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Wearable Technology

Wearable Technology

Dorothy Lets You Click Your Heels To Go Home, Via Taxi

October 30, 2014

Dorothy WearableEver find yourself stuck someplace you didn’t want to be and wish you could click your heels together like Dorothy and just be home? Well, iStrategyLabs is working to make that a reality. The aptly named Dorothy project includes a wearable bluetooth device (Ruby) that you attach to one of your shoes. If you are having a bad date, stuck at an unbearable party, or walked into a bar you probably shouldn’t have, simply tap your heels together 3 times. You can set the action to ring your phone with a fake phone call, alert 3 of your friends to your location, and, soon, call an Uber taxi to get you out of there. iStrategyLabs says the device is capable of pretty much any “if this then that” action. Dorothy is still under development as iStrategyLabs works on reducing the size of the Ruby module. Video after the break: 

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by Doug Parker
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Wearable Technology

US Movie Theaters Ban Wearable Devices With Camera

October 30, 2014

Movie Theaters Ban Wearable DevicesThe Motion Picture Associate of America and the National Association Of Theater Owners have announced a zero-tolerance ban on wearable devices capable of recording. The decision is not a huge surprise after the arrest of a movie goer earlier this year for wearing Google Glass. If caught wearing a device you will be asked to put it away or risk expulsion from the showing. If the theater believes you are recording the showing, law enforcement will be called. The MPAA and NATO have long been fighting to keep recording technology out of movie theaters and are fearful that wearable devices could enable anyone to easily record a movie without it being detected. While the ban covers all wearable devices with a camera, the focus is likely on Google Glass and similar headsets.

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by Doug Parker
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Sports, Wearable Technology

Microsoft Releases Sensor Ladened Fitness Band

October 30, 2014

Microsoft Band

After a few recent rumors that Microsoft was working on a wearable device, the company announced the immediate availability of their new full featured fitness band, Microsoft Band. Besides monitoring sleep cycles, tracking activity, and providing guided workouts, it also displays notifications, emails, and calendar events. One of the standout features of the device are its sensors. Featuring now standard sensors such as heart rate and accelerometer, the Microsoft Band also tracks things such as UV exposure and galvanic skin response and has built in GPS. If you are a coffee drinker who is still on the fence, a forthcoming update to the device will allow you to pay for purchases at Starbucks. The bluetooth 4.0LE device has a 48 hour battery life and is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. It is available immediately for $199 from Microsoft’s website or stores.

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by Doug Parker
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Watches

A Smartwatch Designed For Women: Omate’s Lutetia

October 29, 2014

Omate Lutetia Women's Smartwatch

As any tech-intrigued woman is quick to point out, all smartwatch offerings to date have been decidedly targeted towards a male audience. Between the look and the size (the Moto 360 is a giant 46mm), these are not devices that are going to be gracing many woman’s wrists. Omate is hoping to change that with the announcement of their Lutetia watch. While still not diminutive at 40mm in diameter and 12mm thick, the device clearly has a softer, more elegant appearance designed to be worn by a woman. The Lutetia pairs with both iOS and Android devices. It utilizes an always-on reflective screen to achieve an entire week of battery life. The long battery life means that the watch is somewhat feature limited, designed primarily to alert the user to notifications. The stainless steel watch can be pre-ordered today in either silver, gold, or rose-gold colors for $169. It is expected to ship in time for the Holidays.

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by Doug Parker
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Watches, Wearable Technology

Will.i.am announces Puls Smartwatch With 3G Connectivity

October 28, 2014

Will.I.Am Puls Smartwatch

After teasing that he was working on wearable tech back in April, Will.i.am has unveiled his Puls smart watch (video after the break). The Android powered device will be on sale in time for this Holiday season. Puls has a cuff design with the battery integrated into the bracelet. It does not require a phone, utilizing its own 3G connectivity provided by partners AT&T and O2. The watch features a curved touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, accelerometer, 16GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. On the software side, when the device ships it will include connectivity to Facebook and Twitter as well as Salesforce. A Siri-like digital assistant, “AneedA,” will help you make and remember appointments and communicate with contacts. The bracelet also has integrated speakers for phone calls and music playback. While not the most thrilling device, perhaps the most unique thing about it are the accessories announced by Will.i.am. 

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by Doug Parker
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Clothing

Hexoskin Releases Smart Shirt To Monitor Your Workouts

October 2, 2014

Hexoskin

This week, Hexoskin announced the availability of their “smart shirt.” Originally funded on crowd-funding website Indiegogo, the $400 device is capable of providing information about heart-rate, breathing, activity, and sleeping. The Hexoskin shirt joins what is quickly becoming a crowded market segment, with products from Ralph Lauren and OMsignal. It appears that Hexoskin is trying to separate itself from the competition though with a more professional tool set. The iOS and Android app are able to track multiple shirts at once and the device is able to calculate things such as VO2max (generally regarded as a key base fitness measurement) and provide live raw data (which allows you to do such things as view your ECG on your phone). As with other “smart shirts”, the Hexoskin depends on a tight fit to get accurate measurements, so think carefully about your purchase if you don’t like to show off your body.

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by Doug Parker
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Software

WebOS Might Be Making A Comeback In Wearable Tech

October 2, 2014

LG webOS

If a quickly removed LG-sponsored website is to be believed, webOS might be about to make a comeback attempt. The website promotes a forthcoming development kit for webOS powered smartwatches. Given Samsung’s efforts to develop Tizen as a viable alternative to Android, LG making this move is plausible. WebOS’s card-like interface could be a strong fit for a small device.

WebOS has had quite a storied life. Originally developed and launched by Palm in 2009 as the operating system for its next generation smartphone, within a year it was purchased along with the rest of the company by HP.  At the time HP said it paid the $1.2B price largely for the new operating system. In February of 2011 HP announced it would use webOS on all of its devices and in March they announced webOS would be able to run inside of Windows. Six short months later though, HP announced plans to sell its PC business and abandon development of webOS. In 2013, LG entered into an agreement with HP to license the operating system. Currently LG uses webOS to power the company’s televisions.

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by Doug Parker
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