Google is apparently working on a health-related wristband, but don't expect to be able to buy it anytime soon -- or ever. Bloomberg is carrying a story about a wristband from Google X -- the research division of Google -- that will be able to measure pulse rate, heart rhythm, skin temperature, and local environment. It won't be sold to people, but rather distributed to … [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...]
Osterhout Shows New Self-Contained AR Glasses
The Osterhout Design Group used to be a very quiet pioneering company in the world of augmented reality, until it cut a still-mysterious licensing and patent deal with Microsoft. The money seems to have gotten over its reticence; at Augmented World Expo today, the company announced a new and self-contained augmented reality goggle, the R7. Calling it a "goggle" really … [Read more...]
Apple Publishes Watch SDK (Updated)
As it hinted about a week ago, Apple today announced a software development kit that will give programmers vastly expanded access to components and sensors on the Apple Watch. Developers will be able to build widgets for existing watch faces (although not, apparently, entirely new watch faces). They'll also be able to access the digital crown to peer back through the history … [Read more...]
Will Huawei Be The Savior of Jawbone? Not So Much.
The Verge reported over the weekend that Huawei's quirky Talkband B2 fitness tracker will be the first non-Jawbone device to enter the Jawbone software ecosystem, thereby throwing the troubled device maker a lifeline. The underlying fact may be correct, but the analysis is a little muddied. There is clearly a wearables ecosystem fight going on. Apple and Google are doing … [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...]
DrumPants Comes Back For Round Two
One of the most popular stories ever on this site was about DrumPants, a set of lightweight MIDI triggers that fit either on or under your clothing, and which trigger drum sounds when you touch them. The concept was simple and the execution was too -- or, as simple as building hardware ever is. The first version was the result of a very successful crowd-funding campaign, and a … [Read more...]
CNET Says Apple Watch Step Counter Is Super Accurate, If…
The Apple Watch is a beautiful piece of kit with ground-breaking functionality and UI, but lost in all the shouting is a simple question: how is it as a fitness tracker, which is the core function of most smart watches? The answer is: pretty good, if you take some care. CNET took that care and documented it. Out of the box, reporter Dan Graziano found, step counter … [Read more...]
Google’s Fadell Says Glass Isn’t Dead, But Don’t Count On It Soon
Google put its retail products guy, Tony Fadell, in charge of Glass earlier this year, then went largely silent about the previously wildly over-hyped project. For the first time, Fadell talked about Glass this week at a Google Zeitgeist conference in the UK -- and what he said didn't make it sound like we're going to see a product anytime soon. Fadell reportedly told the … [Read more...]