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!
“AmpStrip” Wearable Drastically Changes After Crowdfunding
During the 2015 CES show, “AmpStrip” was a standout new entry in the wearable space. The BandAid-like receiver was to contain a thermometer, accelerometer, and heart rate sensor, allowing a comprehensive view of your workouts while feeling barely-there. After a very successful crowdfunding campaign, the company behind the product, FitLinxx, became radio silent, only emerging every few months to say everything was moving forward perfectly. Suddenly in October, after months of hiding in the darkness, FitLinxx posted an update on the website saying the product had changed direction and would no longer have any fitness focus. This was the most read story of 2015; a lot of you must had been screwed over by “AmpStrip” or were just enjoying some schadenfreude!
Read the entire story here.
Fossil Finally Ready To Release Line Of Wearable Devices
In 2015 we began to see traditional watchmakers take the concept of wearable technology and the possible threat of smartwatches seriously. One of the first major watch brands to fully embrace wearable devices was Fossil. The company made news when they announced and released an entire lineup of devices almost all at once (the Founder Q smartwatch followed the other devices by a few weeks). Ranging from a basic activity tracking bracelet to a notification enabled watch to a full on Android Wear devices, Fossil instantly went from nothing to having a product in almost every wearable category! Clearly people were excited by the news and looking to find out more about the new Q series.
Read the entire story here.
TAG Heuer Announces Date For Smartwatch And A Price Increase
The other big-name watchmaker entering the smartwatch arena was TAG Heuer. After an almost 18 month circus show of seesawing, crazy rhetoric, and hyperboles, TAG Heuer finally released an Android Wear version of the Carrera, called Connected. Earlier in 2015, the Swiss watchmaker claimed it wouldn’t enter the smartwatch market without a truly unique product and even stated it was exploring utilizing traditional watch mechanics. A few months later it was reported that TAG Heuer had partnered with Intel and Google on the device, signaling the watch was likely not to be as unique as promised. Still, though, anticipation was high in the weeks leading up to the smartwatch’s November unveiling, bringing people online looking for any new details.
Read the entire story here.
Trivoly Promises To Turn Any Watch Into A Smartwatch
Face it…people have an emotional connection to their timepiece. While smartwatches are great if you don’t already wear a watch, perhaps the largest barrier of entry is the requirement to set your beloved wrist wear aside for something new. Companies are starting to explore ways to add “connected” features to your existing watch. There have been some crazy ideas, such as a band with an integrated smartwatch (yes, you would be wearing two watches), but the Trivoly device made a lot of sense. Clearly, the idea behind Trivoly sparked some curiosity and became one of our most read stories. Trivoly is a thin disk that attaches via microsuction tape to the back of your existing watch. It connects to your phone and vibrates and lights up to alert you of notifications and even hastiness tracker abilities.
Read the entire story here.
Apple Watch One Of The Most Searched For Consumer Electronic
Perhaps the headline of the article alone explains the popularity of this post. The Apple Watch was one of the biggest tech stories of the year and it showed. According to Google’s year-end summary of searches, the Apple Watch was the only wearable to make the top 10 list of most queried consumer electronics. In fact, it beat out the Galaxy Note 5, iPad Pro, and Surface Pro 4!
Read the entire story here.
Garmin Unveils Updated Vivofit With Designer Bands
One of our first stories of 2015 continued to draw readers all the way through the Holidays. Last year at CES, Garmin announced the Vivofit 2, an update of the surprisingly strong selling original. Besides adding “move” alerts and a stopwatch, Garmin also unveiled designer bands. You could choose between new metal bands (which have been tough to find at retail) or silicone bands from designers such as Jonathan Adler.
