Putting the "you" in wearables UI and UX

(c)iStock.com/PerfectVectors

By Shuang Yu, Senior Manager, Solutions Marketing, IEEE Standards Association and Lloyd Green, Director, Engagement Marketing and Creative Community Services, IEEE Standards Association 

RFID-blocking jeans powered by anti-virus software. A jacket that can calm autistic children and PTSD sufferers by giving them a hug. A sports bra that doubles as a heart rate...

By IEEE Standards Association, 14 May 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Fashion, UI.

Gear SDK reveals features of Samsung's next smartwatch

Samsung was among the first to release an Android Wear smartwatch, but the Korean giant has been focusing its efforts on a Tizen-based watch called 'Project Orbis" which is due for release later this year.

Being based on Tizen, the firm would have more control over the experience than the limited changes which can be made to Google's smartwatch OS. The upcoming device has not yet been fully-revealed, but Samsung hasn't been shy about its existence with invites teasing "Get...

By Ryan Daws, 13 May 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Android, Devices, Ecosystems, Samsung, Smartwatches.

Lufthansa flies onto Apple Watch as it becomes latest brand to launch app

(c)iStock.com/Flightlevel80

As brands flock to announce Apple Watch specific apps Lufthansa has become the latest company to reveal its launch on the platform.

For those fliers for whom accessing a traditional boarding pass or getting their smartphone out of their bag is too much like hard work their boarding cards and essential flight information can now be displayed on their wrists instead. The Apple Watch specific app connects to the conventional Lufthansa app on iPhones and iPads via Bluetooth allowing...

By Liz Morrell, 13 May 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Brands, iOS, Smartwatches.

Fitbit lines up a $100m IPO: Is the timing right?

(c)iStock.com/franckreporter

It’s official: San Francisco-based fitness wearable manufacturer Fitbit is preparing to go public.

The documents, issued on May 7, reveal a company which is, on the surface, in good health; quarterly revenue tripling year over year, from $108.8m in Q114 to $336.8m in Q115. The number of paid users has also rocketed comparatively; from 2.6m at the end of 2013, to 6.7m the same time the year after, and 9.5m by the end of Q115, while device numbers have grown from 4.5m to 10.9m...

By James Bourne, 11 May 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Fitness, Health & Wellness.

Three key ways that wearables can change lives

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/Yuri_Arcurs)

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...

Fiksu launches event tracking capabilities for Apple Watch

(c)iStock.com/teekid

With Apple Watch owners having now got to grips with their new gadgets since the watch was released Fiksu has announced event tracking capabilities for the device, enabling brand owners to understand how their apps are being used through the device.

Mobile marketing technology Fiksu enables brands to recognise and track user behaviour on the Apple Watch – which can include any event a marketer is interested in tracking from launches to registrations or purchases.

Since Apple Watch...

By Liz Morrell, 06 May 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Smartwatches, Trackers.

Addapp creates actionable insights from your health data

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/lzf)

Wearables are creating an exciting new era for the health industry, with more data about its users available to ensure our bodies remain in peak condition. The problem is that - aside from telling us to get off our rears or letting us know how far we've run - current devices are creating a whole bunch of data but without much context. 

Addapp wants to change this...

Researcher proposes new Wi-Fi standard for wearable device connectivity

(c)iStock.com/mphillips007

A research article discusses the issues surrounding the current Wi-Fi standard for connectivity on wearable devices and proposes a new standard, called Wi-Bo.

Wi-Bo, short for Wireless Body, would have a frequency of between 10 and 20GHz and a maximum range of two metres. As analyst and report author Andrew Sheehy explains: “It seems that what is needed is a completely new wireless networking standard.

“Wi-Fi is a short-range wireless networking standard that is used to...

By James Bourne, 01 May 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Bluetooth, Connectivity, Research.

New Salesforce report asserts growth of enterprise wearable adoption

(c)iStock.com/kemalbas

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.

Consumers hungry for the Apple Watch

As Friday’s global launch date edges ever closer, it seems the excitement surrounding the new Apple Watch has already affected smartwatch sales. A new survey shows that more than half (57%) of prospective smartwatch or fitness bands purchasers have delayed their purchases ahead of this week’s launch.

Gaining mass appeal for the smartwatch may be Apple’s greatest challenge.

Sales tracking figures from GfK show that in the first quarter of this year sales volumes of smartwatches fell 21%...

By Liz Morrell, 22 April 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, iOS, Research, Smartwatches.

Android Wear lands Wi-Fi support, "Always-On" apps, and hands-free gestures

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/Graffizone)

Fans of the Apple Watch are just starting to get the company's debut into the wearable market, whilst Google has decided to treat customers who own one of the six available Android Wear devices to a tasty new update which brings some major new features to the platform.

Most of the smartwatches available on Android Wear ship with an "Always-On" display to ensure that the...

By Ryan Daws, 20 April 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Android, Applications, Apps, Google, Smartwatches.

Why hackable wearables are a growing concern

(c)iStock.com/maxkabakov

With the release of the Apple Watch, wearable smart devices are rapidly becoming this year's hot technology accessory, but security experts warn that the data they collect is a gold mine for hackers. More than 420,000 wearable devices were sold in 2014 and the Consumer Electronics Association is predicting a 61% increase in wearables sold this year.

Since wearable...

By Paula Skokowski, 15 April 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Privacy, Security.

Ready or not, adverts on smartwatches will be coming to a wearable soon

(c)iStock.com/BsWei

Juniper Research forecasts that wearable advertising spend will reach $68.7 million (£46.5m) in 2018, a huge leap from $1.5m (£1.02m) by the end of this year – and the growth of the Apple Watch will fuel this step up.

It’s a concept which has had marketers licking their lips in anticipation for months – another screen on which to display ads and sell dollars. Many have laid out their ideas for how this shift will take place; Jeff Lawson, CEO of cloud communications provider Twilio,

By James Bourne, 14 April 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Brands, Contextual Data, Data & Analytics, Smartwatches.

Tractica: Corporate wellness will drive enterprise wearable adoption

(c)iStock.com/buttershug569

More than 75 million wearable devices will be deployed in enterprise and industrial environments between 2014 and 2020.

That’s the take from research and consulting firm Tractica, who argues smartwatches will beat fitness trackers and smart glasses to be the most popular workplace wearable.

Among the runners and riders examined in the report, entitled ‘Wearable Devices for Enterprise and Industrial Markets’, are Fitbit, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, SAP, and of...

By James Bourne, 09 April 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Enterprise, Health & Wellness.

This wearable tech could help you with your public speaking

(c)iStock.com/kasto80

Here’s an interesting example of wearable technology: Researchers from the Human-Computer Interaction Group at the University of Rochester have developed a user interface for Google Glass which gives real-time feedback to public speakers on volume modulation and speaking rate.

The premise is straightforward. Given public speaking is often cited as a primary fear of many people – respondents in a 2013 poll said they feared public speaking more than they feared being buried...

By James Bourne, 02 April 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Applications, Eyewear, Research.

The man who hacked his own wristband: A warning to wearable tech owners

(c)iStock.com/KyKyPy3HuK

Kaspersky lab security researcher Roman Unuchek has written on how the authentication method in popular smart wristbands allows a third party to connect to the device, execute commands and even extract data.

The worrying findings came after a multiple month investigation, after Unuchek had initially attempted to connect his personal wristband – which remains nameless – and found he could easily connect to his colleague’s Nike+ FuelBand SE.

Using some code already...

By James Bourne, 30 March 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Health & Wellness, Regulation, Research, Security, Smartwatches.

Revenues from connected healthcare and fitness services to approach $2bn by 2019

(c)iStock.com/RyanKing999

The analysts at Juniper Research have gotten the tea leaves and crystal ball out again, and predicted annual revenues from connected healthcare and fitness services will approach $2bn by 2019, almost six times the value estimated for this year.

The findings, which appear in the report “Smart Wireless Devices: CE, Enterprise, Fitness, Healthcare, Payments 2015-2019”, examine the prevalence and market value of ‘smart wearable devices’, which Juniper defines as...

By James Bourne, 26 March 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Fitness, Health & Wellness, Research.

Pebble wants help to strap-up for the future

Pebble helped to kick-off the rising smartwatch market after fans contributed over $10 million via crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter. Even today it still leads powerful competitors from both the Android and Apple camps in areas such as battery life and cross-platform compatibility. 

The team behind Pebble are clearly talented, and their innovation has helped them to stand-out against the goliaths of the industry. With their recently-announced Pebble Time,...

By Ryan Daws, 24 March 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Smartwatches.

UK users not sure about wearables, but those who are want smartwatches

Wearable technology providers still have a lot to do to convince the general public they need one of their products, according to new research.

A whopping 75% of the 2000 UK adults polled by Hive by British Gas said they couldn’t see how wearable tech would make their lives easier. Almost one in 10 (9%) polled said they thought wearables would make their lives more difficult.

This isn’t the first time Brits have been less than convinced by the pull of smartwatches and eyewear, although back in 2014 it...

By James Bourne, 23 March 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Research, Smartwatches.

Music is our medicine with 'The Sync Project'

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/AleksandarNakic)

Numerous studies have proven that the right kind of music can have significant benefits to our mental health, concentration, and our energy levels. Of course, music tastes are an individual thing and you'll probably find it difficult to get someone into grunge to admit enjoying some Katy Perry... 

This is where wearables...

By Ryan Daws, 20 March 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Health & Wellness, Performance Monitoring, Trackers.