Xero rolls out Apple Watch app, aims for easier accounting on the move

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Cloud accounting software provider Xero has rolled out its app for Apple Watch, aiming for it to be the fastest way for entrepreneurs to stay on top of their cash flow.

Using Xero’s Apple Watch app, which is catered mainly for small businesses, will allow customers to benefit from notifications on transactions. The app will also display an updated balance and provide insight on all accounts across multiple banks.

The company is already running apps for iPhone and iPad and is...

By Wearable Tech, 27 November 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Applications, iOS, Smartwatches.

Google releases Android Wear API 23 SDK for Marshmallow

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Developers are now able to start optimising their apps for an upcoming Android Wear update to ’Marshmallow’ thanks to Google's release of the API 23 SDK. The latest SDK allows developers to improve the experience for users, as well as offer better privacy. 

Android Wear, like its mobile counterpart, is available in various forms. When developing apps for...

By Ryan Daws, 19 November 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Android, Developers, Google, Smartwatches.

FingerAngle revolutionises wearable interactions

(Image Credit: Qeexo)

Apple can detect pressure on their latest iPhones and smartwatch due to 3D Touch and Force Touch, but that requires new hardware. A new algorithm developed by Qeexo called FingerAngle could revolutionise how we interact with our wearable devices, just through a software update. 

FingerAngle detects at which angle the user is placing their finger, and respond in unique ways as the finger is turned. Whilst on current smartwatches you...

By Ryan Daws, 16 November 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Gaming, Research, Smartwatches, UI.

Apple races into overwhelming smartwatch sales lead as holidays draw near

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Apple has shipped approximately seven million smartwatches in the two quarters since the launch of the Apple Watch, a figure that surpasses the combined shipments of all other players over the past five quarters, according to Canalys. Additionally, the iPhone maker was the only vendor that registered sales of over 300,000 units in the third quarter of 2015.

Apple’s sales in the Q4 holiday quarter will be scrutinised as the Cupertino-based tech giant is considered a bellwether for...

By Wearable Tech, 10 November 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Smartwatches.

Price and perceived lack of benefit still inhibiting smartwatch adoption

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Even though smartwatches have been sold for some time, the wearable market is still at the embryonic stage, according to data from a Kantar Worldpanel ComTech survey – going against a previous report from CCS Insight which notes rapid growth in the past 12 months.

Among smartwatches in use today, 1% were bought in 2013, with the figure rising to 14% for 2014. Additionally, only 3% of...

By Wearable Tech, 02 November 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Research, Smartwatches.

Smartwatch awareness continues to soar with Apple Watch

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New research by CCS Insight has found that the wearables market has seen rapid growth in the past 12 months thanks to heightened awareness and improved products.

The study surveyed 3,000 consumers in China, the US and the UK, looking at their perception of wearable technology, awareness, ownership and usage patterns.

Consumer awareness of smartwatches has risen by ten percentage points, but wearables still lack mass appeal, with many owners abandoning their gadgets quickly after they...

By Wearable Tech, 30 October 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, iOS, Smartwatches.

Apple tops wearable charts whilst fitness wearables prove most popular use case

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It has the kind of brand power other companies envy - and now Apple has topped the charts to be voted the “coolest wearables brand” even for those consumers who say they are dedicated to Android.

The conclusion is from a survey of 2000 smartphone users in the US and the UK about their use and attitudes towards wearable technology by Juniper Research. The study ranks Apple top, followed by Samsung and Google respectively. It showed that the market is moving to a brand duopoly...

By Liz Morrell, 26 October 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Brands, Devices, Smartwatches.

Samsung, LG hope to solve wearable battery issues with innovative designs

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Most people with a current smartwatch know battery life is a problem, especially coming from mechanical timepieces which last years without needing a replacement. Even in smartphones, which have a lot more space to pack-in a larger battery, manufacturers struggle to get devices to last even a couple of days. 

The size constraints presented by most wearable devices – not just smartwatches –...

By Ryan Daws, 26 October 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Research, Smartwatches.

Review: Putting the Fitbit Surge through its paces

When it comes to fitness trackers, the most renowned players are Jawbone and Fitbit. Both of these companies push the boundaries when it comes to keeping us healthy, but of the two, only Fitbit has so far attempted to combine a powerful tracker with smartwatch functionality in their most-recent flagship, the Surge. 

Has the company pulled off this ambitious feat? It's time for us to find out... 

Design, Battery, and UI 

First and foremost the Fitbit Surge is a fitness device, and therefore...

By Ryan Daws, 23 October 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Fitness, Health Monitoring, Health & Wellness, Smartwatches, Trackers.