You may remember that last year, Ralph Lauren put a branded version of an OMsignal sensor shirt on some ball boys at the US Open (the tennis Open, not the golf one). This year, Lauren -- which puts great promotional weight around the tournament -- will make the shirts available for sale to the public. The shirts are tight across the shoulder and chest and loose at the bottom … [Read more...]
Apple’s Fitness Exec Gives Rare Interview About the Watch
Outside.com has a pretty good longish interview with Jay Blahnik, the Nike exec that Apple lured away to help build the Apple Watch's fitness apps. The interviewer is a skeptic -- an exercise enthusiast who likes the Watch but is underwhelmed with its fitness components. This makes for a good and challenging interview, as Blahnik explains Apple's short-term and long-term goals … [Read more...]
Misfit and Speedo Get Into the Swim
Not a lot of lightweight fitness trackers are built for swimming, water and electronics being natural enemies, but Misfit and Speedo have teamed up to sell the Speedo Shine. Priced at $80 and available September 1, the Speedo edition of the well-known Shine will count pool laps and distance, and connect with Speedo's smartphone app. Like all Shines, the Speedo version will … [Read more...]
Samsung Sneaks Next Gear Smartwatch
Samsung held a press shindig today to show off its latest cellphone and phablet (a word that our spell-checker seems to think is OK), and used the occasion to give a quick look at the Gear S2 smartwatch, which it won't formally introduce until next month. The round-faced S2, like most Samsung smartwatches, looks like it will be based on the Tizen operating system. Nice watch … [Read more...]
Outlook Comes to the Apple Watch
It's not you'll be doing most of your work on it (unless you're really obsessed), but Microsoft has brought a new version of Outlook to the Apple Watch. We haven't tried it out yet, but this new version apparently works more or less like any e-mail notification on the watch, with the addition of quick replies and the ability to dictate responses. As good as the watch's voice … [Read more...]
Next Glass May Fold, But New Moverio is Built For Rugged Work
It's far from impossible that Google, which did so much to plant the idea of a techie visor in the world's brain, will wind up seriously trailing the market it helped popularize. There are continuing slow leaks about the Enterprise Edition of Google Glass, but none of them really comes close products like Epson's Moverio BT-2000. The Moverios were never anything you'd wear … [Read more...]
In-Ear Basal Thermometer Goes Kickstarter, But Beware the Science
Women who have difficulty getting pregnant frequently track their basal temperature -- the lowest body temperature of the day -- as an indication of when they are most fertile. (The lowest temp of the cycle is supposedly Go time.) One of the difficulties of getting an accurate reading is that your basal temperature is reached when you're asleep. YONO has started a … [Read more...]
Mondiane Smartwatch Available for Pre-Order, Uses MMT Movement
The first wave of smartwatches using the Swiss MMT movement from Philippe Kahn's FullPower Technologies are starting to hit the market. Mondiane's Helvetica 1, based on the well-known "Swiss Rail" watch face, is now available for pre-order. The Helvetica 1, announced earlier this year at the Baselworld watch show, is an analog watch based on the MMT movement. MMT-based … [Read more...]
Olio Smart Watch Closes $10M Round, Intros Gold-Plated Versions
Olio, makers of one of the more interesting high-end smartwatches, says it has just closed a $10 million Series A funding round led by New Enterprise Associates. In addition, the company has put on sale its latest round of limited-edition watches, led by versions plated in yellow or rose gold. As we've written previously, Olio has developed its own hardware and software … [Read more...]
Hajj Wearable to Help Pilgrims Navigate
It may be difficult for non-Muslims to understand the scale of the Hajj, when more 2 million people descend on Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia each year to participate one of the holiest obligations of Islamic life. It's a logistic nightmare -- housing, transportation, food, crowd control, health care, policing, and other governmental functions like visas, all need to be … [Read more...]