The Fossil Group, marketer of watches under 14 brands and recent purchaser of Misfit, said today that it plans to release "more than 100" new wearable devices this year. Do the math and it makes sense. The Fossil brand alone has three types of conventional watch-style devices -- one with a digital display, one with no digital display, and one with LEDs that act as … [Read more...]
Intel to Ship Curie Development Board (Finally) This Quarter for Less than $10: CES
As part of his CES keynote address, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said the microprocessor giant will finally ship the Curie button-sized development platform this quarter -- roughly a year after it was first announced. The Curie platform is key to Intel's position in the wearables and dev platform market; it's at the center of the company's upcoming "America's Greatest Makers" … [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...]
VERT: Pro Wearable Game Tech that Includes Fans
There’s been a lot of news this year about wearables and professional sports but the data mostly enlightens coaches and players, leaving fans out of the loop. VERT took that next step, becoming the first wearable tech useds, providing jump height data in the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship games in real-time on ESPN2. VERT is worn around a player’s waist and … [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...]
Verily, Is Google Out for Blood?
You can’t get blood from a stone, but Google is apparently planning to get it from a watch. On your arm. Without needles. Are we the only ones who think this could be the foundation for a really bad sci-fi movie about vampire robots? Google recently applied for a patent for this device, but details, like how it gets the blood without a needle, are scarce at this point. The … [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...]
EasyJet: Uniforms Go Digital, Planes Remain Unchanged
The low-cost European airline EasyJet, comparable to JetBlue in the U.S., is celebrating its 20th birthday by taking cabin and engineer uniforms into the (near) future. The uniforms, designed by British design shop CuteCircuit, have lights and LED displays and likely some bells and whistles as well. Engineers’ uniforms are a little spooky, with lit-up hoods and sleeves; … [Read more...]
Tech from India: Neyya Rings the Changes
Fin Robotics, a startup from Kerala, has taken India into the global wearables market with Neyya ring, the device formerly known as Fin. Fin was announced at the January 2014 CES show. Then it was to be an optical device that could turn your hand into a tap-and-swipe interface. With crowdfunding and mentoring by the Startup Village in Kochi, as well as interest from technology … [Read more...]