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Wearable Technology

Wearable Technology

Apple Watch Being Treated As More Fashion Than Tech

October 1, 2014

Paris_Apple_WatchYesterday the Apple Watch made its first public appearance. Timed to coincide with Paris Fashion Week, the device went on display for 1 day only at the high-end Parisian boutique Colette. By utilizing the iconic fashion event as the setting to show off the watch, it is becoming clear that Apple is treating its watch more as a fashion accessory and less as a piece of consumer electronics.  This is also supported by the fact Apple chose to display the watch at Colette instead of either of its 2 Apple Stores in Paris. Since its announcement, the company has tried to get the watch in front of fashion editors, designers, and popular horology blogs. Apple even showed the watch off to Vogue weeks before the public introduction. Additionally, the rumored pricing of potentially up to $5000 seems to place it squarely in the realm of jewelry instead of gadget. This is a very different approach from the rest of the wearable tech industry.  For a culture that has become accustomed to replacing their phones every 12-24 months, it will be interesting to see how people respond to this different way of thinking about an electronic. 

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by Doug Parker
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Wearable Technology

Nixie, The Wearable Drone For Selfies

September 29, 2014

Nixie Wearable Selfie DroneThe finalists for this year’s Make It Wearable Challenge by Intel include devices such as an activity tracking sports necklace, a baby health monitor, and a kinetic sensor for skiing. While all of these are interesting, none of them are breaking new ground in the way one of the other finalists is: Nixie. Nixie is a tiny wearable drone that is worn on your wrist like a bracelet. The device, powered by Intel’s Edison chip, recognizes when it is unleashed from your wrist and then flies into the air. It then senses where you are, flies up, and takes a selfie using the integrated camera. The device then returns to you so that you can replace it on your wrist. With how many people I have seen placing their smartphone on a pole to get a slightly better selfie, I hazard to imagine a world were something like Nixie becomes commonplace. The winner of the Make It Wearable Challenge will be announced November 3rd and will receive $500,000.  Head past the break for a video about Nixie. 

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by Doug Parker
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Wearable Technology

Amazon Explores Entering Wearable Device Market

September 29, 2014

Amazon Lab126 WearableAmazon is increasing the headcount at its top secret hardware development facility, Lab126, by at least 27% as it explores releasing wearable and connected home devices. According to Reuters, Amazon disclosed the information in a little-known government document. The personnel increase at the Lab126 devision, where the Kindle e-reader and Fire tablet were developed, is planned to take place over the next 5 years. Despite the lukewarm reception to the Amazon Fire phone, which recently saw a $200 price drop, Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, continues to believe that connected hardware is key to the company’s long term success. He believes such products are necessary to help provide customers seamless access to Amazon’s merchandise and services. With the Fire phone taking 4 years to develop, it is unlikely we will be seeing any Amazon wearables in the immediate future, but it provides an interesting roadmap of what Lab126 feels are important technologies to explore. As of the end of 2013, the division had almost 3,000 full-time employees.

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by Doug Parker
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Jewelry

Intel’s MICA (or My Intelligent Communication Accessory) (UPDATED)

September 26, 2014

Intel's MICA By Opening Ceremony

UPDATE: Intel / Opening Ceremonies have posted a marketing video (starring Rashida Jones!) of MICA in action. Head past the break.

Intel hasn’t made it a secret that it wants to be part of the wearable technology movement. This month at NYFW, Intel along with design partner Opening Ceremonies debuted MICA (which stands for My Intelligent Communication Accessory). According to Intel “if you take a tech company and make a wearable, it looks like a tech-company wearable.” The company believes that by forming strategic partnerships with companies already in the fashion space, they will be able to create more compelling wearable devices. The high-end MICA bangles were designed by Opening Ceremonies to be true fashion pieces without sacrificing usability. MICA features a curved touchscreen, 3G connectivity, and wireless charging. The bangles are covered in snake skin and feature stones such as obsidian and tiger’s eye. Intel expects the bangle to go on sale in time for the holidays at a price around $1000. It will be available at Barney’s and from Opening Ceremony.  

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by Doug Parker
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Wearable Tech More Jewelry Or Consumer Tech
Wearable Technology

Should a Wearable Device Be More Jewelry Or Consumer Electronic?

September 18, 2014

Apple Watch EditionAs we move towards a future of wearable devices, will they be something more closely related to the jewelry and accessories we already wear or will they be closer to consumer electronics. Up to this point, every wearable piece of technology has quite decidedly been a consumer electronic. They are made from the same materials as our cell phones and are priced to be replaceable and upgradable. But that is not how people are trained to think about jewelry and accessories. We have grown accustomed to craftsmanship and materials that make them unique. If you watched last week’s Apple Watch announcement, one word you did not hear was “smart watch.” That calculated move was reinforced by no mention of competing products already in that space (something Apple has not hesitated to do during other tentpole announcements such as the iPod and iPhone). It is quite possible that Apple thinks the way to succeed in the wearable market is to create something that is closer to jewelry.

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by Doug Parker
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Watches, Wearable Technology

Apple Enters Wearable Market, Announces Apple Watch

September 10, 2014

Apple Watch

After years of speculation, Apple today announced the Apple Watch. While the wearable device will not ship until early 2015, the company likely wanted to get ahead of any potential product leaks and disrupt holiday sales of existing smart watches on the market. Marking a first for smart watches, the device will ship in multiple materials, finishes, and sizes with a large selection of interchangeable bands. Earlier we discussed how important individuality is for a fashion piece (which a watch is) to be successful, clearly Apple understands that. While Apple Watch’s varied product matrix is sure to make consumers happy, the general consensus is that the design could have been more unique. While competitors are releasing round and curved displays, Apple opted for a basic rectangular screen. Interestingly, the look is very reminiscent of the original iPhone. Hopefully the usability of the device makes up for any design shortcomings.

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by Doug Parker
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Jewelry, Wearable Technology

MOTA Shows Off SmartRing Connected Jewelry

September 8, 2014

MOTA Smart Ring Jewlery

Silicon Valley design firm MOTA showed their answer to less intrusive notifications at IFA 2014, the MOTA SmartRing. The vibrating ring is worn with the small OLED screen facing the palm.  The idea is that when the ring vibrates, the wearer looks at the palm of their hand to see scrolling information regarding the notification. To allow for the jewelry to be waterproof, the company plans to use inductive charging to refill its 36 hour battery. The device is currently available for preorder on Indiegogo for $75 with an estimated ship date of April 2015. Everything sounds great on paper, but is the company over promising.

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by Doug Parker
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