The market research firm Tractica estimates that 12 million units of "smart augmented reality glasses" will ship in the next five years. The company counts everything from Google Glass to Oculus Rift and Magic Leap, so they don't seem to be making much of a distinction based on use case. Nonetheless, Tractica estimates that 114,000 units of AR glasses will ship this year, … [Read more...]
Fitbit Prices IPO at $14 to $16, Raising $350M at $3.1B Valuation
Fitbit has updated its S-1 filing, preparatory to going public, saying it expects to price the nearly 40 million shares it will sell at between $14 and $16. Of the shares going on the market, 22.4 million of them are being sold by the company; the other 7.5 million are being sold by existing shareholders. At the midpoint of the selling price, the IPO will add $336 million to … [Read more...]
Canadian Ticketed For Driving While Watched
Well, someone had to be first. A driver in Quebec picked up a $120 ticket last week for using his Apple Watch while driving. Jeffrey Macesin says he was changing songs on his watch when he was pulled over and ticketed. Quebec's traffic code prohibits using "a hand-held device that includes a telephone function" while driving. Does the Apple Watch include a telephone … [Read more...]
Google’s Project Soli Rethinks Interaction
Google took the wraps off Project Soli during its Google I/O developer conference, quietly introducing a highly sensitive motion sensor that could reshape how we interact with close-range devices. We've seen radar signals used in various ways, and generally in much larger sizes and forms than what Google unveiled at I/O. Project Soli, Google says, marks the first time radar … [Read more...]
What to Expect From Levi’s Deal with Google
A fashion designer at Google's annual I/O developer conference? Inconceivable. But with the unveiling of Project Jacquard, Google's touch-enabled material, it suddenly makes sense that Paul Dillinger, Levi Strauss’s head of global product innovation. could be seen wandering amidst developers. After all, the world of apps and fashion are about to collide, and Levi's will be … [Read more...]
Google’s Project Jacquard Transforms Clothing Into Wearables
Dr. Ivan Poupyrev is part of Google’s secretive ATAP division, a team of Googlers tasked with making the stuff of science fiction reality. Take Project Jacquard, introduced by Poupyrev not at Google I/O's 2015 keynote but rather at an under-the-radar standing-room-only session on the second day of the conference. Project Jacquard won't fly under the radar anymore. It was one … [Read more...]
Wearable Tech Podcast for Week of May 29
Yes, we did it again. Highlights of the week from WearablesInsider.com and HealthTechInsider.com. You can listen to it through the link below, or subscribe on iTunes. Also: let us know what you think, and how we can make it better. Best comments will win a snazzy WearablesInsider.com USB slapband. … [Read more...]
Avago Buys Broadcom for $37 Billion
Broadcom makes communications chips that power many, if not most, of your wearables, as well as big data switches. As part of an ongoing consolidation in that business, it's being acquired by Avago -- what used to be the semiconductor division of HP -- for $37 billion. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of next year. The surviving company will be called … [Read more...]
Engadget is Not in Love with the Pebble Time
Pebble sold $20 million worth of its new Time watch on Kickstarter, and now deliveries have started. Engadget has the first review that we've seen, and it's pretty mixed. The chief problem isn't the "more geek than chic" look. It's the $200 price tag, which is high for a watch that has what the reviewer felt is a limited set of features. There's no touchscreen, no GPS, no … [Read more...]
Apple to Give Developers Direct Access to Watch Sensors
Apple's big developers' conference is coming up soon, and one of the company's top execs is spilling details about what goodies will be available for watch hackers. Jeff Williams, senior vice president of operations, told a conference this week that there's an SDK coming for the Apple Watch, and that developers will be able to get their hands directly on the watch's sensors. … [Read more...]