At a time of rumors that the fitness wearables market might be slackening, there is a continuing increase in the use of the technology in helping people with far more serious problems than getting their 10,000 steps. Intel and Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva, for example, have recently agreed to collaborate to develop a wearable to track disease progression in people with … [Read more...]
Search Results for: microsoft band
Fitbit Introduces a More-Stylish Alta Fitness Tracker
It seems like just last month that Fitbit introduced a new tracker (wait -- it was just last month), but the company is back with another one -- less functional but easier on the eyes. The Alta is a significant and very intentional departure from the previous Fitbit look, reminding us more of a Garmin Vivosmart or a Microsoft Band than anything that Fitbit has sold before. … [Read more...]
Juniper Sees Fitness Trackers Staying Dominant, But Segmenting
Fitness trackers will lead the wearables industry until 2018, says a new report from Juniper Research, but will segment out into basic trackers and more deluxe products that compete with smart watches. Through 2018, according to the report "Smart Health & Fitness Wearables: Device Strategies, Trends & Forecasts" the number of fitness trackers being uses will triple … [Read more...]
The Year in Wearables 2016: Toldja So
Last year, in this space, we predicted that the biggest story in wearables in 2016 would be industry consolidation. We saw some prominent financial exits in 2015 – Fitbit chief among them – and Apple’s entry into the market, and realized that smaller and less-committed companies would get squeezed out, closed, acquired, or just absorbed. That’s exactly what happened. The … [Read more...]
Clothes Make the Man and Woman Feel Better
How would you like clothing that would not only make you look, but also feel, like a million bucks? Microsoft—the original grey suit people—is thinking about doing something about that. The company recently applied for a patent for a shirt that can detect your “affective state” and if it’s a downer, send you feedback to perk you up or cool you off. There is so much room for … [Read more...]
2014 In Review: Top Stories by Traffic
Readers of Wearable Tech Insider like interesting gadgets (especially when they have to do with breasts) and inside baseball. Here are our top stories of the year, by traffic. 1. DrumPants. Our first story in January about sensor pads that fit inside your clothes and trigger drum sounds was a big hit. Another story about DrumPants -- their failure to get funding on the TV … [Read more...]
Are Wearables Over? The Guardian Spouts Nonsense
One of the less attractive traits of the media -- and we say this as having been part of it for more than 35 years -- is its tendency to tear things down that it's only recently hyped. It's good for newspaper sales and works well as clickbait, but does little to actually inform anyone. In most cases, in fact, that kind of reporting is sort of the opposite of information because … [Read more...]
Basis Selling Itself to Whomever, says Techcrunch
Monday morning usually brings a spate of M&A news/leaks. Today, Techcrunch reports that Basis -- the heart monitor wristband company -- is either trying to sell itself or raise a Series C round. The acquisition candidates include Apple, Google, Samsung, or maybe Microsoft. The Basis tracker has the reputation for being one of the more accurate products on the market, but … [Read more...]
Smart Watches Old News to Casio
The idea of wristwatch communication is at least as old as, well, Chester Gould and Dick Tracy. Apple may have taken all the air out of the market with hardly a word and without a product, but the NYTimes points out that until now it's been the more-or-less-anonymous Casio that's done most of the grunt work in connected watches. I remember a Timex Datalink watch from 20 … [Read more...]