Sony is entering the hearable market, and has debuted the Xperia Ear during Mobile World Congress this year. In our short hands-on with the device, we have our concerns about its competitiveness.
The idea of a "hearable" which fits in the ear and provides voice access to local and web-based data isn't new – despite...
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The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has examined potential security vulnerabilities in wearable devices in its latest report.
The study, entitled “WearFit: Security Design Analysis of a Wearable Fitness Tracker”, makes use of a fabricated wearable fitness tracking system, dubbed WearFit, in order to illustrate these flaws via a security analysis.
The report uses the fictitious wearable in context with what IEEE perceives to be the top 10 software...
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The latest research note from CCS Insight projects sales of 411 million smart wearables, worth $34 billion, in 2020. The research firm anticipates robust growth over the next five years, with sales of 123 million units, generating $14 billion in revenue in 2016.
Wrist-worn devices are the star innovators in the market, with fitness, activity and sports trackers accounting for almost 50% of all shipments in the next year, at more than 60 million units. Meanwhile, smartwatch sales...
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Toy manufacturing giant Mattel has completed the acquisition of Sproutling, a maker of smart technology products and smart monitors for parents and families.
Sproutling, with offices in San Francisco, will keep developing and launching products under the bespoke brand. Additionally, the company will collaborate on design and development of new products for the Mattel range of brands, based on Sproutling's technology platform.
Mattel global head of strategic development and M&A,...
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Unless you've been living under a rock this past week, you will know the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared a global emergency due to a widespread outbreak of the Zika virus – known to cause birth defects with lifelong implications. Whilst scientists around the globe work hard to create a vaccine against Zika, it could be a wearable device which offers vital protection and...
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A new study by market research specialists Juniper Research points towards over 12 million consumer smart glasses shipping in 2020, with the market reinvigorated from 2017 by Microsoft's impressive HoloLens wearable.
HoloLens uses Augmented Reality (AR) to manipulate the world around the wearer. In demonstrations, we've seen the HoloLens being used for lifestyle reasons,...
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A research note from analyst house Gartner argues that sales of wearable electronic devices will bring in revenue of $28.7 billion (£20.1 billion) in 2016, with smartwatches generating $11.5 billion of the total. Global sales of wearable electronic devices are anticipated to see 18.4% year-on-year growth to 274.6 million units in 2016.
Angela McIntyre, research director at Gartner, said: “From 2015 through 2017, smartwatch adoption will have 48 percent growth largely due to...
Your posture is an important thing – it affects your long-term spine health, and can make a huge difference when it comes to body language. Wearable devices are bringing innovative new ways to improve our daily habits, and the Lumo Lift wants to fill the void as the posture coach you didn't know you needed.
Lumo Body Tech is the company behind the Lift, a company which specialises in performance-monitoring wearables. The main part of the kit is a...
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A wearable device will soon be trialled by the NHS in the West of England which aims to be a 'digital coach' for patients with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. The project is the first of seven which have been greenlit as part of the NHS Innovation Test Beds programme, and will be led by the West of England Academic Health Science Network...
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A new report from Transparency Market Research argues that the global wearable sensor market will see a 45.20% CAGR through 2020.
Growth in the global wearable sensor market is mostly on account of increasing health awareness and advancements in the healthcare sector, the researchers argue. Wearable sensors are utilised to monitor patients suffering from a variety of diseases. Demand for wearable sensors is anticipated to increase from many industries, such as sports, gaming, and consumer...
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Here’s an interesting statistic in the latest survey from IEEE – almost one in 10 consumers believe wearable technology will become redundant or unnecessary in the coming year.
The poll, of more than 2,000 consumers, found digital devices and digital cameras to be the most unnecessary piece of tech this year (15%), with e-readers (9%) in second place. On the other side, 43% of respondents said drones would be the most influential in 2016. Smartphones (38%) and 3D...
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Fitness wearables – like Fitbit and the Apple Watch – were among the "must have" items over this past holiday period, and I would bet you know at least one person that wears one regularly. In fact, new research by consumer analysts Mintel would back that claim up.
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Fossil Group has announced it is set to roll out over 100 wearables in 2016.
The range will include activity trackers and smart watches for many brands. Misfit, which was acquired by Fossil Group in November 2015, will also launch new types of connected devices. The Misfit and Fossil brands will offer new wearables throughout the year. All 100 styles at Fossil will be available by the end of the year.
Greg McKelvey, chief strategy and digital officer, Fossil Group, said, “We...
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Even though the Apple Watch only launched at the end of April, it has still accounted for more than half of smartwatch sales in 2015.
That’s the finding from Juniper Research’s latest study, entitled “Smartwatches: Trends, Vendor Strategies & Forecasts 2016-2020”. Overall, the absence of a robust use case for smartwatches has seen the segment gain traction from lower priced devices with more basic functionality – the Apple Watch, naturally, being an...
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Microsoft and Volvo have been keeping busy in the connected car space, and have announced their work together on a system which allows for the control of your Volvo car using the Microsoft Band 2 wearable. In fact, going by CES this year, the whole technology industry has been looking for however they can get their name in this rapidly-growing space.
Klas Bendrik, Senior Vice President and Group Chief Information Officer at Volvo Car Group, says: “When...
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As countries around the globe take steps to keep global warming less than 2 degrees Celsius this century, scientists are exploring unique – perhaps unmentionable – ways to provide power. Researchers at the University of the West of England (UWE, Bristol) have developed a novel method to power portable and wearable electronics. The apparatus in question is a pair of socks...
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Some people aren't even aware the Vive exists amongst headlines dominated by the likes of Oculus – which is the case with a lot of recent products by HTC. But the Vive, for those unaware, is an impressive VR headset from HTC built in collaboration with one of the most renowned names in gaming, Valve.
Yesterday, HTC announced the Vive would be delayed until April 2016. We caught-up with Dan Page, a VR consultant and organiser behind the...
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Dialog Semiconductor's latest SmartBond development kit now includes profile support for WeChat's communication protocol.
The support for WeChat's protocol was announced with the launch of the company's WeChat SDK, which enables developers to add Bluetooth connectivity between wearables and WeChat apps or other IoT devices.
“Dialog is committed to supporting our customers’ continued growth and innovation into exciting...
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In an interview with TIME magazine, Google's chief software engineer Amit Singhal revealed the company once built a prototype wearable similar to the Communicator pin worn by the Enterprise's crew in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Although the project did not live long, nor did it prosper.
The pin, which could be attached to a user's...
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Wearable technology is among the hottest retail trends for the holiday season, according to the latest data from IBM.
IBM has launched the Watson Trend app, currently available on the App Store, in order to help shoppers gain insight on the top trends during the holiday season while also helping them forecast the most-wanted products before they are out of stock. Wearable technology features among the top trends across three categories – consumer electronics, toys and health and...