Key steps businesses can take to alleviate concerns over wearables and privacy

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At present there is a huge amount of apprehension surrounding wearable technology in the UK as many people are hesitant to invest in them because of privacy fears.

To try to shed some light on this scepticism, several studies have been conducted into privacy and wearable technology. A major study by cloud computing company Rackspace found that 51 per cent of...

By Nick Black, 11 June 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Privacy, Security, Workplace.

Three key ways that wearables can change lives

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Unless you spent the past month underneath a rock, you have probably heard enough buzz surrounding the Apple Watch’s unveiling to last a lifetime. Apple’s foray into the smart watch space is just the latest indication that the wearables market is forcing its way into the mainstream.

Recent research from Business Insider projects that the number of...

New Salesforce report asserts growth of enterprise wearable adoption

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Research released by Salesforce has revealed that for those who have already adopted wearables, enterprise uptake won’t be far away.

79% of adopters polled said wearables would be, or already are, strategic to their company’s future success, while a further 76% reported improvements in their business performance since deploying wearables in the enterprise. 86% plan to increase their wearables spend over the next 12 months.

Not surprisingly, and with one eye on the upcoming...

By James Bourne, 24 April 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Enterprise, Eyewear, Smartwatches, Workplace.

The drivers of wearables in the enterprise

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The first consumer-facing wearable devices launched in the late 1980s and mostly comprised of computers strapped to your head or wrist PDAs that weren’t quite as useful in real life as they were on paper.

However, one big shift that’s happening in the industry is that mobile manufacturers are embracing the wearables challenge, making much more exciting devices than we saw even three years ago.

With the launch of wearables...

By Juan Pablo Luchetti, 29 January 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Workplace.

Leatherman offers multi-tool bracelet which turns the smartwatch on its head

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Here’s a novel approach to building a smartwatch. Leatherman is offering its well known multi-tool set as a bracelet which houses screwdrivers, cutting hooks and box wrenches with the Leatherman Tread.

The idea came to Leatherman president Ben Rivera on a family holiday trip, when he was unable to get past airport security. “I knew there had to be another way to carry my tools with me that would be accepted by security,” he explained. Rivera wore a...

By James Bourne, 26 January 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Smartwatches, Workplace.

Next-gen Google Glass to feature Intel chip, targeting enterprise

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Reports have surfaced that the next generation of Google Glass wearables will feature an Intel chipset, having moved on from Texas Instruments.

The move pushes Intel further into the wearable tech space, and represents the search giant going back to the drawing board in terms of its design for the product, which has recently come in for criticism for its target towards the consumer space.

By James Bourne, 01 December 2014, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Eyewear, Google, Workplace.

New report asserts military, medical sectors as hottest for wearables uptake

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A study from Reportlinker on the wearable electronics and semiconductor market has agreed the current state of wearables for enterprise is far stronger than the consumer equivalent.

The report analyses the different industry sectors, market drivers, demographic factors and emerging markets, and notes the difficulty of sizing up a market which is so nascent and contains so many potential offshoots.

For the purposes of the report, Reportlinker classifies a wearable computing device...

By James Bourne, 28 November 2014, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Health Monitoring, Health & Wellness, Research, Workplace.

BlackBerry awarded patents which suggest wearable device is on its way

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BlackBerry has been awarded a slew of patents, including a patent for technology which enables users to unlock their smartphone without a lock code when a wearable device is nearby.

According to a Bloomberg report, U.S. Patent 8,869,263 B2 details “how a small electronic device on a watch or lanyard could be used to grant access to a smartphone so users wouldn’t have to key...

By James Bourne, 27 October 2014, 0 comments. Categories: Developers, Enterprise, Smartwatches, Workplace.

GoToMeeting now available on Android smartwatches for execs to feel like a “super-cool spy”

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Citrix has launched GoToMeeting as an app on Android smartwatches, showing both the malleability of wearables for business but also the technology’s fallibility.

The app, which has previously been available on Android smartphones and tablets, has been extended to Android Wear but naturally, the list of commands isn’t all that extensive. Through your smartwatch, you can now join or...

By James Bourne, 16 October 2014, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Enterprise, Smartwatches, Workplace.

Getting a grip on enterprise wearable apps

By Adam Spearing, VP Platform EMEA, salesforce.com

While the market for wearable devices is arguably just getting started, few would contend that there’s plenty of time for enterprise development teams to get a grip on the wave of new devices heading into their organisations. Consider this: The analyst firm IHS estimates that more than 180 million wearable devices are likely to be sold in 2018, up from 50 million anticipated to sell this year.

And it’s certainly not just...

By Salesforce, 17 September 2014, 0 comments. Categories: Applications, Developers, Enterprise, Workplace.