(Image Credit: Pebble)
After rumours last week, the acquisition of Pebble's assets by Fitbit has been finalised. We've reached out to Fitbit for more information on how much Pebble ended up being sold for in the end, but it's sure to be less than Citizen's $740...
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The latest research note from analyst firm Gartner argues that wearables need to be more useful and dropout is a ‘serious problem’ for the industry.
The 2016 Gartner Personal Technologies Study showed that the abandonment rate of smartwatches is 29% and 30% for fitness trackers as people do not find them useful, they get bored of them or they break.
Angela McIntyre, research director at Gartner said: “Dropout from device usage is a serious problem for the industry. The...
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Pebble was the original Kickstarter success story and remains today as one of the most-funded campaigns in the crowdfunding platform's history. The device helped to propel wearables forward, and subsequent updates have kept the company's devices sharing the main stage with players such as Apple and Samsung.
Last year, watch manufacturer Citizen offered to buy Pebble for a whopping...
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Google is preparing to bring payment support to its stagnating Android Wear platform, according to data mined by Android Police in Play Services 10. In the data, text strings including "Try holding...
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Researchers from Texas A&M University have solved the battery life problem of wearables through utilising the body's natural heat. The first watch to make use of such technology is now even being crowdfunded on Indiegogo.
An often cited problem with today's wearables is battery life...
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If there’s one thing analyst companies like to do, it’s disagree with each other. Gartner and IDC recently had slightly different paths over the future role of the CIO – and now Canalys is disagreeing with IDC over wearable shipments.
According to a note issued at the end of last week, Canalys argued that Apple shipped 2.8 million smartwatches in the third quarter, making a specific point that shipments compared favourably “despite reports to the...
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During the Wall Street Street Journal's WSJD Live conference, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said there was "no question" the company missed its opportunity when it came to mobile. "We clearly missed the mobile phone, there's no question," Nadella said. "Our goal now is to make sure we grow new categories."
The peak of the mobile...
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It had been prophesised, but now the chickens have truly come home to roost: latest figures from IDC show the smartwatch market has declined by 51.6% year over year.
The figures, released as part of IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, showed 2.7 million units shipped globally in Q316, down from 5.6 million this time last year.
Apple remains top of the tree, although this does not tell the full story, with the Cupertino giant suffering almost the bulk of the...
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Dipitr Technologies has launched O'We, the first smartwatch that aims to monitor sun exposure. The fitness watch is currently available for pre-order at an early-bird discount of 40%.
The new smartwatch has a feature called SunTrack that tracks sun exposure, and will soon launch on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. Apart from the sun exposure monitor, the watch has other fitness features including measurements of daily...
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The latest Kantar Worldpanel ComTech data on wearable device usage, as of July 2016, argues that while Apple still leads in smartwatch sales, overall sector growth is slow.
15.2% of US consumers own a smartwatch or fitness band, with the EU4 (France, Germany, Italy, UK), with an 8.1% penetration. Excluding fitness bands, adoption of smartwatches remains slow with 3.2% in EU4 and 4.7% in the US.
In the quarter ended July 2016, 47% of total wearable sales in the US were in the smartwatch...
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Meet MainTool. This startup, based in Paris and Madrid, offers a different take on the smartwatch argument by providing a ‘smart’ strap allowing users to keep the more traditional yet dumb watch interface.
The inspiration for MainTool is straightforward enough. A survey released today from analytics platform provider First Insight argued that among consumers, while many liked the designs of the Apple Watch, the Garmin Fenix 3 Sapphire and the Motorola Moto 360 in particular,...
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Despite rumours of the demise of the Microsoft Band, the original wearable is being employed to aid epilepsy sufferers in predicting upcoming seizures and help to ensure their safety.
A new program called MyCareCentric is being used for the pioneering epilepsy research developed by a range of partners including Microsoft, the Epilepsy Care Alliance, the University of Kent in the U.K., Shearwater...
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Shipments of wearable devices in China have soared with Xiaomi still at the top of the tree – but more and more competition is coming up fast, according to the latest figures from IDC.
IDC’s China Wearable Device Market Quarterly Tracker, 2016Q2 report shows that the country shipped 9.54 million wearable devices in Q2-FY2016, which was a 13.2% quarter by quarter and 81.4% year over year increase. Shipments of basic wearable devices such as wristbands, children’s...
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Android Wear hasn't taken off as much as Google would have liked at this stage – hence the company doesn't share exact sales – but the platform now seems to be growing much faster if downloads of its companion app provide any indication.
Back in March last year, the Android Wear app passed the one million downloads mark. As of yesterday, Google switched over the...
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Leading ICT group TIM and Samsung, along with digital security firm Gemalto, have launched Samsung’s Gear S2 Classic 3G Smartwatch, the first smartwatch in Italy that has an integrated embedded SIM (eSIM).
The Samsung Gear S2 Classic 3G is also the first wearable in the world that features an eSIM, marking a huge step forward in IoT and mobile devices. With the eSIM, the smartwatch can immediately and simply connect to TIM's mobile network with a QR code.
The Gear S2 Classic...
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Lifestyle brand Michael Kors is set to launch its Michael Kors Access display smartwatch, in another move which aims to put wearable technology in the category of fashion accessories.
The company has partnered with Google for the Android Wear smartwatch platform, with the Access watch being compatible with both iPhone and Android phones.
Features of the smartwatch include changeable display, social media updates, and app notifications. The watch also offers magnetic charging,...
Picture credit: Jim Beam
Whiskey brand Jim Beam has launched its own equivalent of the Apple Watch in what the company describes as “the most anticipated tech release of the year.”
The Jim Beam Apple Watch claims to be the world’s most innovative ‘drinkable wearable’ with the capability to open up a 1.5 ounce shot glass on the user’s wrist. The watch, which is available for a limited time, also boasts a ‘streamlined interface’.
“Critics may ask,...
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The wearable market is growing admirably, with over 26 percent year-on-year growth, but this is being led by single-function wearables such as fitness trackers while advanced devices with third-party application support have stagnated.
"Fitness is the low-hanging fruit for wearables," said Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst for IDC...
Picture credit: Amazfit
California-based firm Amazfit has introduced its first ceramic-based wearable activity tracker, which assesses biomechanical signals and daily activities.
The device connects the user's daily activities and biomechanical signals with smart data. It tracks a user's steps, distance travelled, sleep quality and calories burned. It also receives and transmits incoming call alerts through vibration.
Amazfit is a lightweight and slim activity tracker designed like a fashion...
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Wearable tech has grown in leaps and bounds with new features added all the time to make everyday life easier and more fun. But this new technology isn’t just fun – for children with autism, it can be a game changer. Can a bracelet, glasses, and shoelaces ensure a child is safer and happier?
GPS tracking is nothing new; we have it...