The Wearable Technology Show is Europe’s biggest event for wearables, AR/VR, and the Internet of Things. According to the organisers around 6,000 people attended the fourth incarnation of this esteemed event. Leading names across almost every aspect of connected technology were present to show their wares and share their insights. The Wearable Technology Show was co-located with the "AR, VR & MXR Show", and "IOT Connect".
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Posted By Simon Montford on March 16, 2016 Day two of the Wearable Technology Show was just as enjoyable as day one. The highlight of the second day was meeting the exhibitors (see photos and videos below), and attending talks in the IoT Keynote Theatre. Saverio Romeo (Principal Analyst at Beecham Research) talked about "The Current Status of the Internet of Things Vision". I wasn't exactly sure what his talk was going to be about, but I was intrigued by the word "vision", which appeared to have been tacked onto the end, which caused me to speculate. Was he going to give us a kind of "State of the Nation" type address containing lashings of stats about market adoption etc, or was he going to dish out something completely different?
Posted By Simon Montford on March 6, 2016
Mobile World Congress took place in Barcelona from the 22nd-25th February 2016. It is the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry, and I was there to cover the show. Here's a selection of photos and videos taken during my week in Spain. As it was my first time attending the conference, I found it overwhelming! Due to the bus and metro strike, getting around the city was a major challenge, but getting to and from the conference centre was a breeze compared to the real challenge of finding my way around the vast series of halls that played host to thousands of the world's leading mobile technology companies, with the exception of Apple.
Posted By Simon Montford on Feb 24, 2016 Yesterday I attended what for me was the highlight of the entire show so far; Keynote 8 of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona: "Qualcomm & MERCEDES AMG Petronas Formula One Team". The event was billed as a keynote speech by Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, but it turned out to be more of a "fireside chat". I live broadcast the panel via Periscope, which consisted of Derek Aberle (Qualcomm’s president), Lewis Hamilton (Formula One World Champion), and Paddy Lowe (Executive Director, Technical Mercedes AMG Petronas). The session was moderated by Nicki Shields, TV Presenter & Journalist for Formula E & CNN.
Posted By Simon Montford on Feb 9, 2016 As everyone in the free world knows, it was Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, and due to the 8hr time difference between London and San Francisco, live coverage of the game didn't commence till 11pm. This meant that an early night was out of the question; not a great start to my busy working week. In fact, I didn't hit the sack (no pun intended), until 5am so when my alarm went off at the usual time, I felt more than a little bleary-eyed.
Posted By Simon Montford on Feb 1, 2016 As a species we are becoming more and more connected. Today fitness trackers are pretty basic, but tomorrow they will become embedded precision instruments capable of monitoring our health 24/7. Our cars will be self-driving, our homes will be operated by powerful artificial intelligence, and one leading academic recently predicted that robots will be able to read our minds by 2030 - welcome to the future!
Posted By Simon Montford on Jan 9, 2016 The International Consumer Electronics Show (International CES) is the world’s gathering place for the consumer technology industry. Held in Las Vegas every year (Jan 6-9), it has acted as a showcase for innovation and breakthrough technology for more than 40 years. Today it is one of the world's leading technology events.
Posted By Simon Montford on Oct 17 2015 Whenever I go out wearing my LG Watch Urbane during the day it receives very little attention, because it looks very much like a conventional horological watch. At night, however, it's a different story. The Urbane's illuminated P-OLED fascia looks so good it turns heads.
Posted By Simon Montford on May 21, 2015 Lily claims to be the world's first "throw-and-shoot camera" drone, however, I'm pretty sure I have already seen other similar products that can fly autonomously, if thrown in the air. Take Nixie for example. If you look at this Youtube video (2:56 /4:31), you will see one of the company's co-founders demonstrate this feature at CES back in January. Other "selfie drones" worth checking out are Zano, Air Dog, and Hexo+.
Posted By Simon Montford on May 19, 2015 The term "smartwatch" is becoming increasingly confusing. A powerful touchscreen device that's capable of running apps, making and receiving calls, as well as texts is a very different beast to a Fitness Band that tracks activity, and tells the time. Both devices, however, are referred to as "Smartwatches", as are the three illustrated above, but they possess very different features, and capabilities.
Posted By Simon Montford on May 1, 2015 Pulse Play is a social scorekeeping, and ranking system for racket players. It is aimed at amateurs because they often don't have anyone impartial to keep score, which can result in disagreements, or even arguments during a friendly game of tennis, squash, badminton, or table tennis. If you're a fan of racket sports, then I'm sure you'll be able to relate.
Posted By Simon Montford on April 23, 2015 This device is clearly aimed at serious swimmers, however, I can also see it appealing to those that already own a fancy smartwatch, or intend to buy an Apple Watch, which is splash and water resistant, but not waterproof. Swimmo is, as you'd expect, waterproof and offers advanced functionality specifically for those who wish to improve their lap times. The device records number of laps, calories, distance, heart rate, and speed.
Posted By Simon Montford on April 1, 2015 As I've said previously, the fitness tracker's days are numbered. I just can't see why anyone would bother with a FitBit or a Jawbone once the smartwatch goes mainstream (which it will). Highly specialised devices, however, that are designed for elite athletes, and those with specific requirements such as swimmers (xmetrics), weightlifters, CrossFitters (Beast, PushStrength, GymWatch, Atlas, Moov), and yoga (Smartmat) will continue to thrive.
Posted By Simon Montford on March 3, 2015 Quell is the only drug-free FDA approved, and doctor recommended, device in the States that's clinically proven to relieve chronic pain at the touch of a button. The Boston-based company wants to help millions of people avoid discomfort as well as the health implications, and side-effects of taking pain-relieving medication. NeuroMetrix, Quell's creator, launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo earlier this week that exceeded its funding target a day after launch.
Posted By Simon Montford on Feb 10, 2015 Last year in a post titled "Who's Data Is It Anyway?" we shared our concerns that wearable owners were not being given access to their own personal data by OEMs. One example was the Basis Peak (acquired by Intel). Well it looks like the recent firmware upgrade has addressed this issue! The company's blog states "Our new data export feature lets you populate your own charts and graphs with your activity and fitness metrics, do customized analyses, in-depth comparisons and more". To learn more about their data export policy, you can visit their support section here.
Posted By Simon Montford on Jan 28, 2015 The best way to describe RideOn is Google Glass meets Skully. Developed by winter sports enthusiasts who used to design helmet displays for fighter pilots, RideOn proves that augmented reality isn't just a gimmick, but can be used for a multitude of different (and possibly life-saving) uses. Examples include GPS location (avalanche), navigation (if separated or lost), entertainment such as gaming and video streaming, communication with other RideOne users, and sharing of content to social media.
Posted By Simon Montford on Jan 23, 2015 The MyBiody Balance is a fitness tracker that is not designed to be worn or carried around with you. The makers of this fitness device have taken a different approach where sporadic measurements are taken to chart progress. It can help you monitor several health indicators based on your weight, age, height and gender. It is aimed at a generic audience, but those who we think it would appeal to most are elite athletes, as they tend to be more obsessed (rightfully so) with things like muscle mass and body fat percentage.
Posted By Simon Montford on Jan 10, 2015 As covered in a previous story "Prepare for the second wave of fitness trackers", expect the next generation of health and fitness trackers to be lighter, more versatile and far better at understanding what type of activity is being undertaken. Also expect them to be far more accurate than the previous generation. Products that fall into this category include GymWatch, Basis Peak, Jawbone Up3, Atlas, Moov, Amiigo, Uno, FitBit Surge and now the AmpStrip by FitLinxx.
Posted By Simon Montford on Jan 8, 2015 The company already has successfully launched two products that are now on the market. Both measure Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC), and are wireless and wearable breathalyzers. One is the "Original" ($49.99) and a more recent model is the "Breeze" ($99.99). Their latest product that was successfully funded recently on Indiegogo is a Breathometer called "Mint" that detects breath quality and hydration levels.
Posted By Simon Montford on Dec 13, 2014 There's an overwhelming number of smartwatches and fitness bands available to purchase. Startups that fail to offer something unique and really useful will almost certainly fail. As far as consumers are concerned "Me too" products, no matter how good they look, just won't cut it. The Uno, not only looks good, but also offers some really useful time-saving features so it's hardly surprising that it's generated a significant amount of interest on Indiegogo.
Posted By Simon Montford on Nov 20, 2014 The STAR by SenseGiz is not only a fitness tracker but it also enhances smartphone functionality - it does this via gesture control. This is particularly useful when your phone is not easily accessible. For example, you can increase or decrease the volume, or answer/reject calls while out running with a simple clap or swipe motion. It also offers notifications, sleep monitoring and workout reminders.
Posted By Simon Montford on October 30, 2014 After months of speculation Microsoft finally released their new wearable device that is focused on helping its customers stay fit and healthy. The device is branded the 'Band' (must have taken their marketing department many sleepless nights to come up with that) and the RRP will be £199.
Posted By Simon Montford on Oct 27, 2014 The 'must-have' new feature for fitness trackers and most other wearables is that they have built-in capabilities such as GPS so you don't need to rely on your smartphone for connectivity. The Fitbit Surge will allow the wearer to track their progress and map their routes without the need to bring their smartphone with them. Expect the device to retail at around $250.
For Sale: Fitbit If you enjoyed this article, why not subscribe to our free newsletter? Lenovo just entered the heavily contested wearables sector. The OEM recently added the fitness wristband, called the Lenovo Smartband SW-B100, it will be available in any colour as long as it's blue or orange. It will do all the usual things you'd expect from a Fitness tracker so it looks very much like a 'me too' approach to product development.
Posted By Simon Montford on Oct 23, 2014 The average consumer's wrist is set to become even more crowded with this potential new entrant. The Tempest Smartband is a great looking 'smartband' that has a 180 degree display that takes up the entire top half of the band. The device runs its own operating system but promises to sync with all popular mobile operating systems.
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AuthorsSOCIAL MEDIA© Simon Montford (5350 Ltd & WEB3IOT), 2014, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Simon Montford and WEB3IOT with appropriate and specific direction to the original content at web3iot.com.
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