It was said that 2015 would be the year of the wearables as we begin to welcome 2016 – we realize that we were correct. The Pandora Box was opened to give us new wearable computing devices for almost everything. If your head is like ours, filled with new information everyday then perhaps you can’t remember what happened back in January or February. No worries – we will guide you back through all the relevant news in these past 12 months.
January : Holy Cow!
In January Microsoft unveiled the HoloLens, an AR headset. The HoloLens displays images that appear much like holographic projections, and even provides surround sound. The brains of the headset include a CPU, GPU, and a so-called “holographic processing unit.” The system can track eye movements, listen to voice commands, and can follow hand gestures, much like a Microsoft Kinect.
Guess and Montblanc turned up from the luxury end of the business to present us pieces of wearable tech. Besides that another important event was CES15. This is when lots of new wearables were presented,thus teasing us with new ones to come.
February : Smart-what?
Pebble, with its third generation of its smartwatch – the Pebble Time launched again another Kickstarter campaign to get funding for their new smartwatch. The new features like a color screen and voice input were the highlights of the new version. Mondaine was the first of the traditional Swiss watchmakers to release a smartwatch. Swatch Group unveiled its first smartwatch too: the Touch Zero One for volleyball players and fans. It features a step counter, power hits and power claps and gathers information using its built-in sensors and wirelessly sends them on to an app. Michael Kors also announced in February that they are entering the wearable tech market with high-tech fashion products.
March : B&B
In March big events took place such as Baselworld in Basel and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. At the Swiss event Intel, Google and TAG Heuer teamed up to create a Smartwatch. Breitling’s first smartwatch that features a digital and analog display was also unveiled there. The device can be connected with an app on your smartphone that allows you to perform various adjustments to the watch. Many other companies joined this event to present their new smartwatches.
Shortly before the Watch and Jewelry show in Basel, Apple organized another special event. Where they unveiled more news about the long awaited Apple Watch -including their $10,000 model. It seems like the Apple watch was the trigger for most of the Swiss watch makers to partner with techies to come up with their original approach to smartwatches.
In Barcelona the Mobile World Congress, HTC announced their partnership with Valve; unveiling a new virtual reality headset. The virtual reality headset runs by the name of Re Vive and has little light sensors studded throughout the headset for tracking your head as you move. Huawei and LG also presented wearables there. Save the date this year! January: CES – USA; February : Mobile World Congress – Spain.
April : And even more smartwatches….
Samsung unveiled that it was giving members of its global developer community early access to the Software Development Kit (SDK) of its next generation Gear device. This marked the first time that Samsung released its wearable SDK for third-party developers in conjunction with the design and construction of its device before the product launch. Asus also announced their new wearable: the Asus VivoWatch with 10-day battery life. The software was developed by Asus solely for the device and manages a variety of tasks, including fitness tracking, sleep monitoring, and notifications.
May : I/O
The Google I/O Conference on May 28th and 29th took place in San Francisco. Google unveiled Jump Camera, 16 camera modules in a circular array. Jump Camera system is open-source technology, which provides a way for creators to capture high-quality 3D video. The downside is you need multiple cameras to create a 3D image. Along with this Google also launched what they called Expeditions. A new VR initiative that lets teachers take their students on virtual field trips to places they might not otherwise be able to visit. Expeditions is a software and hardware kit that teachers can sign up for online; it is simple because it works with existing smart phones. The phone is placed inside a re-usable, foldable cardboard goggles. On the second day of Google I/O conference they revealed their new partnership between Google and…Levi’s! Together they have created the beginning of smart pants that can control your phone. Their collaboration is part of a bigger initiative by Google called “Project Jacquard,” which is essentially a type of “smart” yarn that allows textile manufacturers to create electronic clothing more easily.
June : $$$
June was a month of acquisitions. Intel bought Altera for $16,7 Billion to defend its presence in data centers. This acquisition may help Intel defend and extend its most profitable business: supplying server chips used in data centers. However, this was not the first, nor the last purchase from Intel since they acquired company Recon Instruments. Recon was formerly an Intel Capital portfolio company. This acquisition gives Intel an experienced wearable computing team that will help them expand the market for head mounted display products and technologies.
Our long term partners from Clothing + was acquired by Jabil. The Finland-based textile electronics Clothing + brings expertise in integrating electronics in textile. This merger will make it possible for brands to get all services for a textile electronics product from one door with manufacturing capacity.
Inside the healthcare industry, Panasonic Healthcare bought Bayer Diabetes Care for EUR 1,022 million. Bayer’s Diabetes Care business is a technological leader in blood glucose monitoring systems, lancing devices and diabetes management software. The business accounted for EUR 909 million in sales in 2014, with Contour™ being the principal product portfolio and is designed to meet the needs of all patients regardless of type of diabetes, stage of disease, or testing frequency.
Google unveiled that they were working on a healthcare wearable that provides constant patient information for participants in medical studies and clinical field trials. The device can monitor pulse, heart rhythm, skin temperature, light exposure and noise levels, providing valuable data not just about a patient, but about their surroundings too.
July : Samsung keeps working on it….
The new Samsung watch, the Gear A was not unveiled nor presented in July, but they left us some hints about what it would look like… a rotating, functional bezel ring, which will complement its round design. The Gear A would be Samsung’s 7th smartwatch! The rotating bezel adds physical controls to the touchscreen. It can be used for a number of navigation actions including scrolling, zooming and adjusting levels, such as volumes and brightness.
August : Shopping time!
Adidas acquired Runtastic, a European maker of fitness apps and wearable activity trackers, in a deal that valued Runtastic at 220 million euros, or about $239 million. Runtastic counts 70 million registered users and with Adidas can better compete with rivals like Under Armour and Nike. Nokia sold it’s HERE digital mapping and location services business to a consortium of leading automotive companies, comprising AUDI AG, BMW Group and Daimler AG (the “Consortium”). The transaction values HERE at an enterprise value of EUR 2.8 billion with a normalized level of working capital and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016. HERE is developing a location cloud that harnesses the power of data generated by vehicles, devices and infrastructure to deliver real-time, predictive and personalized location services.
Speedo was collaborating with Misfit to launch the Speedo Shine, a device that tracks walking, running, cycling, and more, and automatically tracks light and deep sleep. Speedo Shine tracks a swimmer’s lap count and swim distance with industry-leading accuracy and works for all stroke types.
Sony upgraded it’s smart band family with the second generation of the SmartBand. The biggest upgrade was a heart rate monitor, which augmented the device’s ability to track users’ fitness. Samsung also unveiled its latest smartwatch! The Gear S2. There are 3 different models from the Samsung Gear S2, the S2, the S2 Classic and the S2 with 3G. The Gear S2 has a round screen, relatively small profile, and a few sleek band options. It has a rotating bezel, a home button, and a back button to make navigation easier. The Gear S2 connects to your phone via Bluetooth, but it also has built-in Wi-Fi and NFC. In theory, you could use this device to make mobile payments and control other NFC-enabled devices. The 3G model has built-in connectivity and can work on its own without your phone, thanks to the “first-ever e-SIM with voice capability.”
September : Fashion & Style
Jaguar launched a new car, the Jaguar F-Pace. The vehicle is combined with a wearable Activity Key. This key is a waterproof wristband that allows you to indulge in outdoor physical activities without worrying about carrying your keys!
IFA was the big event in September with a highlight in our beloved friends…the smartwatches. Samsung, Huawei, Motorola, Lenovo, LG and Asus also presented their respective smart pieces! Too many smartwatches for an already overcrowded market. We made an in depth review about IFA!
Also in September was Fashion Week. The New York Fashion week featured models on a runway in responsive dresses and sports bras made out of 3-D printed panels armed with tiny computer modules that sense and respond to a person’s body. The smart clothing brand Chromat, in concert with Intel worked to develop dresses and sports bras that integrate Intel’s Curie module — a tiny piece of hardware featuring a battery, motion sensors, and wireless connectivity. The Chromat Aeros Sports Bra uses Curie sensors to gauge your heat level, and the bra will open vents and cool the body down. The dress uses the Curie modules to sense adrenaline and stress levels, so if stress levels are high, the dress will expand into an imposing shape.
October : Reading your mind and your activity
Runtastic joined the smartwatch race launching a new line of watches. The Moment has four different types of watches, they all track your daily activities and sleep, only differs one from another in the aesthetics. Fossil, partnered with Intel Innovation to design the guts of their line of watches and bracelets. The Fossil Q, is a connected accessory line designed to fit your style and track your activity. The collection consists of a connected bracelet, a connected non-display watch, and a round face display watch. The Q Grant is the watch and the Q Dreamer & Q Reveler is the bracelet designed for both men and women that tracks your activity, filters notifications and inspires your curiosity from sunrise to sundown. Swatch with Bellamy, the new pay-by-the-wrist watch is not new in the smartwatch world, but they are taking a different approach by joining forces with China UnionPay and Bank of Communications to introduce contactless payment “by-the-wrist” to China. The first four watches have built-in NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, allowing people to use their watches to pay for purchases in shops and stores around the country.
Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo launched a new experience that aims to use neuroscience to help match customers’ moods with the perfect T-shirt. Customers put on a headset that uses a single sensor on the forehead to measure brain activity, as people watch seconds-long video clips that each represent up to 10 moods. The technology’s algorithm then employs five metrics — interest, likes, concentration, stress and drowsiness — to measure the user’s response to the videos and tries to best match a design with the user’s mood.
November : Swiss watches are stepping up in the smartwatch market
Luxury smartwatch from TAG HEUER was the hit of the month. The Tag Heuer Connected face is a crystal sapphire, eschewing the toughened glass of their rivals and in favor towards their customers looking for something more luxurious. The price tag for the “Swiss Engineered” smartwatch is € 1,350 . Another big player within the Swiss watchmakers is Movado. The Movado Bold Motion smartwatch, in partnership with HP, has a stylish analog face. The Bold Motion is a stainless steel, 44mm watch face with LED backlighting in blue or white. The Bold Motion also includes a step tracker, which displays your daily progress as a ring around the watch face. This collaboration with Movado is the first of what HP is calling its “Engineered by” collaboration program. This program allows HP to participate in the smartwatch industry without having to release HP branded smartwatches.
Fossil Group acquired Misfit .Together with Fossil Group, Misfit gains access to Fossil Group’s design teams and global expertise in sales, marketing, and distribution. Misfit will continue to develop activity trackers under the Misfit brand, while Fossil Group will scale Misfit technology across Fossil, Skagen and a targeted portion of its portfolio of 16 brands in 2016.
Xiaomi launched its second smart wristband! This time it boasts optical heart rate monitoring technology. The new 1S device is set to go on sale in its homeland for just $16. In terms of design, it’s pretty much the same deal as its predecessor; a module containing the sensors and hardware slips inside a replaceable rubber strap. The Mi Band 1S tracks a user’s steps and provides estimates on calories burned and distances covered. It also monitors sleep and provides incoming call alerts from a paired smartphone.
December & 2016 :
December is the anticipation of what 2016 will bring. And what is it that? As we have been announcing, smart patches will take over the market in 2016. Virtual Reality will keep growing as well as the second and third generations of smartwatches. We will see a teaser of 2016 at CES in a few weeks! Till then, sit, relax and watch!
