We're all for greater adoption of technology in sports, but as New Yorkers with a bit of a "thing" about Boston and cheating, we report this with satisfaction: The Red Sox have been caught using Apple Watches to relay stolen signs to their batters. On the one hand, yay for a new business use case for wearables. On the other hand, those sumbitches were cheating. On the third … [Read more...]
Garmin Shows Three New Fitness Bands at IFA
Garmin, which has shown great skill at micro-segmenting the fitness band business, announced three new mid-range devices at the German IFA consumer electronics show. At the higher end, the vivoactive 3 is a GPS smartwatch with NFC payment capability licensed from FitPay. Featuring a heart-rate monitor and an always-on touchscreen, the vivoactive 3 includes auto sensing for … [Read more...]
The e-Skinny on Xenoma’s Smart Shirt
Tokyo-based Xenoma has incorporated its Printed Circuit Fabric into e-skin shirts that can track movement and gestures—bending, twisting, stretching—analyze your breathing and remind you to sit up straight. It also has possibility as a game and AR controller. All this, and it’s machine washable. The shirt’s fabric has flexible wires and sensors hidden in it and the company … [Read more...]
Garmin Launches New Fenix 5 Line: CES
Alone among the Big 4 wearables companies, Garmin is launching new products at CES. It's introducing the Fenix 5 line, building on its rugged high-performance wristwear. There are three Fenix 5 models: the 5, the 5S, and the 5X. They've got a different look -- a bit smaller and less aggressively masculine. All the models come in a variety of colors and finishes and have … [Read more...]
ShotTracker TEAM Attracts Hoops Stars in $5M Seed Round
We last wrote about ShotTracker about two years ago, when the company first shipped its basketball analytics wearable. We're told now that that there's a team version of ShotTracker -- and that it's attracted former LA Laker Magic Johnson and former NBA Commissioner David Stern as part of a $5 million seed round. The standalone version of ShotTracker comprises a sensor on … [Read more...]
Female Runners Rejoice: OMbra Smart Bra Now Available
We were impressed with Montreal-based Omsignal’s smart running bra when it first surfaced at CES 2016. It’s well designed, both as clothing and technology, and you can’t help believing that something hugging your chest is going to get a more accurate breathing and heart rate data than something on your wrist. OMsignal recently completed a $10 million funding round, and the … [Read more...]
Dubai Runners Will Move to the Light
Athletes wearing LED-enhanced gear seem to be trending since Team Britain’s shining shoes at the Olympic closing ceremony. Now they are about to light up the wrists of runners in the 5K nighttime. In the Electric Run 2016 in Dubai on Nov. 4, 10,000 race entrants will receive Pixmob Electrobands as part of their registration packets. Electrobands are like technologically … [Read more...]
Team Britian Shoes Are Shining
Not only did Team Great Britain have reason to dance at the closing ceremonies for the 2016 Olympics, they had the perfect shoes to do it in. The record-breaking team that garnered even more medals that at the London games four years ago were wearing custom-made trainers—Brit-speak for athletic shoes—that lit the way. LED lights along the soles of the shoes lit up red, … [Read more...]
Wearables AR Pioneer Skully Hits the Wall
We're seeing reports that Skully -- the company that made an augmented reality motorcycle helmet that was one of the first high-profile wearables startups -- has fallen apart. And those reports indicate that the end is not peaceful. Skully's helmets were essentially heads-up displays mounted inside the visors, giving wearers views of their bikes controls as well as … [Read more...]
Samsung Licenses Valencell’s Ear-Worn Sensor Tech
We get many announcements of corporate alliances and licensing deals crossing our desk every day, but the one between Valencell and Samsung looks particularly provocative. Valencell makes interesting biometric sensor sets that sit in the ear. If you've got earbuds that count steps or track your pulse rate, odds are good that they use Valencell tech. But there aren't many of … [Read more...]
