Adidas is suing outfitter Under Armour, claiming the Baltimore-based activewear company is infringing a series of patents on wearable technologies. Specifically, Adidas says UA's Armour39 watches and chest straps, as well as the recently acquired MapMyFitness, use legally protected technology in Adidas's own miCoach products. The suit is filed in federal district court in … [Read more...]
Passing on Glass
Over the weekend, Google (finally) invited me to be a Glass Explorer. The catch: exploration Glass-style costs $1500. Glass is no longer quite the science project it was at the start; the fit and finish appears to be smoother, as does the software. But to what end? Yes, Glass is cool in a dorky sort of way. I don't think I could carry off wearing one in a non-ironic kind of … [Read more...]
Engadget Expand Wearables Panel Video
The Engadget Expand show this past weekend had a panel on wearables, featuring people from Adafruit, Narrative, and Misfit. I don't know that there was a lot of new information for people who are up on this stuff, but it might make interesting viewing. My takeaways: There are no compelling wearable products yet and few compelling needs have been found for them. There … [Read more...]
Tracking Bovine Innards
City folk might not think much about this one, but it's actually a pretty good idea. Just don't try it at home. Or on yourself. Engadget found a Scottish company, Well Cow, that makes an electronic module that tracks conditions inside a cow's stomach. Actually, just one part of a cow's stomach: the rumen. (You do remember that bovine stomachs have four chambers, don't you?) … [Read more...]
Boston Wearables Meetup October 29
Gonna be in Boston next week? You might want to check out Techtoberfest, billed as a "wearable technology mixer," the evening of the 29th (that's Tuesday). Check out the details here. … [Read more...]
Rocket Scientist Builds High-Tech Halloween Costumes
It's the end of October, and what's a publication that can't figure out a holiday news peg, right? Here's a story about an honest-to-goodness rocket scientist who found himself with a booming business making Halloween costumes based on wearable technology. Mark Rober worked for the Jet Propulsion Lab on the Mars Curiosity Rover. Two years ago, he strapped a couple of iPads … [Read more...]
CIO on MobileCon Panel
CIO Magazine's Al Sacco -- a talented and reliable reporter -- has a nice piece on a wearables panel at the MobileCon show this week. There are a bunch of good takeaways, so the whole article is worth your time. Most notable: Reliance on smartphones will take a few years to get over. "It doesn't always make sense to replicate the sensors in phones," said an exec at Basis … [Read more...]
Lileks on Wearables
Jim Lileks, of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, is one of the best writers working the tech beat -- and I'm very critical about such things. He's got a short riff about wearables that is about five different kinds of Right. It's too short to excerpt without ruining, but I love this line: The old days of reading a menu posted behind plexiglass near the door will be gone forever. … [Read more...]
The first wearable computer, hedge funds, and the Nobel Prize
Engadget's got a nifty story this week about what was probably the first wearable computer, built by MIT professors Edward Thorp and Claude Shannon (yes, that Claude Shannon) to beat roulette tables. Given that it was 1961 and electronics weren't exactly miniaturized yet, it didn't work very well, but still... Thorp went on to do minor stuff like invent card counting at … [Read more...]
Some Glass owners allowed to invite three BFFs to join them
Own a Google Glass? Tired of of being the only one in your crowd who looks like a dork? FastCompany reports that some Glass owners are being allowed to invite as many as three friends to buy a set. If you're still not among the select and you have $1,500 burning a hole in your pocket, remember that Glass is expected to go on sale to the public by the end of this year. Even … [Read more...]