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...]
Wearable Tech Insider Podcast Posted for June 19
New podcast's up. Coverage includes Fitbit IPO, Intel buys Recon, Hitachi's happiness monitor (sort of), and Augmate's enterprise management tool. Dan Rosenbaum, producer and host, with Health Tech Insider's Alfred Poor and music by Michael Roth. … [Read more...]
Camera, Less Tethering, Reportedly to Come in Apple Watch 2
The usually informed 9to5Mac is reporting the first breezes of what may come in the next round of Apple Watches. The major feature enhancements, the site says, would be a small camera suitable for FaceTime conferencing, as well as enhanced WiFi capability that would require less tethering to an iPhone. Interestingly, the site says, battery life has not been an issue with … [Read more...]
Fitbit IPO Prices at $20, Opens at $30 (Last Update)
Here we go. Fitbit was the first IPO of the Wearables Era, and it went pretty smoothly. The stock, priced at $20, hit the NYSE at a touch above $30, had a big trade at nearly $32 (making some friend of an underwriter about a $10 million profit for just existing), and then settled within a couple of pennies of $30 for the rest of the day. By 10:30 am, pretty much all the … [Read more...]
Intel Acquires Recon Instruments
Intel continues its sweep into the consumer wearables market, acquiring Recon Instruments for a reported $175 million. Recon is big in the sports segment of the augmented reality market, making the tech guts of an Oakley ski visor, as well as its own Snow2 and Jet glasses and the Engage smartphone app. Intel was an investor in Recon through its Intel Capital wing, and … [Read more...]
Fitbit Ups the Ante, Raising Target IPO Price
Tomorrow, Fitbit becomes the first pure wearables company to go public, and today increased its target price (and amount of money it expects to raise) when its shares go on sale. Previously, the company said it expected that just shy of 30 million shares of stock would open at between $14 and $16, for a corporate valuation of about $3.1 billion. Today, a financial filing … [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...]
Podcast Posted for June 12
New podcast's up. It includes coverage of Augmented World Expo, and a conversation with Qualcomm exec Jay Wright that includes a demo of Mattel's unbelievable new View-Master. Health Tech Insider's Alfred Poor reports on wearable data security and an implanted chip that monitors your blood. … [Read more...]