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Wearable devices were pictured predominantly as fitness trackers by many among us; but now these gadgets have moved out of the gym and entered into offices in the form of wearable scanners. The adoption of these gadgets has seen a tremendous growth all these years and is expected to soar more in the future.

A recently published report titled ‘Enterprise Wearable Scanner and Reader Technologies’, from ABI Research illustrates the rapid expansion of the worldwide wearable...

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Australian biotechnology company Global Kinetics Corporation has received the 510 (k) marketing clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its second-generation PKG Watch aimed at assisting patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

The watch is being developed to record movement symptoms of Parkinson’s and provides medication reminders, and helps in making assessments about response to medication.

It has been developed on the basis of extensive feedback...

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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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Thalmic Labs, a wearable technology company that focuses on human-computer interaction and has developed the Myo gesture control armband, has closed its latest funding round with $120 million.

Intel Capital, the Amazon Alexa Fund and Fidelity Investments Canada led the funding round for the company, which plans to use the funds for bring in new products to market. iNovia, First Round Capital and Spark Capital also participated in the round.

The company's first product, the Myo...

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A new wearable device and a machine learning platform developed by Teva Pharmaceuticals and Intel Corporation is said to analyse and measure the development of Huntington’s disease (HD) that will help improve treatment evaluation.

Intel’s specialty in analytics and algorithm development for movement detection will melded with Teva’s specialty and deep knowledge in HD treatment and research, the companies claim.

In order to enhance and better understand the...

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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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These days, it can be hard to keep up with not just the number of techno buzzwords that have invaded our consciousness – infotainment, wearables, Internet of Things –  but what’s really behind the hype. Don’t misunderstand – there are a lot of exciting developments in these areas that are making their way into consumer products, as you’ll see shortly. But when technical terms keep popping up over and over, they...

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Takeda Pharmaceuticals has launched a pilot digital technology program named iBData to support patients and physicians with the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), designed to intersect healthcare and digital technologies.

The company is in partnership with Texas Digestive Disease Consultants and Vanderbilt University Medical Center to track symptoms and lifestyle factors of patients with IBD with wearable watch technology. The data will be collected and translated into reports...

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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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According to a 2002 study by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), hypertension – otherwise known as high blood pressure – will affect nine out of 10 Americans in their lifetime, and is a risk factor for the leading cause of death: heart disease.

New research suggests that high blood pressure is on the rise for millennials, and although hypertension is typically diagnosed in middle-aged adults, a 2011 study by the University of North Carolina found that...

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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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TomTom has added three new devices to its North American fitness wearables portfolio: TomTom Touch, TomTom Spark 3 and TomTom Adventurer.

TomTom Touch is claimed to be the first fitness tracker in the world that can measure all-day heart rate and body composition from the wrist. It is priced at $129.99. Users can measure their body composition, which is the ratio of body fat to muscle mass, with a touch of the device's button. The device can alos track sleep and heart rate up to...

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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,...

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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...

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A new report by market research firm Technavio has forecast that the global market for smart glasses will grow at CAGR of approximately 141% in 2016-2020.

The enterprises segment had the largest market share in terms of unit shipment and revenue in 2015, making up around 97% of the global market. Individual consumer shipments had a mere 2.77% market share.

The report indicates that the industry's focus remains on enterprises. Major vendors such as Microsoft, Sony, ODG, Epson,...

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The crowdfunding website Kickstarter has seen the launch of a new funding campaign for Keenbrace, an adaptive training device for workouts that features an integrated sensor system, a real-time voice coach and other features.

The Keenbrace device is suited for users of all activity levels, providing real-time error correction. The brace-like device houses a sensor system that delivers insights on user performance. It aims to avoid injuries and muscoskeletal issues.

Ken Leung, CEO and...

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Market intelligence firm Tractica has released a new market report that forecast that annual shipments of wearable cameras will rise from 7.4 million units in 2014 to 24 million by 2021, resulting in a market worth $3.4 billion. The market at present consists of cameras for sports and adventure activities, consumer applications and public safety

These cameras have a targeted niche, but sports and adventure cameras, or action cameras, remain the largest driver for adoption of the...