies often just make things worse, adding nausea, fatigue, and possible drug dependency to the mix. iTENS, LLC, an Ohio-based company, is hoping to change that with Bluetooth-based electrotherapy. TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) … [Read more...]
OmSignal’s Sports Bra Talks to Your iPhone: CES
Seems as if everything these days tracks biometrics, either as a basic function or an added feature. Most of those trackers are not gender-specific, but when you’re talking sports bras, you’re talking a decline in gender diversity. But in a good way. We think. Canadian company OmSignal has developed the Om bra, a sports bra that tracks biometrics, calories burned, and your … [Read more...]
Valencell Sues Apple and Fitbit for Patent Infringement
Valencell makes biometric sensors, which it licenses to makers of finished goods. Today, it accused Apple and Fitbit of stealing its technology. In particular, the federal lawsuit filed in District Court in Raleigh, NC (Valencell's home town) said that Apple got Valencell to disclose propriety information under false pretenses, and then incorporated the technology without … [Read more...]
Kopin Debuts Jaw-Dropping Noise Cancellation Technology: CES
If you know Kopin Corporation at all, you probably know them as a display technology company. At CES today, it demonstrated a noise cancellation chip with stunning performance. The Whisper Chip is a 4mm x 4 mm chip that draws 10mW and replaces a CODEC; it's agnostic to operating system, supports up to four mics and doesn't require a digital-to-analog converter. It would sit … [Read more...]