Posted Feb 13 2019 The next few years will mark a big shift in technology, as wireless systems transition to 5G, or "fifth generation" cellular networks. Since this is the age of IoT, the change will affect not only smartphones, but also other connected devices like smart home systems, cloud computing networks, and even less everyday things like industrial robots.
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".
Posted By Simon Montford on March 15, 2016 Today I attended day one of the Wearable Technology Show at ExCel, London. This is the third consecutive year I have been to the event, so it was interesting to see how the show has grown in stature over the past few years. Back in 2014, the show's debut took place at London Olympia, and was a far more modest affair. It was, however an exciting time, as back then the major players were conspicuously absent; it was almost exclusively attended by a passionate bunch of wearable tech pioneers, and a few plucky little startups. Since the arrival of major players such as Sony, Samsung et al the whole shebang has become a larger, more polished production.
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 Dec 4, 2015 Chronos turns a watch into a smartwatch. It lights up and vibrates when messages, calls, or notifications are received. The device will cost around $100 (£65) when it goes on sale next year, meaning that conventional watch owners will get all the benefits of owning a smartwatch without having to buy one. Obviously, the Chronos is more of a substitute for pseudo smartwatches like the Activite Pop, as it lacks many of the features offered by more sophisticated ones that run apps, and feature touchscreens.
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.
Once the "smart peddle" by Connected Cycle affixes to any bicycle, it can automatically record the location of the bike, track journeys, and act as a theft deterrent. A notification is sent if the bike is moved, or tampered with. A really great feature is that it doesn't need to be charged as it's self-powered. If only someone could invent a phone, or smartwatch that does that!
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 20, 2015 A San Franciso-based startup called Prana Tech is seeking $100,000 on Kickstarter, however with only 10 days remaining it looks doubtful if the $100,000 campaign target will be met. According to the company's CEO, good breathing and posture are keys to good health. By providing the wearer with gentle encouragement and reminders to sit straight and relax, it's like having mini Tai Chi and Yoga workouts throughout the day.
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 6, 2015 I feel kinda bad for saying this but, FlyShark have produced one of the most bizarre Kickstarter videos I've seen in a while. I mean who goes for a 1.3 mile run wearing a suit? That's weird, but hold on the weirdness continues. The dude then prepares a "romantic" dinner for some poor unsuspecting girl, that consists of KFC, followed by what must surely be her most favorite thing in the world, ever - chocolate cake. This is because upon seeing the cake her pulse rockets to 180bpm!
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 March 3, 2015 LG's new "Watch Urbane" and "Watch Urbane LTE" smartwatches are certainly a step forward compared to the previous model, the LG G Watch R. Although bulkier, the Urbane LTE comes with 4G and a new operating system, which means it can allow the wearer to make and answer calls, and send texts without a smartphone. There is no question that this is the future.
Posted By Simon Montford on Feb 24, 2015 Watching Pebble's live Kickstarter campaigns is becoming a bit like a spectator sport! I've been glued to the screen watching the pledges counter. As I write, Pebble's campaign total of $500,000 has been totally obliterated, and the total has now reached $6,576,994 (£4,256,485). With 31 days still remaining, how high can it go, and more importantly, can Pebble beat Exploding Kittens target of $8,782,571, which was set only a few days ago? Check out my Youtube video at the bottom of the page.
Posted By Simon Montford on Feb 21, 2015 A startup called Neptune has taken an entirely new approach to smartwatch design. It's founder, Simon Tian believes your smartwatch will take centre stage and your smartphone will become its trusty, but far less intelligent sidekick. The company recently announced the Neptune Duo, that'll not only be able to run Android Lollipop, but the device will also come with wi-fi, 4G, NFC, and GPS. In other words it will be capable of replacing your smartphone.
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 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 21, 2015 An increasingly popular way to operate wearable devices like the Moto 360, Sony SmartWatch 3, Martian, Omate, and the Apple Watch is via voice control. Devices powered by Android Wear are activated when the user says "Okay Google", and those that use their iPhone usually tap a “command” button which activates the familiar Siri chime. Both Google Now and Siri enable users to read and reply to emails directly on the wearable device as well as read and compose text messages, make calls, enter calendar appointments, and set reminders.
Posted By Simon Montford on Jan 20, 2015 Moodmetric claims to be the smallest wearable technology in the world for measuring emotions. "The Moodmetric ring measures the autonomous nervous system signals that can be used to understand emotional reactions and improve quality of life". We all lead busy lives and often miss the signs of stress which can, if ignored, lead to chronic illness or even premature death. Products such as Moodmetric and Olive could, therefore, potentially have a hugely beneficial impact on society.
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 22, 2014 MOCAheart is a heart scanner that is small enough to carry around either on a key fob or attached to the back of a smartphone. It uses medical grade technology and materials so is accurate and robust. It measures heart rate (bpm) and blood oxygen levels, which can be monitored via the MOCAheart smartphone app. Over time data collected via the app can establish trends and patterns.
Posted By Simon Montford on Dec 22, 2014 The team at Zikto have developed a fitness tracker called Arki that is able to monitor your walking pattern to prevent poor posture. It measures all aspects of gait such as swing speed, stride length, limb rotation, and angle, and combines it with other data, to improve walking habit. If it detects that the wearer is slouching or doing something that leads to poor posture such as walking while viewing a phone, the device will vibrate.
Posted By Simon Montford on Dec 22, 2014 Embrace is a wearable fitness tracker, a great looking smart watch, and a sophisticated medical device that monitors sleep, heart rate, and stress levels. Although anyone can benefit from the device, it has been especially designed to help epilepsy suffers of which there are 3 million in America and 65 million world-wide.
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