SUBSCRIBE

Tag

Intel

TAG Heuer Carrera Connected Smart Watch Smartwatch
Watches

TAG Heuer Officially Launches $1500 Carrera Connected

November 9, 2015

TAG Heuer Carrera Connected Smart Watch Smartwatch

TAG Heuer has not been short on opinions about smartwatches over the past 18 months. After the company’s outspoken CEO, Jean-Claude Biver, finally conceded late last year that something interesting could be done in the space, Tag Heuer has launched their first wearable device. Clearly positioned as a luxury item, the $1500 connected watch is based on the company’s iconic Carrera line of watches. The appropriately named Carrera Connected is the result of a partnership with both Intel and Google (the same companies that aided Fossil in the creation of their Q series of wearables).

TAG Heuer calls it the first “connected watch” that looks like a traditional timepiece and it is no surprise that the device has a luxury feel and a handsome, traditional design (if you ignore the rubber watch band). Crafted from titanium with sapphire glass, the Connected looks like a thick version of a traditional watch with a screen instead of a watch face; but I am not sure I would go as far to say that it is visually more like a traditional watch than other devices on the market. There is a key difference though, the TAG Heuer wearable is truly nearly identical to a Carrera; in fact, the electronics can be replaced with a traditional watch mechanics.  

Continue reading
by Doug Parker
Leave a comment
TAG Heuer Carrera Connected Launch Live
Watches

Watch TAG Heuer Carrera Connected Launch Live At 11am ET

November 9, 2015

TAG Heuer Carrera Connected Launch Live

After over a year of publicly ping-ponging on their view of smartwatches, TAG Heuer will officially launch their Carrera Connected today at 11am ET. You can follow along and watch the unveiling live via the embedded YouTube feed after the break. Besides a partnership with Intel and Google (who also worked on Fossil’s Q series), little is known about the device. One of the only rumors thus far about the smartwatch is that it will likely include upgradable internals. This would push the Carrera Connected closer to being a true keepsake device versus a fashionable consumer electronic.

Besides a statement from almost a year ago that TAG Heuer would not enter the smartwatch market unless they were able to offer something completely unique, a quote from the company’s CEO, Jean-Claude Biver, in this Sunday’s edition of Swiss newspaper Le Matin is one of the only official comments on features. Biver states that, “Our watch will have almost the same features as an Apple Watch, but I don’t want to say too much.” We find it odd that Biver would declare the TAG Heuer device is almost like an Apple Watch after the company dismissed it as a “toy” last fall.

We can’t wait to see what TAG Heuer has up its sleeve! Head past the break to watch the unveiling live at 11am ET.

Continue reading
by Doug Parker
Leave a comment
Watches

Does Fossil / Intel Smartwatch Offer Hints About Tag Heuer?

October 23, 2015

Tag Heuer Connected Smartwatch Fossil Intel

The Fossil Q Founder smartwatch was announced this week and is one of the first such devices from a major watch producer. The Q Founder was developed through a partnership with Intel and Google. As chance would have it, Intel and Google are also Tag Heuer’s partners for their smartwatch initiative, now known to be called Tag Heuer Connected. With similar partnerships, does Fossil’s Q Founder offer hints about what to expect from the Tag Heuer smartwatch?

One of the most interesting things to glean from the Fossil device is that it appears to be running a stock version of Android Wear. Google has not been allowing manufacturers to customize or re-skin the mobile operating system and that seems to continue to be the case. Given that Fossil has not highlighted anything unique about the watch software, we have no expectations that the Tag Heuer Connected will veer from the path either. At the most we might see some digital versions of classic Tag Heuer watch faces. This is interesting given Tag Heuer’s previous vocal statements about smartwatches, at first dismissing them and then stating the company would only enter the market with something unique. While Tag Heuer has toned down their rhetoric over the past several months, is there something else unique about the forthcoming device?  

Continue reading
by Doug Parker
Leave a comment
Fossil Q Wearables Smartwatch
Wearable Technology

Fossil Finally Ready To Release Line Of Wearable Devices

October 21, 2015

Fossil Q Wearables Smartwatch

Over a year after they were originally teased, Fossil is getting ready to release their first wearable devices. There are 4 connected products in total, which are all branded as Fossil Q. The flagship product is the Q Founder, a stylish, circular Android Wear smartwatch. It lists for $275 and will be available sometime before the Holidays. From a functionality standpoint, the Q Founder behaves much as you would expect an Android Wear device to. Fossil has also created a special app for the smartwatch to sync with. The app is used to track your fitness data, manage notifications, and encourage you to be “curious” by prompting you to try things outside of your daily routine. This app is also used to manage the other Q devices.

If a full-on smartwatch is overkill for you, Fossil’s Q Grant might be the perfect fit. While it looks like a normal Fossil Watch, beneath the watch face of the Q Grant are fitness tracking capabilities, a vibration motor, and a multicolor notification LED. Similar to products such as Ringly, the notifications can be fully customized so you easily know what (or who) is trying your get your attention. Rounding out the Fossil Q product line are two fitness tracking bands with notification LEDs and vibration: the Q Reveler and the Q Dreamer. The latter of these features a striking leather band that can be traded out for a silicone one if you are hitting the gym. When they launch on October 25th, the Q Grant will sell for $175 – $195 while the Q Reveler and Q Dreamer will list for $125. All devices, including the Q Founder smartwatch, are powered by Intel hardware and are compatible with iOS and Android devices.

It is unfortunate that it took so long for Fossil to launch their line of wearable devices. Given the delay, we would have loved to see an element which was unique or really stood out. Sadly, we are left with devices that, feature-wise, are tough to differentiate from the rest of the market. Stylistically, Fossil did a great job creating a line of devices that clearly share the company’s DNA. While 3 out of the 4 wearables are more male-oriented, they all look great, but not striking. With so many of the newer smartwatches coming listing for over $300, the Q Founder is well priced to find an audience during the Holidays. The casual style of the other fitness trackers will also help them win over customers.

Continue reading
by Doug Parker
Leave a comment
Fashion

Chromat’s Intel Powered Sports Bra Reacts To Your Body Temperature

September 14, 2015

CHROMAT Bra Dress NYFW

This weekend at New York Fashion Week, Chromat showed their vision of the future of fashion tech. While some brands are focused on LEDs and similar ways for wearers to express themselves, Chromat’s garments are designed to react to you and your environment. Powered by Intel’s new Curie chip, which was designed for wearables, Chromat showed off two fashion tech looks: a temperature adjusting sports bra and a dress that reacts to adrenaline. The sports bra is the more practical of the two. The Curie module inside the bra monitors perspiration, respiration, and body temperature. Based off of those readings, vents on the bra can open to provide more air to help your body better temperature regulate. Once your body’s temperature is controlled, the vents can close. The adrenaline reacting dress features a large 3D printed structure on the back, this structure can expand to become larger when the Curie module senses the wearer’s adrenaline levels rise. The concept is to physically mimic the body’s fight-or-flight instinct, in the same way animals will increase their stance when they are preparing to fight (think: a bear standing on its hind legs).

It is interesting to see how different designers are interpreting fashion tech. It illustrates how powerful technology can be in fashion, powering both design and increased functionality. While it is unlikely that you will be able to head to the store to pickup Chromat’s sports bra, it helps set the stage for what will come. Also, a big shout out to Chromat’s model casting, which was racially diverse and included plus sized models.

Continue reading
by Doug Parker
Leave a comment
Wearable Technology

Intel’s New ‘Curie’ Chip Is Designed For Wearables

August 20, 2015

Intel Curie Chip Module

This is about as techie as things get here at Circuits And Cable Knit. We wanted to cover Intel’s new Curie chip because the implications of the module, designed exclusively for wearable devices, could be huge. At this week’s Intel Developer Forum, Intel provided a better look at the new Curie chip, which has become a bit more square since we last saw it. Originally shown at CES in January, it is designed to be compact (the size of a button) and has low-power requirements. Despite its diminutive size, Curie incorporates an Intel Quark SoC, a gyroscope, a six-axis sensor with accelerometer, a Bluetooth radio, and even 384KB of flash memory, all of which are powered by a button-cell disposable alkaline battery. The disposable battery can also be traded out for something of a rechargeable nature. With both power and space at a premium in wearables, Intel is aiming to provide integrated solutions that will allow hardware makers to continue to push the limits of what is possible. Curie has already started shipping to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to be included in upcoming devices. In fact, it is likely that the upcoming Fossil wearables will run on Curie.

Continue reading
by Doug Parker
Leave a comment
Watches

Fossil Shows Off Upcoming Smartwatch & Wearables

August 19, 2015

Fossil Intel Android Wear Smartwatch

We have heard that Intel and Fossil were working together on some wearable devices, but we finally caught of first peek of them this week at the Intel Developer Forum. Fossil will release 3 devices in total: a connected bracelet, a connected watch, and a smartwatch. The smartwatch is (obviously) powered by an Intel chip and is stylistically similar to the original Moto 360 watch; it is fairly large and thick with a round face that has a flat part at the bottom. It will run Android Wear and is expected to hit the market sometime around the Holidays. Beyond that, very little is known about the 3 devices. Fossil has promised to release more information closer to launch.

The reveal of Fossil’s first smartwatch closely follows news that US watch sales fell the most in seven years. The NPD Group, who conducted the survey, found that smartwatches, especially the Apple Watch, were a large cause of the sales erosion. The segment of the market hardest hit was the mid-tier level where Fossil resides. Unless Fossil has something more up their sleeves, I am not sure this is going to be the success they are hoping for. Already an uphill sales message (after all, what exactly does Fossil know about technology), it is going to take more than a seemingly recycled year-old design running a stock Android Wear OS to get people excited. It will be interesting to see how the market receives the watch, but I would guess “me too” products, as this appears to be, are not the correct path forward for traditional timepiece makers.

Continue reading
by Doug Parker
Leave a comment