Runtastic, home of one of the more popular fitness apps, has announced the Orbit wristwear device. Selling for $119 and shipping next week, the Orbit looks a great deal like the recalled Fitbit Force: it has an OLED screen and a wide rubber band, and tracks the usual steps, calories burned, active minutes, and sleep quality. The Orbit also acts as a secondary screen for the … [Read more...]
Apple iTime Patent Hints at What Might Be Coming
The Apple iWatch (or whatever it's going to be called) may well be a wristband with sensors and a radio in it, and an insertable (and presumably replaceable) display module that gets snapped in to be the device's face. That's what you'd gather from US Patent 8,787,006, which AppleInsider spotted today. The specific claims are interesting. Several of them relate directly to … [Read more...]
Tory Burch Makes Fancy Wristbands for Fitbit
Misfit aside, no one ever accused wearable technology of being pretty, and it's that lack of glitz that's supposedly keeping women away from wearables. (We haven't noticed that, particularly, but let's go with it anyway.) Designer Tory Burch and Fitbit are collaborating on some bright shiny holders that the doodad for the Fitbit Flex can fit into. A metal pendant will run … [Read more...]
Misfit Climbs Into Bed with Beddit
Misfit, maker of the Shine activity tracker, has struck a deal with Beddit, maker of the eponymous sleep tracker, and is now selling the devices. The Beddit is a thin strip-like device that fits -- undetectably, they say -- under your mattress and keeps track of your movement in bed. The device claims to track sleep duration and quality, snoring, time to fall asleep, and … [Read more...]
Tag Heuer Exec Bolts to Apple
If you want to bury news, the morning of July 4 three-day weekend holiday is pretty much perfect, and that's when the head of watchmaker Tag Heuer dropped word on CBNC that its sales director has headed off to Apple. Patrick Pruniaux, VP of Sales and Retail for the Swiss luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer, has quit and gone to Apple, said Jean-Claude Biver, head of watch brands at … [Read more...]
CNet Gets the Behind-the-Scenes Story on Samsung Gear Fit
CNet came up with a very nice behind-the-scenes look at how Samsung developed the Gear Fit wristband. Essentially, design work happened not in Kore, but with a design team based in San Francisco who drove some parts of the global conglomerate to do some things that were not strictly comfortable. It's a mid-length read, and worth the time as you're getting back into the swing … [Read more...]
Will the Fall Bring a Microsoft Wristband?
... and now comes Microsoft. Paul Thurrott's Supersite, long a gold-standard source for Microsoft software news, is picking up vibrations that Microsoft will launch a fitness band late this year. The differentiator: it will work with all platforms: iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Actually, the "big" news here is Windows Phone -- not many other fitness trackers work with … [Read more...]
Voyce Tracks Your Dog’s Health
On the overheated days when it seems like dumb hype about wearables is inescapable, someone over beers always makes a snarky remark about "wearables for pets." The thing is, it's a real market. Americans will spend $51.5 billion on their pets this year, $14 billion of that on veterinary care. Pets get sick, and owners want to take care of them. Voyce is an activity fitness … [Read more...]
Hands-on With Android Wear Watches From LG, Moto, and Samsung
Our correspondent Melissa Perenson is at Google I/O this week, and she got her hands on the first set of Android Wear watches to be shown to the public. Here are her impressions: With the LG G Watch, Samsung Gear Live, and Motorola Moto 360, a big challenge became clear: how to differentiate themselves from each other. Price will certainly be an issue, but so will design … [Read more...]
Next Moves From Fitbit?
We haven't heard much from Fitbit since it recalled the Force earlier this year because its wristband was causing contact dermatitis with some people. Given that by some measures, Fitbit owns half the fitness tracker market, the silence was noticeable. Now there's starting to be word of what might come next. The eagle-eyed Dave Zatz spotted three trademark applications from … [Read more...]