It has not been a good year for Jawbone, the once-pioneering maker of fitness trackers and Bluetooth speakers, and it appears to be getting worse. Multiple reports over the weekend say that the company is running on fumes, unable to pay its third-party support vendor and nearly sold out of products. Jawbone had apparently been using the Portland, Maine company NexRep to … [Read more...]
Flexible Thermocell Battery Brings in the Volts
Batteries are the one part of your wearable device that still seem old school. Although we’ve seen improvements in size and endurance, the chemistry and physics of batteries are just plain hard. A lot of scientists are investigating the alternative of energy harvesting or scavenging; that is, producing usable energy from natural sources, such wind, sun, or human … [Read more...]
Dubai Runners Will Move to the Light
Athletes wearing LED-enhanced gear seem to be trending since Team Britain’s shining shoes at the Olympic closing ceremony. Now they are about to light up the wrists of runners in the 5K nighttime. In the Electric Run 2016 in Dubai on Nov. 4, 10,000 race entrants will receive Pixmob Electrobands as part of their registration packets. Electrobands are like technologically … [Read more...]
Pokémon GO Plus Wristband Went Fast
You’d have to be living in a fallout shelter not to have heard of Pokémon GO, Nintendo's augmented reality game, over the last few days. But lost in all the hype is Pokémon GO Plus -- the Poké Ball-shaped device that vibrates and flashes to alert the wearer to any Pokémon in the immediate vicinity. Press a button, and the Pokémon is yours. Pokémon GO Plus sells for $34.99 … [Read more...]
Wearable Keeps Moms Abreast of Infant’s Feeding
You might think that breastfeeding is one of those natural things that don't need electronic help. Women have been doing it for millennia and the human race is still here so they must have gotten it right, for the most part. It is true that some women more trouble than others, but the difficulty is most often medical or, well, mechanical, rather than portion … [Read more...]
Fitbit Hit With Class Action Suit About Heart Rate Monitoring
As ships attract barnacles, as potholes attract politicians, so do successful companies attract lawsuits. The Verge reports the filing of a class-action suit filed against Fitbit, claiming that its heart-rate monitoring is <gasp> inaccurate by a "significant margin." The suit is looking for injunctive and actual damages. Fitbit denies the claims, also pointing out that … [Read more...]
Virtual Vision from Vuzix
Lovers of tech gadgets, especially those of my generation, grew up reading science fiction. We’ve been waiting all our lives for the kinds of things we read about, with virtual reality being pretty near the top of the list—right after transporters, but before lunar cities. Vuzix, “the world leader in video eyewear technology,” has paired their iWear headphones with the … [Read more...]
Android Wear Updates Allows Interactive Faces, Native Translate Support
Techcrunch points out an update to Android Wear that lets programmers build interactive watch faces -- faces that respond to taps or touches. That capability will allow designers to create much more complex (and possibly useful) complications. Google also announced today Android Wear support for Google Translate, even if Translate isn't installed on your phone. Speak into … [Read more...]
Free Stuff! Visijax LED Jacket Giveaway
Because you've come here day after day for just short of two years (wow!), we know that you value Wearable Tech Insider. We're looking for more readers and subscribers just like you, and we're willing to have some fun and give some stuff away to get them. Our friends at Visijax have generously offered one of their excellent LED Commuter Bike Jackets with Turn Signals … [Read more...]
Is the Apple Watch Really Failing?
In the slow days of summer, it seems like journalists sometimes distract themselves from watching cat videos by writing apocalyptic stories about how everything on their beat is going to hell. Lately, there's been a spate of clickbait headlines (including this one) about the Apple Watch and how it's failing in the market -- more or less on schedule of reporters' typical … [Read more...]