Companies are starting to hurry unveiling their latest gadgets just in time for the Christmas season. The new products offer even more sophisticated fitness monitoring and a stronger focus on the software. And we scanned the crowdfunding platforms for the hottest wearables this month.
Microsoft enters the Wearable Market
Microsoft has launched its first wearable : a fitness bracelet that connects to the user’s smartphone, monitors activity and displays notifications such as texts and calendar events. The device, simply called “Band”, works with apps across all major platforms, including Apple and Android devices as well as Microsoft’s own Windows smartphones and computers. The Band’s sensors can measure heart rate, sleep quality and light intensity (the device gives advice on how much sunscreen you might need) plus it has GPS functionality. Microsoft says that by combining this information with motion data Band can even figure out the length of the wearer’s stride and give a more accurate calorie count. Band is now on sales in the US for $199 and so far there is no information available when it will be released outside the US.
But there is more happening on the wristband market: Fitbit adds three new bands, the Fitbit Charge, Charge HR and Surge to its collection. The Charge is a wristband with all-day activity tracking that offers real-time fitness statistics and caller ID. It has a sleep detection monitor and exercise tracking capability, and it is water-resistant. The Charge HR adds 24×7 heart rate monitoring with LED lights, plus all-day display of information such as resting heart rate and heart rate trends. The Fitbit Surge has all the features of the other two devices plus a built-in GPS, text alerts, mobile music control, three-axis accelerometers, a gyroscope, a compass and an ambient light sensor. It also records multisport activities.
Lenovo has quietly revealed its entry into the WT market with a device called “Lenovo Smartband SW-B100.” There’s no official announcement from the company but their website gives some hints on the company’s goals for the device: “the Lenovo Smartband is for young people who take care of their personal health and are interested in new tech trend products.” The product offers a similar set of features as other fitness wearables. It will track steps, distance, calories, and heart rate. It can also keep tabs on sleep habits. Additionally it can show phone calls, text messages, and calendar appointments. And there is a neat little feature that automatically unlocks the wearer’s PC once the band is close to it.
Also new players are coming in like the startup Pivotal Living. Their Life Tracker 1 is a wristband that works with a smartphone app and a monthly subscription ($1 / month). It counts your steps, tracks sleeps, weight and even water intake. For a $12 annual fee for the app the company comps the tracker to the subscriber. Pre-orders are now taken and apps are available for Android and Apple devices. The company is promising delivery of Life Tracker bands in time for the holiday season. A major focus on the software is new. Let’s see how consumers like the subscription approach.
Crowdfunding Highlights
Ampy is a small, wearable battery pack that can harness kinetic motion of the wearer and release it back into an electronic device like a smartphone, smartwatches as energy. The device is small enough to be slipped into a pocket or worn on an arm. About 10,000 steps, an hour of cycling or a run of 30 minutes, can generate about 3 hours of smartphone battery life, according to the Ampy team. The Ampy smartphone app gives information on the amount of energy generated and the number of calories burned. Ampy can store about a week’s worth of physical activity and stay ready to use for months.
Wearable transportation has been a topic at our WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco. But now the Hoverboard now becomes reality through a successfull campaign on Kickstarter. Hendo is the name for the board that transforms the user into Marty McFly as in Back to the Future II. The Hendo board is the first of it’s kind and it works by creating a magnetic force between the board and the surface it’s floating over, generating a roughly one inch gap between the board and the floor. It’s intended to be self propelled but using the magnetic motors to direct the force in certain directions. The use of magnetism means that rather than riding over pavement, the board is currently restricted to levitating over a surface made of a non-ferromagnetic conductor, such as copper or aluminum. At the moment the fun lasts only for a very short time: The batteries in the current prototype are only good for less than 10 minutes of hover time.
Will. i. am unveils not just a Smartwatch
Music artist Will.i.am had revealed his new wearable device and company to the world in a Dreamforce event which took place in the middle of October. The device, called the PULS, is much more than a watch. It’s a wearable that has a watch in it, but it also has a GPS map system, a music player, fitness tracker that tracks your steps, weight and calories burned, social network sites like Facebook and Twitter, bluetooth connectivity, and runs on a proprietary OS. The PULS can call or send text messages, without the need for a phone. Will.i.am’s new wearable technology company i.am+ will also carry a jacket that powers the PULS, a backpack with a sound system, glasses that will take pictures by tapping on the PULS and shoes that tell you how much you weigh and how many steps you’ve made per day.
WT on Tour
Wearable Technologies’ CEO Christian Stammel recently gave a speech at one of the biggest media events in Europe – the Medientage in Munich.
Wearable Technologies was also present at INSIDE AR also hosted in Munich, gathering industry experts and consumers from the Augmented Reality world.
MEDICA will be our next stop in the middle of November. It is the biggest trade show for the medical sector and will take place in Düsseldorf (Germany). We will be there along with many exhibitors at Hall 15 Booth A23. For the full list of our exhibitors check out this website. A day before the event starts WT’s CEO Christian Stammel will join another health event in the UK moderating a session on medical wearables at Health 2.0 Europe. So see you there!
Wearable Week
WT announced a world’s premiere the WT | Wearable Week : A full week of the latest developments in wearables, gadgets, exciting talks , extensive exhibition, a fashion show and the entire ecosystem for networking. Stay tuned for more updates and already register for the kick-off event of the week: our WT | Wearable Technologies Conference!
