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Wearable Technology

Eyewear

Google Re-Examining Every Aspect Of Google Glass

May 21, 2015

Future Of Google Glass

In January of this year Google unexpectedly pulled Google Glass from its online marketplace and announced that Nest’s Tony Fadell was going to be overseeing the project moving forward. The move came as public sentiment towards Glass was reaching a low point; between the in-your-face design and privacy concerns, people and businesses became wary of the device. After the January announcement, it was assumed that the Glass project was on life-support. Tony Fadell came out of the shadows at this week’s Google Zeitgeist Conference to clear things up. According to Fadell, Google remains committed to Glass and continues to see it as an important platform. He is working with the Glass team to re-examine and reimagine every aspect of the product to make it consumer-ready, “We’ve decided to go and look at every detail, have no sacred cows and figure out the way forward.” It certainly seems like there is a challenging road ahead for Glass, but Fadell is one of the few people who might have the ability to turn it around. He has a track record of making technology accessible; he is considered the father of the iPod, had a large responsibility in shaping the iPhone, and co-founded Nest, makers of the wildly successful Nest Thermostat.

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by Doug Parker
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Bellabeat Lead Fitness Tracker
Jewelry

Bellabeat’s Leaf: A Fitness Tracker For Women

May 19, 2015

Bellabeat Lead Fitness Tracker

Ask most women and they will tell you that wearable tech has been predominately male focused. The techie look of Pebble, smartwatches 46mm in diameter, and the all plastic Fitbit have few redeeming fashion qualities, especially on a well dressed lady. Bellabeat is looking to change that with the Leaf. The Leaf is a full featured fitness tracker that can be worn as a bracelet, necklace, or broach. It is constructed of two parts, the front piece is a simple, elegant metal leaf while the back is a small wooden case housing the electronics. It tracks stress, sleep, and activity data and syncs via Bluetooth with your mobile phone. Feel like your daily life is too crazy to deal with daily charging, the Leaf has a 6 month battery life. Further illustrating their commitment to produce wearable devices for women, Bellabeat has stated that they will included software to help you track your period, contraception intake, and ovulation cycle. The Leaf is expected to ship this month and will cost $89. Head past the break for a video:   

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by Doug Parker
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Fitbit IPO Filing
Watches

Fitbit Preparing for IPO

May 13, 2015

Fitbit IPO Filing

In a sign that wearable devices are perhaps about to hit a tipping point, Fitbit has filed a S-1 form announcing its intention to go public. Fitbit, which exclusively produces fitness tracking devices, had a stellar 2014. The company saw a 144% rise in revenue year-over-year and a 441% increase in profit, selling almost 11 million devices versus 4.5 million in 2013. Fitbit also saw a 1580% increase in users paying for its digital trainer service. These numbers certainly are impressive, especially versus 2013, but are they sustainable?

Despite owning 62% of the U.S. fitness tracker market, NPD analysts believe that sales will peak at 32 million devices next year and begin diminishing. This issue isn’t one of popularity for wearables, but instead redundant features. Wrist-worn wearables fall into one of three categories: fitness tracker, sports performance, and smartwatch.  

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by Doug Parker
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Clothing

Elizabeth & Clarke Launch “Unstainable” Shirt

May 13, 2015

Elizabeth & Clarke Unstainable Shirt

It is one of the great mysteries of the world; put on a white shirt and you are guaranteed a stain will find its way onto it before the end of the day. Budget women’s fashion brand Elizabeth & Clarke has a solution with their simply named The Unstainable™ White Shirt. The shirt is currently on Kickstarter and has well exceeded its goal of $30,000. It is no big secret that hydrophobic materials are the key to making textiles resistant to liquid. The coatings work by disrupting the hydrogen bond that binds together water molecules. In order for the water molecule to maintain its structural integrity, it has to push away from the material. Thus, waterproofing is achieved. The problem is hydrophobic materials and coatings typically don’t breath and are not soft against the skin. Elizabeth & Clarke has spent 6 months researching and trialling different combinations of coatings and materials to allow silks and cottons to still feel like silks and cottons.

According to Melanie Moore, co-founder of Elizabeth & Clark, The Unstainable™ White Shirt is as soft as a pair of comfy PJs. The key to maintaining the suppleness of the fabric is liquid-repelling fibers 100,000 times smaller than a grain of sand. These fibers are applied to the textile of choice through a bathing and curing process, allowing the fabric to maintain its original breathability. The shirts maintain their hydrophobic qualities for at least two years and actually improve with ironing. They are currently available to purchase through Kickstarter: $25 for a tee and $50 for a blouse. See a very heavily produced video from Elizabeth & Clarke about the garment after the break.  

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by Doug Parker
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Wearable Technology

Caeden Raises $1.6M, Prepares To Launch Wearable Tech

May 6, 2015

Caeden Connected Smart Bracelet

Caeden, a Soho based wearable technology company, announced this week that is has just raised $1.6M in funding. The company was founded in 2014 by Nora Levinson and David Watkins with the intent to sell stylish headphones and earbuds. Caeden had recently announced its plans to release a connected, screen-less leather bracelet and the investment will be used to bring the device to market.

Although the company is remaining tight lipped on what exactly the bracelet does, they have released images of the design. It is primarily leather with thoughtful metal accents and a deployment buckle closure. A brief look online reveals more detailed design documents which outline PPG sensors to provide continuous heart rate monitoring, a motion sensor, and a vague reference to receiving phone notifications. Price has not yet been set. Caeden’s device is expected to ship in the Fall with preorders opening up soon.

 

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by Doug Parker
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Watches

TAG Heuer to Launch Smartwatch By November

April 30, 2015

TAG Heuer Smartwatch November

TAG Heuer has made no secret of it’s smartwatch ambitions. Earlier this year the LVMH owned company announced it was working with Google and Intel to develop the wrist piece. This week TAG Heuer announced that it was planning to launch the device in either October or November with pricing expected to start at $1,400. This is $100 less than the Carrera model the smartwatch is said to based off of. Jean-Claude Biver, head of LVMH’s luxury watch devision, said that users should expect 40 hours of battery life. This is well ahead of all current Android Wear devices so it will be interesting to see how TAG Heuer plans to accomplish this.

With a $1,400 price tag, the Apple Watch is the closest smartwatch competitor by price. Biver said of the rival device, “I hope they sell millions and millions and millions of them. The more they sell the more a few people will want something different and come to TAG Heuer.”

It will be interesting to see what a Swiss company, with such a vocal history about smartwatches, envisions the device should be.

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by Doug Parker
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Watches

Microsoft Band Receives VO2, Cycling, And Analytics Update

April 24, 2015

Microsoft Band April 2015 Update Biking

Google isn’t the only wearable maker slipping in one last major update before the Apple Watch launch. Microsoft has announced it is rolling out a sizable update to its Microsoft Band. There are two major software changes and one hardware improvement.

First, the biggest news is that apparently the Microsoft Band has had a pulse oximeter all along, it just wasn’t activated (similar to Apple’s). The Band will now be able to use this sensor to measure blood oxygen. The data will be recorded during runs and workouts and will be used to compute Max VO2, an important metric of cardiovascular fitness.

Continuing with new data you will be presented with, Microsoft’s web based health portal will now offer analytical views of the data your Band records. Among the new insights are fitness benefits, run/exercise trend observations, information about sleep recovery, and comparisons against similar Microsoft Band users.

Finally, Microsoft is adding further cycling integration to the Band. This includes the inclusion of MapMyRide and Strava.

Microsoft has done a solid job of consistently adding new features to their wearable device. The $199 band is now widely available and can be purchased from stores besides Microsoft. For the full list of changes, head to Microsoft’s announcement page.

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by Doug Parker
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