Flexible batteries -- ones that can be repeatedly flexed without losing integrity -- are nothing new in the lab. But Panasonic now says it will start shipping sample units of a flexible LiIon battery at the end of this month. The batteries, about 0.5mm thick, retains more than 99 percent of its capacity when flexed more than 1000 times, even around a 25 mm radius or twisting … [Read more...]
Android Wear 2.0 Delayed Until 2017
The Android development team at Google dropped a new developer preview of Android Wear 2.0 today, but buried the lead until the very last paragraph: it won't ship until "early 2017." Developer Preview 3.0 adds some interesting features: support for fully round watch faces; on-watch support for a Play Store (important for Wear watches being used with iPhones, which don't run … [Read more...]
WSJ: Qualcomm Wants to Buy NXP
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...]
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...]
Female Runners Rejoice: OMbra Smart Bra Now Available
We were impressed with Montreal-based Omsignal’s smart running bra when it first surfaced at CES 2016. It’s well designed, both as clothing and technology, and you can’t help believing that something hugging your chest is going to get a more accurate breathing and heart rate data than something on your wrist. OMsignal recently completed a $10 million funding round, and the … [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...]
Pokemon Go Plus Reappears
Pokemon Go Plus, the wrist-worn device that notifies Pokemon Go players when they’re around Pokemon or Pokestops, and allows capturing without a visual cue, originally sold out before its official release date. Now Niantic Labs, the developer, has announced the $35 gadget will be back on the market “in most countries” on Sept. 16. Pokemon Go Plus communicates with both Apple … [Read more...]
AmazFit’s New Tracker: Fitness as a Fine Art
AmazFit, manufacturer of the Equator and Moonbeam fitness trackers, is owned by Huami, one of the top wearable companies worldwide, and has sold 24 million fitness trackers in China through the company’s partnership with Xaiomi. Xaiomi’s Mi Band, originally sold only in China, is second only to Fitbit in global market share. The AmazFit Equator marks the company’s expansion … [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...]