The Unseen, a London-based design studio, has developed an ink that changes color in reaction to, basically, weather conditions: air pressure, wind, heat, and light. It might not sound earthshaking, but the company partnered with the very upscale London Selfridges, voted best department store in the world in 2014. The result is limited editions of some very beautiful leather … [Read more...]
Android Wear Now Supports Cellular Data
Most connected watches require a smartphone to communicate with the outside world. There are some exceptions -- Omate's watches have long included a microSIM that connects them directly to cell networks -- but that route is expensive and complicated, and required custom software Expect to see watches like that, though. Google announced yesterday that its Android Wear watch … [Read more...]
Tag Heuer’s $1500 Connected Watch Goes on Sale; Android Wear and Titanium
The much-teased smartwatch from Tag Heuer went on sale today. The bottom line: it's got a huge titanium case, a vulcanized rubber wrist band, customized watch faces, and a $1500 price tag. If you like petite timepieces, this one is not for you. The watch is 46mm in diameter, the same size as a Moto 360. It's 12.8 mm thick, which is 1.4mm thicker than a Moto360, and a solid … [Read more...]
Technology with a Punch
There are plenty of wearable fitness devices that track what we might call the universals: speed, breathing, effort are part of every athletic experience. Now we’re beginning to see devices that are geared to professionals, and specific to individual sports. Hykso, a Montreal startup, is developing wearable tech for boxers that measures hits and blocks, and feeds the data to … [Read more...]
Mobetrics Gives Nuclear Workers Second Sight
UK-based mobile tech company Mobetrics has received funding to take wearables where none has gone before: into the world of nuclear decommissioning. Second Sight will give workers a real-time view of radiation doses, suit temperatures, and heart rates, as well as technical information and assistance. This, in turn, raises the safety level of the operation, providing … [Read more...]
Virtual Arms Race
There are all kinds of useful wearable tech that replace or supplement stay-at-home gear. Now NEC has ARmKeyboard, a device that isn’t even corporeal; it’s a virtual keyboard that runs up your arm. The keyboard/software coordinates glasses with a camera display and smart watches. Wearing the glasses and looking at the watch gives the software the coordinates of the devices; … [Read more...]
Football Roundup: IoT meets NFL
Every NFL uniform has changed this year, although not so’s you’d know it by looking. As of the start of the 2015 season, every player’s uniform includes two RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) sensors, about an inch in diameter, embedded in right and left shoulder pads. In addition, every NFL stadium is now has receivers that pick up the unique player frequencies, tracking … [Read more...]
Power Dressing with the ION Belt
Smartphones have become pretty much indispensable, but no matter which brand you have, you have to return them to a mothership periodically to charge up. Now a Kickstarter product, the UK-based ION Belt, solves the problem of all those interruptions in your high-speed life. ION Belt is a leather belt, with a built-in 3,000mAh battery—enough to charge an iPhone 6 1.5 … [Read more...]
Thalmic Labs Opens App Store for Myo Armband
Even the best hardware is useless without apps. Thalmic Labs, maker of the Myo gesture-control armband, has publicly opened an app store with more than 100 applications. Among the apps is one that will let a user control Parrot drones by gesture; others control Spotify or Netflix. It may be the ultimate couch potato experience to wave your arm to pause or fast-forward a … [Read more...]
Ars Reviews Microsoft Band 2: Better Design, Slow GPS, Annoying Clasp
Ars Technica does one of its signature deep-dive reviews on Microsoft's updated fitness tracker, the Band 2. The site is generally very enthusiastic, in particular liking the physical design and the built-in guided training. In fact, the reviewer was especially impressed with the Microsoft Health ecosystem in general. On the downside, the clasp came in for particular … [Read more...]