Here's an odd one: a woman who claims she'd been raped had her story debunked by her fitness tracker. Lancaster Online reports that Jeannine Risley, of St. Petersburg, Florida told police that she was asleep when she was awakened at midnight March 10 by an intruder who had broken into the house she was staying in and was assaulting her. She said she had lost her Fitbit … [Read more...]
Is Fitbit Really Outselling Apple?
Slice Intelligence, which measures tech sales by monitoring e-mails to a recruited user panel, tells Bloomberg that Fitbit's sales are outpacing those of the Apple Watch -- once you discount Apple's initial sales surge. The figures they present do appear to be compelling, but there may be less there than meets the eye. Fitbit apparently had a holiday surge, as did pretty … [Read more...]
Android Wear Gets 17 New Branded Watch Faces
If you're bored with the watch faces built into Android Wear, hang on: there are 17 more about to arrive that will let you express your individuality through large brands. TechCrunch has the whole list and illustrations, but suffice to say that if you always wanted Angry Birds or Hello Kitty on your wrist, this is your day. In fairness, there are some much more elegant faces … [Read more...]
Crowd Ownership is Now OK. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
If you really really really like a crowdfunded project, it is at last possible not only to buy a pre-release product, but to actually buy into the company. Under terms of the 2012 "Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act" that went into effect last week, you no longer have to have an annual income of $200,000 or net worth (not including homes) of $1 million to invest in a … [Read more...]
doist Shows Why Apple Watch Apps Will Get Better
The first generation of Apple Watch apps suffered mightily because developers had never laid eyes on one before they had to start building. As good as a software simulator might be, you can't strap one onto your wrist and understand the critical subtleties of a user experience. It's like premiering a symphony before you're able to rehearse it; synthesizer aren't quite the same … [Read more...]
FTC Takes On Non-Delivering Crowdfunder
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has gone after its first non-delivering crowdfunder, fining board game "maker" Eric Chevalier for raising $122,000 on Kickstarter and not producing anything. Chevalier promised a game called The Doom That Came to Atlantic City, but spent the money on personal expenses. He provided neither a game nor refunds, despite updates that had claimed … [Read more...]
Boeing Study Validates Cost Savings of Augmented Reality
Any new technology application will meet justified skepticism, and virtual/augmented reality is certainly no exception. Aerospace giant Boeing has concluded a study that strongly indicates significant cost savings of augmented reality in complex factory floor environments. Paul Davies, of Boeing's Research & Technology Group, told the Augmented World Expo that his … [Read more...]
Will Huawei Be The Savior of Jawbone? Not So Much.
The Verge reported over the weekend that Huawei's quirky Talkband B2 fitness tracker will be the first non-Jawbone device to enter the Jawbone software ecosystem, thereby throwing the troubled device maker a lifeline. The underlying fact may be correct, but the analysis is a little muddied. There is clearly a wearables ecosystem fight going on. Apple and Google are doing … [Read more...]
NYTimes Long Read About Smartwatches
There probably isn't much that in it that faithful readers of this site don't already know, but the New York Times published a pretty good long read this weekend about the smartwatch business seen from the perspective of Swiss watchmakers. TL;dr: Yes, they're nervous. Yes, they're defensive. The companies in the $1,000 price range are adapting; the ones who sell stuff more … [Read more...]
IDC Puts Fitbit Number 1 in Trackers, with Xiaomi in Second
IDC says Fitbit is the world's top vendor of fitness trackers for the first quarter of 2015, with Chinese Xiaomi in a strong second thanks to its $15 Mi Band. Overall, the world market for trackers was 11.4 million, up 200 percent from the year previous. IDC analysts say that 40 percent of trackers sold in the first quarter sold for under $100 -- not surprising given the … [Read more...]