There is something compelling about the walkie-talkie interface: push a button, talk, release, listen. Simple and instant. Public safety workers -- cops, firefighters, EMTs -- love it, and they still mourn their old Nextel phones. Now, a couple of guys with a background as emergency medical technicians (and some impressive big data cred) are reinventing push-to-talk (PTT) for … [Read more...]
MWC Day 3: Flat Bendable Components from ST
We saw interesting stuff at Mobile World Congress ranging from as small as 1mm square to as big as minivan-sized power backups for cell sites. The small stuff held our interest better, particularly the components from STMicroelectronics. Unless you're in the business of putting together electronic systems, it's unlikely you know ST; if that's your line of work, you almost … [Read more...]
Latest Word on the Apple Watch
There's a big Apple announcement coming Monday, apparently about the Apple Watch, and the rumor/leak mill is in full flower. Here's what we people claim to know: TechCrunch says the Watch will automatically check your heart rate periodically. You will get notifications on your Watch only when you're wearing it and the strap is locked. If it's lying on your desk, the watch … [Read more...]
How Apple Plans to Sell the Apple Watch
Someone inside Apple's retail division is leaking like a sieve to 9to5Mac. The site's been carrying a series of pieces about how Apple plans to sell its upcoming watch. Now, it's carrying an article that goes deep into the scripts that salespeople are being told to use to qualify customers. That's kind of a big deal, because guiding someone through a consultative sale is a … [Read more...]
Now Pebble Kickstarts Pebble Time Steel
Hope you didn't empty the piggy bank for a nifty color Pebble Time last week, because Pebble's just gone the same "crowdfunding" route for its more sophisticated and more expensive Pebble Time Steel. (We put "crowdfunding" in quotes this time because the company's really using Kickstarter as a distribution channel, not the actual "put-it-out-there-and-see-what-happens" … [Read more...]
MWC Day 1: Good Technology Brings Wearables Into the Enterprise
Corporate IT directors tend to be control freaks, and for good reasons. The "bring your own devices" movement is driven primarily by users who want to be able to unify the same technology in their business and personal lives; IT directors, who are responsible for the security of corporate data, have had to suck it up as best they can. Good Technology has made a nice business … [Read more...]
MWC Day 1: ams and ST Team Up on Payment Chip Systems
If you follow the sensor and microelectronics business, you may know that ams and STElectronics are top-flight companies and strong rivals. But they announced at Mobile World Congress that they've teamed up for just this one thing: mobile payments. ST has a secure element that stores and encrypts payment data. ams has a lot of skill in antenna and NFC technology. So they … [Read more...]
MWC Day 0: HTC Wristband Driven by UnderArmour
HTC makes very nice smartphones that somehow never quite find traction in the United States and now they're entering the health tracking business, joining the UA Record ecosystem. The water-resistant (1 meter for 30 minutes) Grip uses a curved 1.8-inch PAMOLED display and will last more than two days using normal tracking tools. When the integrated GPS is turned on, battery … [Read more...]
MWC Day 0: Huawei Joins the Smartwatch Hunt with Android Wear and Jawbone
Chinese tech giant Huawei announced a stainless steel smartwatch at Mobile World Congress that runs Android Wear and relies on Jawbone's UP software ecosystem. Huawei, the world's third largest cellphone maker, is very little known in the United States consumer market -- although it is no stranger to the enterprise world -- but has been working hard to raise its … [Read more...]
MWC Day 0 Brief: Withings Adopts Android
The Withings Activé fitness monitor watches will now work with the Android operating system. Previously, the company's support of Android had been spotty; some products were iOS only, others supported both products. The Activé Pop, announced at CES in January, is already shipping in Europe and will hit the United States within a month, the company said. … [Read more...]