9to5Mac continues to have deep coverage of exactly how Apple plans to sell the Watch, treading the fine line between selling a few-size-fits-all product like an iMac or iPhone to something that's more customized and personal. We do wonder, though, if all this fuss is a short-term thing. Think about it: an iPhone 6 comes in two styles (regular and Plus), three colors, three … [Read more...]
New Boutique Watch Company, Olio, Launches Smartwatch
There have been one or two smartwatch announcements over the last year, mostly coming as extensions of already well-established companies. For all the trumpeting, (and with Pebble as a very notable exception), actual new smartwatch companies are pretty thin on the ground. That's one reason that Olio is so interesting. Here's a company, based in Silicon Valley, with roots in … [Read more...]
Fitbit To Add Cycling Support to Surge, Multi-device Support to Apps
Most fitness trackers don't do a very good job of tracking cycling; you don't move your arms very much while biking, so it's hard to measure with step-based accelerometers. Fitbit, though, just announced that they'll be adding cycling support on its high-end Surge tracker within the month. The Surge will use its GPS to track your ride. The bad news is that GPS sucks power … [Read more...]
Google Glass Just Resting, Schmidt Tells WSJ
The much-maligned much-ballyhooed Google Glass really isn't dead, Google chairman Eric Schmidt told the Wall Street Journal today. It's being readied for the consumer market. The company pulled Glass from the market in January, shut down its "Explorers Program," and moved responsibility for the $1500 project to Tony Fadell's product group, which includes things like the Nest … [Read more...]
Baselworld: will.i.am and Gucci Link Up
Remember will.i.am's PULS wearable? It debuted to much fanfare in October but, despite tremendous promise, has yet to hit the streets. Today, will.i.am and Gucci announced a development partnership to "create an innovative wearable device concept." The PULS is a lovely and innovative device -- it operates untethered and uses an interesting and internally developed UI -- … [Read more...]
Orgasm Tracker for Women
Let's try to be grown-ups here, OK? We all know about fitness trackers, and we've seen articles about various kinds of interactive women's underwear. Now here's a company that's using sensor technology -- admittedly not wearable, but still -- to track female sexual response. SmartBod, the product of a couple of entrepreneurs out of UC Berkeley, is a vibrator that tracks and … [Read more...]
Microsoft Expands Distribution of the Band
Microsoft, which seemed to be using the first round of shipments of its Band wearable as market research, says it's expanding availability of the $200 device. Starting today, you'll be able to get the Microsoft Band at BestBuy, Amazon, and Target -- though the company says it'll be ramping shipments to them over the next few weeks, so don't freak if there's backorders. The … [Read more...]
Want an Apple Watch? Think High Street, Not Main Street
So it's April 24, you want to buy an Apple Watch, but the lines at the Apple Store are too long. Sorry, but don't head to your AT&T store, because they won't have it. You may have better luck at a fashion retailer. WWD, the fashion bible, reports that the Watch will be available at a roster of stores not necessarily known for technology. Places like Galeries Lafayette in … [Read more...]
Functional Details of Apple Watch Start to Emerge
Now that the Apple Watch is truly out from under its covers, details about software and performance are starting to emerge. To answer the question of how long the battery lasts, Apple today posted a page setting power life expectation. They're saying the Watch will last 18 hours, assuming you check the time about five times an hour, get around five notifications an hour, use … [Read more...]
Apple Watch Details: April Ship, Prices from $349 to $10,000 and Up
Apple took a lot of the veils off the Apple Watch today at a typically elaborate event in San Francisco. Most of the Watch demos had been originally shown in September, but the demos were deeper and more apparently ready for shipment. The most important details: Pre-orders on April 10, with previews in stores. Shipment April 24. Battery life touted at 18 hours of typical … [Read more...]