Frequent readers will know that Proteus Digital Health has been testing a wearable skin patch that monitors compliance with drug protocols. At last, three years after announcing the alliance, Proteus and its partner Otsuka have submitted for FDA approval an instrumented version of the anti-depressant Abilify. Although Proteus's Digital Health Feedback system had already been … [Read more...]
MC10 is Trying to Raise $40M
The Boston Business Journal reports that wearable tech company MC10 is beating the bushes for a $40M funding round. A Form D the company filed last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission declined to state revenues but confirmed the equity offering. The new round would put total investment in the company at $100M, with an estimated valuation of $300M, the paper … [Read more...]
Android Wear Now Runs on iOS
The Apple Watch now has some added competition at the low end: Google has released an Android Wear app for iOS that brings Wear-based watches into the Apple ecosystem. Or vice versa. At any rate, the app means you can now control Android Wear devices from your iPhone. Previously, smart wrist wear lived in one ecosystem or another; if you had a Moto 360 on your wrist, it … [Read more...]
FlexTech Alliance to Lead $170 Million Federal/Private Tech Hub in San Jose
The U.S. Department of Defense announce today that it has awarded $75 million to the FlexTech Alliance to set up a Manufacturing Innovation Institute for flexible electronics. The money is being matched by another $96 million from San Jose and many partners: 96 companies, 11 labs and non-profits, 42 universities, and 14 states and regional organizations. FlexTech said that … [Read more...]
Apple Watch a Close Number 2 Behind Fitbit, Says IDC
We've been saying for months that we won't judge the Apple Watch a success or failure until we see hard numbers from a company like IDC. Now, the market intelligence company says Apple shipped 3.4 million units in 2Q15 -- the first quarter of its availability -- compared to Fitbit's 4.4 million. The wearables industry as a whole shipped 18.1 million units, up 223 percent from … [Read more...]
Intel Promises Developers a Curie for Their Ills This Fall
Intel's Developer's Forum is the chip giant's annual shindig for developers. This week, CEO Brian Krzanich's keynote emphasized the chip giant's commitment to wearables and the Internet of Things, although the apparently talk was very long on how cool this stuff is and very short on specifics. Our colleague Michael Miller, the former editor of PC Magazine who has forgotten more … [Read more...]
Project Florida (a/k/a Sum) is DOA
One of the most-trafficked stories ever on this site is one about the mysterious New York startup once known as Project Florida. Its pedigree was strictly A-list: design exec from Nike's Fuelband group, head of marketing was one of founders of Foursquare, founder was co-founder of Rdio, venture backing from a founder of Skype. They were building a health intelligence platform … [Read more...]
Intel’s New Devices Group Dodges Layoffs, as Michael Bell Leaves
The Oregonian newspaper and its website OregonLive.com keep very close watch on Intel's hirings and firings, in keeping with the company's status as one of the state's largest employers. The site recently published details of an unpublicized layoff of 1,155 US employees -- 2.3 percent of domestic workers. That's not at all unusual -- Intel's headcount waxes and wanes constantly … [Read more...]
Chicago’s TechNexus Picks 13 Wearables Companies for DHS Incubator
We wrote a few months ago about a call for applications to a Department of Homeland Security EMERGE program to develop wearables for first responders. TechNexus, a Chicago "venture collaborative" has picked 13 companies to work with it and DHS: BearTek: wearable tech built into task-specific gloves to wirelessly control devices. Energy Bionics: Develops, manufactures and … [Read more...]
Salesforce & Dev Partners Make Early Bets on the Apple Watch
There are skeptics aplenty about the Apple Watch, but Salesforce is certainly a believer. The enterprise cloud services giant was part of the Apple Watch launch and is promoting Salesforce Wear as a tool for developers to create apps for the device that also sync with the Salesforce Cloud. The company hosted a media event this week in San Francisco to talk about 20 new … [Read more...]