If Fitbit wanted to keep the Apple Store as a distribution channel, maybe it shouldn't have dissed HealthKit quite so hard. ReCode is reporting that the public anti-HealthKit stance will cost Fitbit its place in Apple Stores. We don't know how many units Fitbit sells through Apple, but we doubt it's a big number; BestBuy is probably far more important from a revenue … [Read more...]
Fitbit Preps Charge and Charge HR Wristware
Fitbit, by most measures the leader in the fitness band category, is getting ready to ship two new bands: the Charge and the Charge HR. Gizmodo has a lot of the details; the short version is that bands fill the gap at the top of the product line left when the company had to recall the Force because it was giving people rashes. The product specs look very much like the Force. … [Read more...]
Thync and Thync Again
There's this company called Thync that's building some kind of gadget to zap the negative thoughts out of your brain. Snicker all you want, but Bloomberg says they've raised $13 million. A Bloomberg reporter tried it out, thought it was kind of freaky, but also that it kind of works. BetaBoston got wind of it, too; Thync does some of their data gathering and baselining in … [Read more...]
Fitbit Doesn’t Plan to Play with Apple HealthKit
Fitbit is the world leader in fitness trackers, and does not appear to be especially interested in being part of the Apple HealthKit ecosystem. As our sister publication Health Tech Insider writes, Fitbit posted yesterday on its support forum that there are no plans to integrate with HealthKit. That's another piece of not-so-great news for Apple, which has had a rocky start … [Read more...]
Stupid Smartwatch Tricks: Windows 95
There's not a whole lot to say about this, but here it is: a Samsung Gear Live smartwatch, based on Android Wear, running Windows 95. Barely. Come back in a year, and some watch will be able to run it handily, without maxing out on memory. But we still won't know why anyone would want to... https://youtu.be/GZx-LJH5J_I … [Read more...]
Can’t Justify Google Glass? Go Faux.
Google Glass costs $1500 and doesn't do a hell of a lot, which makes it sort of expensive for a fashion statement. For a mere $20, though, you can Go Faux and bling out -- getting all of the look with enough money left over to buy a MacBook Air (and not one of the low-end ones, either). FauxGlass is the brainchild of Robin Raskin, CEO of Living in Digital Times. Robin and … [Read more...]
Drum Pants Gets Eaten on Shark Tank
We love Drum Pants, and you do too; our first article about it remains one of the highest-trafficked in the site's history. Its founders appeared the other day on the ABC reality show "Shark Tank," as they tried to raise a round of money in the public eye. It did not go well. (You can watch the episode online at the link above if you have the right cable provider.) We … [Read more...]
Nixie Wearable Drone is an Intel Finalist
We've been writing off and on about the Intel "Make It Wearable" development competition. The company's announced 10 finalists, and although all of them are pretty cool, the Nixie wearable drone is just off the gotta-have-it charts. Understand that the Nixie is not a product; it's a development prototype. You can't buy it, and probably the only place you can see it is in … [Read more...]
Basis Prepares New Fitness Band, the Peak
Intel (which for many years has insisted loudly and long that it is not in the consumer products business) bought Basis a few months ago. along with its well-regarded B1 fitness band. The company is now unveiling a follow-on product, the Basis Peak, which make several upgrades in interface and power. The Peak, which will be available in November for $200, features an … [Read more...]
Bionym, Maker of Nymi, Closes $14 Million Series A Funding Round
Bionym, makers the Nymi identity band, says it's closed a $14 million Series A funding round, including money from Mastercard and Salesforce. The Nymi, slated to ship this fall, is a wristband that can confirm a wearer's identity by sensing their electrocardiogram. Bionym expects the Nymi to have particular applications related to passwords and financial transactions. The … [Read more...]