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2016 Gift Guide Wearables
Gift Guide, Sports, Watches, Wearable Technology

Holiday Gift Guide – Wearables

December 23, 2016

2016 Gift Guide Wearables

Wearables seem to be going through a sophomore slump right now. They are at that awkward stage of the market where they are starting to find an audience, but that audience is beginning to gather underneath a few tentpoles. As a result, the periphery marketplace is collapsing. The bowing out of 4 major wearable makers (with others likely on the way) should not be read as a failure of the segment though. The tentpole companies are putting out really exciting products that people are clamoring for. The list below is sure to please anyone!  

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by Doug Parker
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fitness activity tracker smartwatch dead future apple fitbit moto pebble
Business, Editorial, Watches, Wearable Technology

Moto Gone, Fitbit Down, Apple Unsure: What Is Happening With Wearables?

December 13, 2016

fitness activity tracker smartwatch dead future apple fitbit moto pebble

After years of false starts and stalled adoption, it was beginning to look like wearables were finally finding an audience. But the past week has brought nothing but sour news making one wonder if the connected devices are nothing but a fad. First Fitbit predicted a slow Holiday quarter, then Lenovo/Motorola announced the termination of the Moto 360, next Pebble shut down and sold off its assets for a pittance, and finally IDC released embarrassingly weak 3Q Apple Watch sales numbers. What is happening? Are wearables dead or is there more to it? While we might be a bit biased, we don’t see a reason for concern, yet. Let’s take a closer look at these headlines and the health of the industry as a whole.  

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by Doug Parker
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Android Wear 2 Together Social Interactive Watch Face Axe Google
Watches, Wearable Technology

Ahead Of Android Wear 2.0 Google To Suspend “Together” Watch Face

August 12, 2016

Android Wear 2 Together Social Interactive Watch Face Axe Google

Google is preparing to suspend several Android Wear apps alongside the launch of the wearable platform’s first major update. First on the chopping block appears to be the “Together” watch face; which will stop working September 30th. The face, which began shipping with Android Wear 1.3 last August, was one of the platform’s original interactive watch faces. It was designed to facilitate watch-to-watch communication similar to the Apple Watch. Users could share emoji, photos, current activity stats, or scribbles with just a tap. While the “Together” watch face might be going away, Google is promising when Android Wear 2.0 launches this Fall, similar features will be baked into the entire operating system.

While it is great news that the social features of the “Together” watch face will be included in Android Wear 2.0, not all watches will be able to run the new OS. Killing the services behind the watch face is a slap in the face to Android Wear users whose hardware is not supported by the new software. This includes the LG G Watch, Moto 360, and most likely any smartwatch with similar hardware, such as the Asus ZenWatch. If you have an Android Wear device older than last Fall, not only are you most likely stuck on Android Wear 1.x but you also are going to be loosing features. With a strong reliance on cloud based tech, it is not surprising that Android Wear would retire services, but it seems extremely aggressive to only allow the newest hardware to upgrade while simultaneously suspending services to older devices.

For those lucky enough to be able to upgrade to Android Wear 2.0, Google has introduced a number of meaningful updates. The changes focus on improving how users interact with the device for fitness, messaging, and glanceable information. For the latter, 3rd parties can now develop complications which can be added by the user to any watch face that supports complications. In the past, developers needed to include a custom watch face with their app. Using the wearable for fitness is about to become even easier because apps now have a “stand alone” mode, giving apps have the ability to operate without a cell phone being present, pulling data from the watch’s WiFi or cellular connection. This allows you to go to the gym with only your watch and a pair of Bluetooth headphones and be able to stream music from Spotify. A side benefit of “stand alone” mode is that you can also browse and install apps directly from your watch. This is a huge boon for iOS users, who previously were reliant on the built-in apps. Your smartwatch will now also be able to automatically recognize various activities and trigger a specified app (i.e. Strava when you are cycling). Perhaps the biggest change with Android Wear 2.0 is with messaging. Not only are notifications revised (shifting from a small banner to a card that slides up to fill the screen) but the way you reply is also updated. When you receive a text you can reply via emoji triggering scribbles or voice recognition, and now via handwriting recognition, contextual smart replies (similar to the Apple Watch), or a full keyboard (with swipe support).

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by Doug Parker
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Business, Editorial, Wearable Technology

Wearables Were Mostly Absent from MWC 2016, Why?

March 4, 2016

Wearables Missing MWC 2016 Why Fail category dead mobile world conference fitness trackers smartwatches

Mobile World Conference in Barcelona is typically a showplace of the newest and best cell phones that companies have to offer. At the 2015 MWC though, you could have easily have thought it was a wearables trade show. Practically every company had a fitness tracker, a smartwatch, or another form of wearable technology on display. But at MWC 2016, there were barely any wearables to be found. What happened? And is this the writing on the wall, showing consumer and company interest in wearables is just not that high?  Or are there other factors at hand?

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by Doug Parker
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Chase BoA Bank of America Wells Fargo ATM eATM NFC Apple Pay Android Pay Samsung Pay
Business, Retail

Why Mobile Payment ATMs Signal The End Of Debit Cards

February 3, 2016

Chase BoA Bank of America Wells Fargo ATM eATM NFC Apple Pay Android Pay Samsung Pay

While paying for things at retail is getting simpler and faster everyday thanks to mobile payment systems such as Apple Pay, the ATM experience has only gotten worse over the past 6 months. The introduction of the EMV chip on debit cards means we have returned to the olden days, where ATMs hold onto your card until the transaction is complete. Recently, while I was waiting the 30+ seconds it now takes for the cash machine to simply read my card, I pondered, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if I could just walk up to an ATM and use Apple Pay / Android Pay to get my cash out.”

Either the ATMs are mic’d or I am not the only one who has thought this because 3 out of the 4 largest US banks almost simultaneously announced that they plan to roll out contactless-payment ATMs. Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo will all begin the process of upgrading their machines this year. BoA will be the first to market, intruding NFC equipped terminals by the end of February at selects retail banks in NYC, Charlotte, Boston, Silicon Valley, and San Francisco. Though the bank has told employees not to disclose which mobile payment services it will be compatible with, it is tough to imagine that the ATMs won’t at least support Apple Pay and Android Pay. If a bank’s debit card is already compatible with a mobile payment service, integration should be trivial. (Perhaps Apple is asking banks not to announce Apple Pay integration so the company can make a big announcement at their rumored upcoming March press event.)  

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by Doug Parker
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2015 Year In Review Wrap Up Most Popular Posts
Year In Review

Year In Review: The Most Popular Stories Of 2015

December 30, 2015

2015 Year In Review Wrap Up Most Popular Posts

2016 promises to be an unbelievable year for fashion tech, retail innovations, and wearable devices. The Fashion in an Age of Technology themed Met Ball in May has the potential to be the real coming out party for wearables and we can’t wait. But there are plenty of other exciting happenings this coming year – CES is only a few days away, a new Apple Watch is rumored for March, New Balance’s 3D printed shoes will soon hit the shelves, and we might finally see the reimagined Google Glass. And then there is everything we can’t yet imagine!

As we forge ahead into the new year, we wanted to take a look back at some of the stories that were most embraced here at Circuits And Cable Knit. Head past the break to see the most popular stories of 2015!  

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by Doug Parker
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Google Glass Enterprise For Work New 2016 Version
Eyewear

New Google Glass For Enterprise Unveiled By FCC

December 29, 2015

Google Glass Enterprise For Work New 2016 Version

It is not exactly a secret that Google is hard at work on both a new consumer and enterprise version of Google Glass. Rebranded (internally at least) Project Aura, the consumer version is rumored to bear little resemblance to original Explorer model. If rumors are correct, we will have to wait at least 12 more months to see what the reimagined wearable will look like. But the new enterprise version of Glass looks like it is about ready to hit the streets. The device has popped up on the FCC’s website and looks remarkably similar to the current version of the wearable. This isn’t a huge shock though; last Fall the Wall Street Journal reported that the model designed for Glass For Work partners was a refinement of the Explorer. After listening to feedback, Google tweaked and improved numerous details to make the device more friendly for a work environment. Among the list of upcoming improvement, the WSJ article stated that the new version would be foldable. It seems like the publisher was correct, one of the most prominent new features is a foldable design. The newspaper also expected to see an adjustable screen, but that doesn’t seem to have made the cut. Instead the screen has grown in size. The paper also foresaw the device including a faster processor, which appears to be correct (but pretty much all iterative versions of consumer electronics these days follows that trend). And there seems to be removable battery packs, which was also mentioned in the WSJ article.  

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by Doug Parker
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