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Security providers Kaspersky Lab and WISeKey have announced a partnership developing technology to protect wearable devices.

The market for connected wearables is estimated to be growing by 35% on an annual basis, while smartwatches, fitness trackers and payment wristbands are expected to account for one in five mobile payment transactions by 2020, with a predicted worth of $500 billion (£x) per year, according to Tractica.

Kaspersky and WISeKey argue that wearables are...

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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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MasterCard and Coin have announced a partnership to add MasterCard payments to a number of smartwatches, fitness bands and wearable devices.

The collaboration adds on to an announcement by MasterCard in October 2015 that introduced the Commerce for Every Device programme. This programme aims at enabling payments via any consumer gadget, wearable or accessory.

Under the partnership, Coin will provide the software and hardware to be integrated with the MasterCard Digital Enablement Service...

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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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Smartwatches are the most likely product to be purchased in the health and fitness technology sector, according to a report from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).

More than one third (35%) of US respondents who said they were likely to purchase health and fitness technology in the coming 12 months said they would buy a smartwatch, ahead of fitness related apps (30%), dedicated wearable fitness activity trackers (27%), smart apparel (27%) and devices which track sleep patterns...

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Connected health technology provider GreatCall has launched a wearable product which combines the health functions of an activity tracker with the safety benefits of a mobile emergency response service.

The offering, launched at the CES show, aims to develop a wearable health hub for the active ageing market, eases concerns of caregivers and empowers older adults. The Lively Wearable, which pairs with a smartphone via Bluetooth, can be worn either as a wristband or around the neck...

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According to Ericsson ConsumerLab's '10 Hot Consumer Trends for 2016' report from its global research programme, internal sensors within the body may become the new generation of wearables.

Eight out of 10 consumers surveyed said that they would like technology that enhances their cognitive abilities and sensory perception, such as hearing, memory and vision. More than half would also want to improve their communication capabilities. One in three consumers expressed...

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A report from analyst house Berg Insight has found that connected wearables shipments is expected to hit 228.3 million by 2020, up from 25.3m in 2014 and 72.5m this year.

Shipments will therefore grow at a CAGR of 25.8% between 2015 and 2020, with Bluetooth expected to remain the primary connectivity option over the forecast period.

Of the total wearables sold in 2020, 17.8 million will feature embedded cellular connectivity, mostly in the categories of smartwatches and safety and...

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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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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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Health insurers are starting to factor in data from fitness devices when looking at policy premiums.

For example, VitalityHealth has started to accept data from Garmin, Polar, and other major fitness monitoring devices. It even offers discounts to policyholders to purchase some of the units. Some major insurers will help create a health plan based on the data from these devices.

On the...

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Teleplan International will now service wearables as part of its aftermarket offering, as the adoption of wearable devices gains ground in the marketplace. The development falls in line with the company’s strategy to focus on markets around communications, and computer and consumer electronics.

The expertise of Teleplan with regard to associated technologies and components in other consumer electronics devices justifies the move, the company argues. Teleplan can also benefit from...

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Remote Medical Technologies (RMT) will introduce wearable telemedicine solution iMedHD2 EyeCandy at the Radiological Society of North America’s (RSNA) Annual Meeting at McCormick Place in Chicago, US, from November 29 to December 4. iMedHD2 EyeCandy is a wearable eyeglass device that facilitates real-time transmission of live images.

The wearable solution will provide a radiologist with remote monitoring, allowing them to instruct technicians from a distance. The solution...

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Cloud accounting software provider Xero has rolled out its app for Apple Watch, aiming for it to be the fastest way for entrepreneurs to stay on top of their cash flow.

Using Xero’s Apple Watch app, which is catered mainly for small businesses, will allow customers to benefit from notifications on transactions. The app will also display an updated balance and provide insight on all accounts across multiple banks.

The company is already running apps for iPhone and iPad and is...

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Sensoria has been awarded the 'Best New Wearable Technology Device' award for its smart socks at the 2015 IDTechEX Printed Electronics USA show.

The textile sensor-infused socks was selected by a panel of judges that included Sandisk Corporation senior vice president Henri Richard, head of fashion innovation agency at the London College of Fashion Matthew Drinkwater, and US Olympic Committee senior sports technologist Mounir Zok.

Each smart sock has three soft, thin textile...

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The market for wearable sensors will reach $5.5 billion (£3.6bn) by 2025, according to the latest report from MarketResearchReports.Biz.

Market Research Reports' new research covers growth trends, dominating sensor types and a forecast of the wearable sensors market worldwide. Several wearable product types have been launched in the last five years, but a common feature among them is the presence of sensor options as a key enabler for the products' most useful...

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The Healbe GoBe wearable device has made monitoring of hydration levels easier by introducing automatic tracking via a new firmware update – and now users will not have to manually input the amount of fluids consumed as the device’s impedance sensor ascertains overall hydration level.

The Healbe FLOW Technology uses data on physical activity levels and calories burnt to determine water requirement. Healbe GoBe provides two readings on hydration level – normal...

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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...

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The Fossil Group has agreed to acquire wearable player Misfit with a view to expand its product range and cater to demand for wearables. The purchase price of $260 million (£171.4m) will be funded via cash and bank debt.

Sonny Vu, founder and chief executive officer of Misfit, will the join the Fossil Group as president and chief technology officer of connected devices, while also serving on the company’s executive leadership team.

The acquisition will allow Fossil to...

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Juniper Research has released a report that projects hardware revenues generated from the fitness wearables sector to nearly triple from an estimated $3.3 billion (GBP 2.2 billion) in 2015 to $10bn (GBP 6.6bn) by 2020, mainly on account of sales of wrist-based trackers.

Fitness currently outstrips fashion as the key purchase driver among wearable consumers. More than 70% of those weighing the purchase of a wearable are looking to use a fitness device. As a result, the current demand...