Wearable clothing news : September 2019

Monday, September 30, 2019

Google’s Jacquard fabric tech now comes in two Levi’s jacket styles, costs less

Google and Levi's have partnered up again to produce two denim jackets with Jacquard technology woven in, allowing you to make gestures to control your phone.

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Amazon has the Bose SoundWear Companion speaker on sale for 50% off

Stay connected to your music and surroundings by getting your hands on the Bose SoundWear Companion speaker. Don’t miss the chance to score this wearable speaker for 50% off.

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Artificial Skin Could Enhance Sense of Touch and Provide Real-Time Haptic Feedback

Scientists at the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have created a soft artificial skin that can sense touch while providing real-time haptic feedback. Because of its sophisticated self-sensing mechanism, the new skin has the potential to instantaneously adapt to a wearer’s movements. Scientists believe the new technology can be applied to numerous fields such as from medical rehabilitation to virtual reality (VR).

Our sense of touch, similar to our senses of hearing and vision, plays a crucial role in how we perceive and interact with the world around us. Haptic feedback – a technology capable of replicating our sense of touch – can greatly improve human-computer and human-robot interfaces for applications such as medical rehabilitation and virtual reality, reports EPFL.

A range of soft sensors and actuators in the artificial skin enable it to conform to the exact shape of a wearer’s wrist, for example, and provide haptic feedback in the form of pressure and vibration. Strain sensors continuously measure the skin’s deformation so that the haptic feedback can be adjusted in real time to produce a sense of touch that’s as realistic as possible.

“This is the first time we have developed an entirely soft artificial skin where both sensors and actuators are integrated,” says Harshal Sonar, the study’s lead author. “This gives us closed-loop control, which means we can accurately and reliably modulate the vibratory stimulation felt by the user. This is ideal for wearable applications, such as for testing a patient’s proprioception in medical applications.”

Artificial skin on a finger — Image: EPFL

Soft pneumatic actuators in the artificial skin form a membrane that can be inflated by pumping air into it. A chamber, created by the membrane, can be inflated and deflated using a tiny pump up to 100 times per second, generating vibrations that will feel different to the user.

The artificial skin can be stretched up to four times its original length for up to a million cycles. That makes it particularly attractive for a number of real-world applications. For now the scientists have tested it on users’ fingers and are still making improvements to the technology.

“The next step will be to develop a fully wearable prototype for applications in rehabilitation and virtual and augmented reality,” says Sonar. “The prototype will also be tested in neuroscientific studies, where it can be used to stimulate the human body while researchers study dynamic brain activity in magnetic resonance experiments.”

This work was published in Soft Robotics.

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Apple prioritized health on the Apple Watch after it started saving lives

Apple never initially intended the Apple Watch to find success as a health and fitness wearable, according to executives.

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Best Buy drops major discounts on these Series 3 and 4 Apple Watches

Both the Apple Watch Series 3 and 4 are formidable wearables with lots of great features. Get them today at irresistible discounts on Best Buy.

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Google’s Project Jacquard is Back with Yves Saint Laurent Backpack

Google’s touch-sensitive fabric technology Project Jacquard is back with a new product – the Cit-E smart backpack – a touch-sensitive shoulder strap for controlling a connected smartphone. Built in collaboration with fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, the Cit-E backpack allows the user to control things using four gestures on the touch-sensitive area on the front of the left shoulder strap: swipe up, swipe down, double tap, and covering it up.

Google first debuted Project Jacquard, a smart fabric initiative to create gesture and tap-connected wearables without screens, back in 2015, reports CNet.

In 2017, Commuter X jacket debuted. It’s a Google-powered smart denim jacket that lets users control music and phone functions just by touching the fabric.

Now, the search engine giant is planning to build a bigger wave of Jacquard products, starting with this smart backpack. The discreet Jacquard Tag connects your physical things to digital services and information. It’s connected via Bluetooth and communicates with the Jacquard app.

You can personalize your things by selecting the Abilities you want to use. The more Jacquard services are added, the more your things become uniquely yours.

“Our ambition is simple: to make life easier. By staying connected to your digital world, your things can do so much more. Skip a song by swiping your sleeve. Take a picture by tapping on a shoulder strap. Get reminded about the phone you left behind with a blink of light or a haptic buzz on your cuff,” says Google.

Google’s Soli – a new sensing technology that uses miniature radar to detect touchless gesture interactions – hasn’t debuted in any product yet. But the two platforms could eventually fit together down the road. “It’s in the realm of possibilities, we’re thinking about it all the time,” Ivan Poupyrev, Google’s technical projects lead told CNet’s Scott Stein. “I don’t know how much speculation I’m allowed.”

The Cit-E backpack is available to preorder from Yves Saint Laurent’s website for US $877.

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Sunday, September 29, 2019

The best sleep trackers for 2019

We've rounded up six of the best sleep trackers, whether you prefer a bedside solution or one tailor-made for your mattress, there's bound to be one just for you.

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Friday, September 27, 2019

Echo Frames and Echo Loop fine print: Everything you didn't know - CNET

Amazon has two new wacky wearables: a pair of smart glasses and a vibrating ring. Here's what they do, how they work and how to buy them.

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EU Project Smart2Go Aims to Create a New Generation of Wearables that Never Need Charging

Charging your smartwatch can be a headache. With a feature-packed smartwatch, you may need to recharge it every few hours. But when you’re away and don’t have your charger with you, what do you do? Now, a new project funded by the European Union has announced it is working on a solution that it calls an “autonomous energy supply platform.” If it succeeds, the project dubbed Smart2Go, has the potential to kick-start the development of a new generation of wearable devices that never need charging, reports Digital Trends.

German company Fraunhofer FEP is leading the project, which will involve the development of a flexible power supply for wearable devices under the EU’s Horizon 2020 program. The company envisions the platform being using in everything from smartwatches, fitness tracking devices, and personal safety trackers, to exciting future tech including skin patches and smart labels.

EU parliament building — European parliament, Strasbourg (Image: Pixabay)

“The aim of the project is the creation of an autonomous energy-supply platform. Based on the results of the project it will be possible to use a wearable without caring about recharging over its entire lifetime. This aim will be achieved by the combination of a powerful battery with appropriate energy harvesting technologies. The performance of the energy supply platform will be demonstrated in two application cases,” said CORDIS European Commission.

Smart2Go’s special feature is the standardization of the interfaces within the platform. This will enable manufacturers to easily adapt it to various different application after the end of the project.

The project has already started in January with the University of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Center working with eight other EU innovation partners. But it’s worth noting that Smart2Go is a research project, and any resulting technology will not be ready for mainstream use for some time, if at all. However, projects like this can prompt development of new technology that will go on to transform our lives.

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Amazon drops over $100 off Samsung Galaxy Watch Active smartwatch

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is geared toward those leading an active lifestyle. Right now Amazon is taking over $100 off the Galaxy wearable.

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Microsoft Patent Shows Wearable with Haptic Feedback Targeted at People with Parkinson’s

A patent application filed by Microsoft has shown the company has looked into the possibility of wearable technology being used to help manage the symptoms of involuntary movements commonly suffered by people with Parkinson’s or a host of other disorders, reports Digital Trends. The wearable band would wrap around limbs or joints and use haptic feedback for therapeutic stimulation.

The device would have many haptic actuators scattered across a band that can be adjusted in response to sensor data, according to the patent. That data could come from sensors on the wearable itself or a nearby tablet or phone that communicates with it over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The patent titled “WEARABLE DEVICE” was filed by Microsoft and was published by USPTO.

“Haptic stimulation systems apply forces or vibrations to stimulate a user’s sense of touch. Touch-screen devices may use haptic feedback to indicate key presses to a user; games controllers may use haptic feedback to increase video game immersion (e.g. by vibrating in response to a collision or explosion within a video game) and smart watches may use haptic feedback to provide silent alerts to the wearer,” says Microsoft in the patent.

The embedded sensors could include heart-rate sensors, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and electromyography sensors for detecting muscle activity. On the other hand, sensors outside the wearable could include a touchscreen or imaging system that detects motion, or motion detectors in a stylus, reports ZDNet.

The patent application further notes, “Described herein is a wearable device which uses haptic actuation for therapeutic stimulation and in various examples, the wearable device may be word close to a joint and used to affect (eg reduce or stabilize) involuntary movement of the joint or limb. The wearable device described herein may be used to alleviate some symptoms of a condition which affects motion or control of the limbs and one example is Parkinson’s disease.”

When a company files for a patent, it has no idea whether it’s actually going to use the invention. Many of these patents see the light of day. Therefore, it can’t be said with certainty that Microsoft will launch this wearable.

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Thursday, September 26, 2019

Digital Trends Live: Amazon’s wearables, Facebook’s VR, McDonald’s Beyond Burger

On this episode of Digital Trends Live, we dig into the biggest trending stories in tech, including Amazon’s new wearables, Facebook’s Horizon VR, McDonald’s goes Beyond Burger, Kevin Feige goes Star Wars, and more.

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Best smartwatch deals for September 2019: Samsung, Fitbit, and Apple Watch sales

Smartwatches make life easier by sending alerts right on your wrist. Many also provide fitness-tracking features, so now is a great time to pick one up for cheap.

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Garmin Fenix 6S Pro Review: Small Watch Packed with Features

Garmin’s latest smartwatch, Fenix 6S Pro, is small in size but offers a host of features. This rugged GPS watch has wrist-band navigation, pulse oximeter, data-tracking, new PacePro metric, music, and battery-saving features.

This feature-packed $700 watch has a 42mm frame. It has a 1.2” sunlight-readable display with bezels in stainless steel, titanium or diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating. The biggest improvement on the Fenix 6 Series is the revamped interface, which still maintains Garmin’s characteristic look and feel, reports Digital Trends.

The important metrics like temperature, altimeter, barometer, heart rate and battery, are all arranged right on the screen of the watch’s new and improved clock face. The data displayed is large enough to see but compact enough so that it doesn’t get in the way of the time and date.

The fenix 6 series introduces a first-of-its-kind PacePro feature, which keeps a runner’s pacing strategy on track with grade-adjusted guidance as they run a course. Runners can create plans directly from the watch or ahead of time on Garmin Connect™ or Garmin Connect Mobile. While running the course, users will be able to see their target split pace, the actual split pace, distance to the next split, and how much time they are ahead/behind on their target, right on the watch face.

If you’re climbing, you can turn on ClimbPro to check how many feet you have to left to ascend.

The new battery manager lets you manage your battery efficiently. For example, if you need your batter to last longer, simply choose the Expedition Mode. This mode for extended GPS tracking will disable Bluetooth, turn off the screen, and ping GPS every hour.

This is a real outdoors watch that makes your navigation easier with its preloaded TOPO maps, ski maps for over 2,000 worldwide ski resorts, multiple global navigation satellite system (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) support and built-in sensors for 3-axis compass, gyroscope and barometric altimeter.

Fenix 6S Pro also has fall detection that detects when you fall and notify others.

The watch also comes with Garmin Pay contactless payments, music storage with premium streaming service (may require subscription with third-party music provider) support, smart notifications and more.

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Amazon Echo Frames and Echo Loop: Everything we know about Alexa devices you can wear - CNET

Amazon announced two wacky wearables: a pair of smart glasses and a vibrating ring. Here's what they do, how they work and how to buy them.

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Smartwatches, Wristbands Maintain Strong Growth in Q2 2019: IDC Report

Wrist-worn wearables shipment went up 28.8% in Q2 2019, according to a new report by International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. During this period 34.2 million units of these devices, which include smartwatches, basic watches and wrist bands, were shipped, said the report. The top 5 companies – Xiaomi, Apple, Huawei, Fitbit, and Samsung – continued to push forward with new products and promotional campaigns during the quarter, collectively capturing 65.7% of the market, an almost 12-point gain from last year.

“Health is now at the forefront for these devices since companies have started providing actionable insights and prescriptive measures for end users,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC Mobile Device Trackers. “Beyond health, mobile payment is also starting to become a mainstay as roughly two out of five wrist-worn wearables now include NFC, and many more simply use QR codes to complete transactions.”

Xiaomi, known for its MI Band series, maintained the top position thanks to its latest Mi Band 4. The company, which focuses almost exclusively on wrist bands, lured new customers with its low-cost fitness trackers. While China is its biggest market, Xiaomi is still prioritizing to expand beyond China, the IDC report states.

Apple came in second in terms of units sold, but the company outpaces all others in terms of dollar value as the average selling price (ASP) for an Apple Watch was $448 during the quarter. The company’s newly announced Apple Watch 5 should help it maintain its leadership in the smartwatch market. IDC anticipates shipments of the Apple Watch to grow by 10.8% by the end of 2019 and capture 38.9% of all smartwatches shipped during the year.

In the third place was Huawei, a company aimed at capturing the mass market with the Huawei brand and a younger audience with the Honor brand. The new report shows Huawei focused on the Chinese market during the quarter, growing its share, rather than prioritizing international expansion as it had in past quarters.

Wristband market pioneer Fitbit ranked fourth place in the report. Although sale of its smartwatches declined, Fitbit was able to manage overall growth due to the popularity of the newly launched Inspire wristbands.

Samsung rounded out the top 5 and achieved the highest growth rate amongst the top 5 due to the introduction of its low-cost wrist bands, the Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Fit e, and the popularity of the Galaxy Watch.

“Glancing at data – like notifications, fitness stats, and even checking the time – remain the popular use case, but to be able to interact with the device via smart assistants, scroll easily through data with the rotating bezel like Samsung’s smartwatches, or connecting to smart home applications and devices raises wrist-worn wearables’ utility. Layer on top of this the growing market for applications on smartwatches, and the value of these device increase further,” said Ramon T. Llamas, research director, Wearables.

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Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Amazon lets you run with the Garmin Vivoactive 3 for $51 less

Garmin's Vivoactive 3 is a multifunctional GPS smartwatch able of activity tracking and is currently available for only $229 instead of $280 on Amazon.

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Amazon’s new Echo Frames smart glasses have Alexa, but that’s about it

Amazon's new Echo Frames smart glasses come with built-in Alexa functionality, but no display or camera.

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The Amazon Echo Loop is a smart ring that puts Alexa at your fingertips

Amazon announced the Echo Loop smart ring at its Devices Event on Wednesday, which essentially gives you full Alexa functionality when you're on the go.

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Amazon drops a whopping 59% price cut on the Garmin Vivosmart 3 fitness tracker

Garmin's Vivosmart 3 is a slim and dynamic fitness tracker that is currently selling for just $57 instead of $140 on Amazon.

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RMIT Researchers Develop Self-Powering Smart Fabric Using Laser Printing Technology

The growing smart fabrics industry has diverse applications in wearable devices for the consumer, health care and defense sectors – from monitoring vital signs of patients, to tracking the location and health status of soldiers in the field, and monitoring pilots or drivers for fatigue.

Researchers from Melbourne’s RMIT University envision a future where waterproof smart fabrics will be laser printed and manufactured in minutes. They have developed a rapid, cost-efficient, and scalable method for printing textiles with embedded energy storage devices.

In just three minutes, this new technology can produce a 10x10cm smart textile patch that’s waterproof, stretchable and readily integrated with energy harvesting technologies, reports RMIT.

To create these smart textiles, the RMIT team used laser printing to embed the graphene supercapacitors directly into the fabric. The researchers believe their new smart textiles could be applied to various markets including consumer, healthcare, and defense.

In a proof-of-concept, the researchers connected the supercapacitor with a solar cell, delivering an efficient, washable and self-powering smart fabric that overcomes the key drawbacks of existing e-textile energy storage technologies.

Dr Litty Thekkakara, a researcher in RMIT’s School of Science, said smart textiles with built-in sensing, wireless communication or health monitoring technology called for robust and reliable energy solutions.

Smart fabric — Dr Litty Thekkakara, RMIT researcher and co-developer of new technology for rapidly fabricating textiles embedded with energy storage devices (Image credit: RMIT, Melbourne)

“Current approaches to smart textile energy storage, like stitching batteries into garments or using e-fibers, can be cumbersome and heavy, and can also have capacity issues,” Thekkakara said.

“These electronic components can also suffer short-circuits and mechanical failure when they come into contact with sweat or with moisture from the environment.

“Our graphene-based supercapacitor is not only fully washable, it can store the energy needed to power an intelligent garment – and it can be made in minutes at large scale.

“By solving the energy storage-related challenges of e-textiles, we hope to power the next generation of wearable technology and intelligent clothing.”

RMIT Honorary Professor and Distinguished Professor at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Min Gu, said the technology could enable real-time storage of renewable energies for e-textiles.

“It also opens the possibility for faster roll-to-roll fabrication, with the use of advanced laser printing based on multifocal fabrication and machine learning techniques,” Gu said.

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Best Cyber Week Deals 2019: Everything you need to know

Cyber Week continues the online shopping focus that kicks off on Cyber Monday and follows Black Friday's in-store madness. Online merchants and physical retailers extended Cyber Monday to Cyber Week because buyers kept shopping for deals.

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Best Cyber Monday Deals 2019: Everything you need to know

Cyber Monday continues the end-of-year holiday buying excitement that starts with Black Friday. Since the first Cyber Monday in 2005, online retailers promote the Monday after Thanksgiving as the best time of the year to find deals online.

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Senseg Produces First Ever Flexible Actuators with Roll-to-Roll Technology

Senseg, a leading manufacturer of electrostatic sensors based in Finland, announced that it has created a new category of flexible electronics by launching a family of roll-to-roll manufactured actuators for use in traditional flat actuator applications as well as for new applications, such as wearables, soft robotics, VR/AR devices, and interior integrated sensors. The new product, called Senseg ELFIAC (Elastomeric Film Actuator), will deliver large-scale manufacturable actuators that are far less expensive to produce than comparable traditional actuators and use cheaper, non-toxic materials, says Senseg. The inherent flexibility of the low-power Elfiac technology, enables new applications, form factors and geometries.

“ELFIAC is a robust technology. Its flexible membrane-like structure enables taking haptics to where it was previously impossible,” said Ville Mäkinen, founder and General Manager of Senseg. “We have proven the mass manufacturability of ELFIAC and gone through rigorous product testing. We can see that ELFIAC’s potential expands far beyond our initial scope of consumer electronics products.”

Senseg ELFIAC is completed by the simultaneous introduction of an advanced, ultra-compact, and low-power high-voltage driver circuit for ELFIAC. This circuit is powered by a proprietary system-in-package (SiP) S220 chip, which Senseg has jointly developed with ST Microelectronics. ELFIAC and the S220-based high voltage driver are now available as user-friendly demo kits including software, reports Globe News Wire.

woman with virtual reality headset — Image: Hill Air Force Base

The actuator market, currently pegged at $50 billion globally and expanding to $75 billion by 2025, according to MarketsandMarkets, includes consumer, automotive, healthcare, industrial automation, hydraulic, and other vertical market segments.

Senseg is a pioneer in the electrostatic haptic field since 2008, and an innovator in multiple fields of human-machine interfaces, with more than 40 granted patents. Senseg developed the first solid state haptics solution, the TIXEL, for touch screen devices in 2011, enabling users to feel dynamic surface sensations such as moving a hand through grains of sand or dragging a weighty object on the screen of a tablet device.

“With ELFIAC, Senseg is solving the problems of cost and materials usage in actuators, without degrading the experience,” says Ramon T. Llamas, research director for IDC’s Mobile Devices and AR/VR team. “This is a key component to the next wave of smart compute devices that are expected to perform rigorous functions while still delivering the types of experiences resident on other, more traditional, hardware.”

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Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Amazon cuts up to $120 off these Samsung Gear smartwatches

These Samsung Gear smartwatches are discounted by up to 45% or as much as $120 at Amazon. Go and check them out here now.

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Amazon hacks a nice $100 off the Garmin Forerunner 645 running watch

Whether you’re a casual runner or a potential marathon athlete in need of a quality watch to track your performance, check out on Amazon’s deal on the Garmin Forerunner 645.

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Best Cyber Week Deals 2019: Everything you need to know

Best Cyber Monday Deals 2019: Everything you need to know

The best budget-friendly GoPro alternatives that won’t leave you broke

Warm weather is here, and a good action camera is the perfect way to record your adventures. You don't need to shell out the big bucks for a GoPro: Check out these great GoPro alternatives that won’t leave you broke.

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Amazon Reportedly Working on an Emotion Tracking Wearable

Amazon is reportedly trying to enter the wearable market with a device that can detect human emotions.

First reported by Bloomberg, the wrist-worn gadget is described as a health and wellness product in internal documents reviewed by the media. It’s a partnership between Lab126, the hardware development group behind Amazon’s Fire phone and Echo smart speaker, and the Alexa voice software team.

The wrist-worn device is “designed to work with a smartphone app. It has microphones paired with software that can discern the wearer’s emotional state from the sound of his or her voice, according to the documents and a person familiar with the program. Eventually the technology could be able to advise the wearer how to interact more effectively with others, the documents show,” Bloomberg reports.

Amazon didn’t provide any details on the progress of the project, or if it will be available commercially. The online retail giant code-named the project ‘Dylan.’ According to documents and Bloomberg’s source, the project is ongoing and a beta testing is underway.

Image: The prototype Amazon Go store at Day One, Seattle, Washington by SounderBruce (Wikimedia commons)

The idea of making devices that can understand human emotions first appeared in science fiction novels and Star Trek. With the advancement in artificial intelligence, image and voice recognition is now a reality. Big tech companies like Apple, IBM and Google are developing technologies that can derive emotional states of people from audio data, images and other inputs. Amazon has publicly said it wants to build a more lifelike voice assistant.

While this device may be the first wearable device from Amazon, if it becomes successful in tracking human emotions, it might roll out to other Amazon products, especially the ones that rely on microphone. Then again, Amazon’s wearable may never see the light of day. The company regularly experiments with new products.

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This Wearable Detects Opioid Overdose and Automatically Calls for Help

In 2018, more than 115 people died from opioid overdose each day in the United States. This horrid statistic demonstrates the devastating public health crisis that has gripped much of the nation. Researchers at the Carnegie Melon University (CMU) have found one possible way to save lives from this deadly epidemic. They developed a simple wearable device that can detect signs of opioid overdose and automatically call for help. In December, 2018 WT | Wearable Technologies reported that the students behind this wearable opioid detector won national awards.

“The problem with opioid overdose deaths is that there is a narrow window of time to save them, and the users will not be in a state to call for help themselves,” Puneetha Ramachandra, a CMU student who worked on the project, told Digital Trends. “Our device solves this by continuously monitoring the user’s health, and if an overdose is detected, it calls for immediate help by sounding an alarm and also contacting the user’s emergency contact.”

The device, resembling a smartwatch, is still in prototype. It functions by using pulse oximetry, a noninvasive way of monitoring oxygen levels in blood by shining light from LEDs through the skin and detecting changes in light absorption. During an opioid overdose, the oxygen levels in the person’s blood drops. The device monitors the situation for 10 seconds before sounding the alarm.

CMU research students — The students behind this wearable opioid detector are: Puneetha Ramachandra, Rashmi Kalkunte Ramesh, Yu-Sam Huang and Soham Donwalkar.

The team plans to create blueprints for mass production, and get the device certified. “Once this is done, the initial goal is to sell the device in a small scale, and also distribute it through needle exchange programs by subsidizing it. Based on the feedback from the end users, we plan to upgrade the device and increase production scale,” Ramachandra said.

“Our solution, at the moment, only focuses on preventing overdose deaths. “We do plan to incorporate more helpful features into our device in the future to aid in the addiction aspects of the problem.”

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Monday, September 23, 2019

It’s time to check out the best Apple Watch deals for September 2019

The Apple Watch has surged to prominence in recent years. If you're in the market for an iOS wearable, we've sniffed out the best Apple Watch deals available right now.

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Apple Watch and Fitbit Versa smartwatch prices get slashed in Best Buy sale

With the release of the Fitbit Versa 2 and the Apple Watch Series 5, prices on previous generations of these wearables are getting some solid discounts.

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Coros Apex is light in weight, long on battery life, but misses on features

Coros may be a newcomer to the GPS watch market, but the company is making a name for itself with its incredible battery life. We tested the Coros Apex to see how it stacks up to the latest lineup of GPS watches.

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Apple Watch Series 5 review: A smartwatch close to perfection

The Apple Watch Series 5 is close to perfection, as good as smartwatches can get today, especially with the new always-on display Here's our review.

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This Apple Watch clone is surprisingly good for just $31.49 - CNET

It might be, er, time to readjust our expectations for super cheap wearables. Plus: This two-port USB wall charger is only six bucks.

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Bose and Beats Solo3 wireless headphones get steep discounts at Amazon

Amazon discounts the Beats Solo 3 wireless and Bose SoundLink headphones, the best brand handphones in the market. There's no telling how long this deal will so take advantage while supplies last.

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Best Cyber Week Deals 2019: Everything you need to know

Best Cyber Monday Deals 2019: Everything you need to know

Wearable Gait Analysis Protocol to Help Clinicians Select Ankle-Foot Orthoses Configuration in Cerebral Palsy Patients

Libre’s MAVID Now Powers Hansong’s New Generation of Connected Speakers

Libre Wireless Technologies, an embedded Wi-Fi/wireless technology hardware and software solutions provider, announced their MAVID low power mic-to-cloud platform is now powering Hansong’s Microdot XS, a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth audio speaker with a no compromise far field voice interface featuring Amazon Alexa Built-In.

Hansong Technology is an audio OEM/ODM manufacturer, covering home theatre, hifi and AV systems, custom installation solutions, professional audio, wireless technologies and commercial products including AI voice and IoT devices.

“We are extremely excited about this entirely new category of portable, ultra-low power products enabled by Libre’s MAVID device,” says Helge Kristensen, Vice President at Hansong Technology. “The Microdot XS is the first of several breakthrough portable and wearable products we will deliver as we enable entirely new use cases and applications in the exploding AI and IoT markets where voice is becoming a primary new man-machine interface.”

The MAVID device is single chip mic-to-cloud solution measuring only 13.5mm square. By integrating Hansong technology, it created an entirely new category of personal, portable battery powered miniature voice-enabled product, reports Business Wire.

The Microdot XS, a tiny golf ball-sized speaker, has all the advanced features of full-size Wi-Fi audio speakers. The small size and long battery life allow users to carry it wherever they go. The device has the unique ability to connect to your mobile phone hotspot while maintaining special low power connections for extended voice assistant and music streaming support.

“We are very proud of having developed and delivered MAVID, a revolutionary voice/AI technology product which offers so much unique and differentiating value to our customers,” says Jordan Watters, Chief Executive Officer of Libre Wireless Technologies. “With innovative partners like Hansong Technology, we are excited to see the many unique new miniature, portable and wearable WiFi products that are being created and will lead the market expansion of voice assistant applications.”

The Microdot XS will launch in Q3 2019 in multiple markets including the US, UK, Germany and France, and can be seen at the Amazon booth at IFA Berlin and viewed in Amazon’s partner program press release at Amazon Press Link for Hansong Microdot.

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Sunday, September 22, 2019

Huawei Watch GT2 hands-on review: A classy smartwatch held back by its software

Huawei's latest smartwatch is the Watch GT2, and it has been treated to an upmarket redesign and a host of new features. It's a shame it's hampered by software.

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Misfit releases the Vapor X, its lightest, most comfortable smartwatch yet

New from Misfit is the Vapor X, a lightweight and stylish smartwatch aimed at those with active lifestyles.

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Saturday, September 21, 2019

Misfit Vapor X Review: Simple, unfussy, and very impressive

The Misfit Vapor X watch keeps a low profile in black, but don't take this for an inability to impress. It's among the best Wear OS smartwatches to date.

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Friday, September 20, 2019

Best Cyber Monday Deals 2019: Everything you need to know

Here are the best tech gifts you can snag for $100 or less

A $100 bill can get you further than you might think -- so long as you know where to look. Check out our picks for the best tech gifts under $100, whether you're in the market for headphones or a virtual-reality headset.

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Everbridge Partners with RiskBand to Deliver World-Class Workplace Security

How to track your sleep with an Apple Watch

You want to start tracking your sleep with the Apple Watch? Here's our guide on how to get started. Though sleep tracking isn't a feature that Apple offers, there are ways around that.

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Flexible Graphene Photodetectors Accurately Measure Health Data in Wearables

Here’s where you can buy the brand-new Apple Watch Series 5 right now

Apple has unveiled the latest and greatest Apple Watch, called the Apple Watch Series 5. Here's where to get the Apple Watch Series 5 for yourself right now.

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Thursday, September 19, 2019

Best Cyber Week Deals 2019: Everything you need to know

Apple’s next AirPod case could be waterproof and let you recharge an Apple Watch

If a newly published patent application is any indication, the next Apple AirPods could be waterproof, with a much more capable charging case.

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Best Cyber Monday Deals 2019: Everything you need to know

Wrist Worn Wearables Shipment Soared 28.8% in Q2 2019, Says IDC

Apple's new Watch Series 5 is 'always on' - CNET

Take a closer look at Apple's latest wearable, the Watch Series 5.

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MediaTek’s New MT8516 2-Mic Development Kit to Accelerate Integration of Alexa

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Apple Watch Series 4 and Garmin Fenix smartwatch deals save you up to $150

Garmin has a 30-hour sale on the Fenix smartwatch and the Apple Watch Series 4 has been discontinued. Right now is the best time to get your hands on the best smartwatches in the market saving you up to $150.

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Last chance to snag Garmin Fenix 5 smartwatch for its lowest price ever

This Garmin Fenix 5 smartwatch gets a whopping $150 discount for Garmin's 30th-anniversary sale. Get it now for only $350 instead of $500.

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ProGlove Gets $40M Investment from Summit Partners to Deliver Industrial Wearables Globally

Coros Apex Pro is a long-lasting watch for hikers and climbers

The new Apex Pro from Coros takes the best of the fitness-focused Apex and blends it with the adventure features of the Vertix.

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Best Cyber Monday Deals 2019: Everything you need to know

Measure up for your Focal smartglasses in the U.S. and Canada with North’s app

Smartglasses company North has released a new app that uses iPhone technology to measure your face and allow you to try on and order its North Focal smartglasses.

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Smart Artificial Hand Combines User and Robotic Control for Assistive Solution

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs. Apple Watch Series 4: Specs comparison

Samsung has refined and upgraded with the Galaxy Watch Active 2, but how does it compare to smartwatch leader, the Apple Watch Series 4? We pit the two against each other in several categories to find out which is best for you.

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Awesome new Gorillaz and G-Shock limited-edition watch gets Bluetooth tech twist

Casio G-Shock has announced a pair of new collaboration watches with virtual British band Gorillaz. One of the two new models has Bluetooth connectivity, giving an extra high-tech edge to the exciting lineup.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs. Watch Active: Spec comparison

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 offers a raft of improvements over its predecessor, but it also costs more. We take a look at precisely what sets these smartwatches apart and highlight the pros and cons in this spec comparison.

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Kaasa Releases Data Collector 2.0, an iOS App to Help Record and Manage Movesense Raw Data

Apple Watch Series 5 vs. Apple Watch Series 4: Is it time for an upgrade?

The Apple Watch Series 5 is here, but the Apple Watch Series 4 is still an excellent smartwatch. Do you need to consider an upgrade? Should you buy a new Apple Watch Series 5? Find out how they differ here.

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Hearables are the Most Popular Choice of Wearables Among Consumers, Says IDC Report

Monday, September 16, 2019

Google got 20 workers in $40M deal for Fossil’s hybrid smartwatch tech

According to a new report from Wareable, Google ended up getting a new hybrid watch technology, along with a hefty 20 engineers that helped develop the tech, in its $40 million deal with Fossil earlier this year.

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Garmin Fenix 6S Pro hands-on review: Small watch, big deal

The Fenix 6S Pro is the smallest model in Garmin's latest Fenix 6 series of outdoor adventure watches. But don't let the size full you. The Fenix 6S Pro is packed with impressive features.

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Shimmer Announces Launch of Open Source Initiative for Wearable Sensor Algorithm

The best fitness trackers for 2019

Looking for your first fitness tracker, or an upgrade to the one you're already wearing? There are plenty of the wrist-worn gadgets available. Here are our picks for the best fitness trackers available right now.

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Awesome new Gorillaz and G-Shock limited edition watch gets Bluetooth tech twist

Report: Stretchable Electronics Market Will Grow to $500M Within a Decade

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Apple Watch Series 5 hands-on: That always-on display is long overdue - CNET

Apple just announced the latest generation of its Watch fitness wearable.

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Saturday, September 14, 2019

Fitbit Versa 2 review: The subscription smartwatch

The Fitbit Versa 2's multi-day battery, smartwatch features, and $200 price should set it apart. But it falls short in an unexpected way -- fitness.

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Friday, September 13, 2019

Myia Labs Raises $10 Million in Series A Funding Led by Mercy Virtual

Here’s where you can buy the brand new Apple Watch Series 5

Apple unveiled the latest and greatest Apple Watch, called the Apple Watch Series 5. Here's where to get the Apple Watch Series 5 for yourself.

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Apple Announces Three Groundbreaking Health Studies with Leading Research Institutions

Apple Watch Series 5 hands-on: That always-on display is long overdue - CNET

Apple just announced the latest generation of its Watch fitness wearable.

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Thursday, September 12, 2019

Edelkrone’s 3D-printed wearable monopod fits in your pocket and your budget

The Edelkrone PocketShot 3D is a versatile camera support system that fits in your pocket. And at $29 plus materials, it probably fits in your budget as well.

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Sleep Health Solution Dreem 2 Smart Headband Launches in the US

SEPTEMBER 2019

Instabeat: Immersive swimming wearable to help swimmers improve performance with real time training optimization

In terms of connectivity and technology, swimming has always been slightly behind other endurance sports as measuring heart rate, the most common training metric is challenging in water. Competitive swimmers are rarely using wearables but that could be changing with Instabeat´s technology. Founded by swim-techpreneur Hind Hobeika, the company developed a smart add-on for swimming goggles that provides real-time visual feedback of your heart frequency. While an optical sensor is reading your heart rate from blood flow in your right temple, the device shows colored lights through your goggles for three zones according to your individual resting heart rate and preferences: green for recovery, blue for training and red for development zone. The mobile app dashboard displays detailed workout analytics, including your heart rate curve, distance, lap count, strokes recognition, and interval analysis.

We recently published a product review after trying Instabeat in the pool – check it out here.

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Instabeat Review: Immersive Real-Time Swim Training Straight from Your Heart

From theory to practice – our team member Marius, an experienced triathlete and passionate swimmer, had the honor to test the Instabeat technology in the pool. After several sessions and a decent amount of collected data, he summarized his experience before, during and after his training.

BEFORE TRAINING – GETTING STARTED

The nicely designed little package came with a personal message from founder Hind Hobeika, a goggle guide, instructions, a charging cable and last but not least the sensor. The step by step instructions are very easy to understand and the sensor and its displaying lights well explained. Although the charging cable disconnects very easily, the device charges really fast. After getting compatible goggles, it took some time to mount the Instabeat on the goggles at the first try but it got smoother after a while. Pairing with your mobile device goes quick and easy and right away you are set for your first swim.

DURING TRAINING – MONITOR YOUR SWIM

Very positively, the device is hardly perceivable during swimming. The different lights are good to see when necessary, do not disturb or distract and very much engage you – especially in exhausting and painful, alternating sprint intervals to stretch for the last meters. After a while, the pressure at the temple slightly increases and can become a bit uncomfy, but that is dependent on how strong you fit your goggles. However, it reliably stays in place during turns, starts, and styles. So, starting and executing sessions is pretty smooth by simply clicking the power button, awaiting a blue light signal and off you go.

AFTER TRAINING – SHOW ME THE DATA

After connecting the device to the app, it synchronizes your swim and easily transfers the collected data that can be assigned to a dedicated workout defined in duration, distance and pool size. The app automatically imports and calculates heart rate, means and pace, shows courses over the session and gives detailed information on your performance. In total, the overall picture looks good and the app considers essential swimming metrics.

In conclusion, Instabeat is the only device on the market that provides a real-time heart rate experience and adds an essential value to your swim training. The technology is easy to use and the lights do not distract the swimmer during training. Although benefits might differ between swimmer experiences, the sensor is definitely a great way to enrich your workout value (e.g. self perception, stamina, variation etc.) and your training creativity. It helps finding the most efficient technique and avoids wasting too much energy on wrong things. It particularly supports your learning of recovery processes as you really perceive that there are days where a correct training zone feels uncomfortable. In terms of metrics and data analytics, the device even allows knowing about absolute values of swimming heart rates and we believe this technology has so much room for extension to make any swim session a motivating experience. That said, Instabeat is a great device that performs very well in a undoubtfully harsh environment for electronic devices.

Curious to learn more about Instabeat? Visit their website www.instabeat.com

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Feel: A Digital Therapeutic Solution for Mental Health

Feel developed by Sentio Solutions Inc. took part in the 34th edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco and proudly won the “Top Public Award”. The disruptive start-up founded in 2015 impressed the wearable audiences and jury of the Innovation World Cup Series with the emotion-sensing wristband and app, that allows continuous monitoring and real-time personalized interventions for individuals suffering from anxiety and depression. Feel made a big leap to the Semi-finals of the 11th IoT/WT Innovation World Cup®, stand among the promising winners of the WellTech Challenge and top the Healthcare category. Check out their story of success and explore how mental health issues can be solved with Feel.

1. HOW DID THE JOURNEY BEGIN?

Back in 2015, the co-founders of Feel, George Eleftheriou and Haris Tsirbas, both struggled with their mental health. Depressive burnouts and panic attacks led them to start psychotherapy. Even though it was a good investment in themselves, they quickly realized that there are many flaws in the healthcare system.

Psychologists, psychiatrists, and patients rely on outmoded forms of analysis to diagnose, evaluate, monitor, and intervene in the treatment process. Unlike all physical disorders that can be monitored e.g. measure glucose in the case of diabetes, there are no objective data and tools for mental health and no mental health support outside the therapist office. More than that, an appointment at the psychologist most of the times is expensive. Therefore, many people end up without getting help. And this is what they decided to change together.

Feel_Sentio Solutions_Wearable_Innovation World Cup

2. WHAT ARE THE MOST MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR?

Feel has been awarded and recognized as “TransTech 200” in 2016, “Pioneers Athens”, “Insurance Shaper of the Year 2017”, MITEF Greece Startup Competition and “Top Public Vote” Award at the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference 2019 USA. Moreover, we have closed our seed round and have raised a total amount of $1.8 million from Anthemis Exponential Ventures, SOSV, Make in LA and angel investors.

3. WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU FACED IN YOUR JOURNEY?

We would say that stigma was a great challenge. We had prospective investors suggesting that we shouldn’t talk about personal experiences because it would hurt our chances of getting an investment or asking if we are still in psychotherapy to understand if we are “sane” or capable enough. The lack of objective metrics exacerbates this stigma, since mental health remains as something ineffable, something that cannot be quantified.

5. WHAT IS COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

The development of biomarkers for management and evaluation of mental illness, indicators of relapse, mood swings, depressive episodes, panic attacks and more.

6. WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

We want to elevate the digital era, in which even though there is plethora of solutions, there is still subjectivity, self-diagnosis and stigma. We strive to bring to life the Augmented Mental Health era. Our next step is to begin deployments with major Health Plans and Employers in the US and Europe.

6. HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE IOT/WT INNOVATION WORLD CUP®?

We are very excited to have won the “Top Public Vote” Award at the 34th WT | Wearable Technologies Conference 2019 USA. It shows that people really need such a solution. The Innovation World Cup® gave us the chance to spread our idea and vision to many more people. It was a great opportunity.

7. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR THE FUTURE IOT HEROES COMING FROM THE INNOVATION WORLD CUP®?

Choose a cause that you really care about. And choose people who care as much as you do for the cause to make a team.

Explore further:

Understand how Feel Wristband works and acknowledge the power of technology in recognizing human emotions. Enhance individuals’ mental well-being and learn to obtain a fulfilled life.

The Innovation World Cup® is a milestone for hundreds of tech startups worldwide. It is high time to submit your solution before the deadline on September 18th, 2019 approaches. Enter the 11th IoT/WT Innovation World Cup®, the world’s leading competition in the Internet of Things & Wearable Tech, and race for the special prizes:

WellTech Challenge
EBV IoT Hero powered by EBV Elektronik
rapidM2M Challenge powered by Microtronics
Logistics Game Changer powered by LOXXESS
Smart Clothing Challenge powered by AIQ Smart Clothing
Gore Innovation Center Prize powered by Gore
Trusted Connectivity Award powered by Gemalto

Great prizes worth 500.000$, 10.000€ in cash for the best IoT Solution, free development kits supported by corporate partners STMicroelectronics, EBV Elektronik, Würth Elektronik, and Microtronics, free speaking spots at international tech events, free use of marketing package, significant business network and more are awaiting the leading innovators!

Visit the Hall Of Fame and get to know the faces who have made it to the summit of innovation with the Innovation World Cup® Series. Do you want to be the next? Get your solution ready and reach us now: www.innovationworldcup.com

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VARTA Plans to Boost Production to More Than 150 Million Cells Per Year

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Wear this exceptionally stylish 42mm Samsung Galaxy watch for $50 off at Walmart

The Samsung Galaxy Watch boasts accurate fitness tracking, a gorgeous display, and terrific battery life. Get it on Walmart for $299.

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Here’s where you can buy the brand new Apple Watch Series 5

Apple unveiled the latest and greatest Apple Watch, called the Apple Watch Series 5. Here's where to get the Apple Watch Series 5 for yourself.

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Artificial leg with realistic sensory feedback helps wearers walk confidently

Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have developed a prosthetic leg that uses sensors and electrodes to provide wearers with neurofeedback when they're walking.

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Take $121 off when you pick up the Samsung Gear Sport smartwatch on Amazon

The Samsung Gear Sport is an ideal companion for everyday connectivity and fitness tracking. You can get in on Amazon for only $179.

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By Innovation Only? The Apple event barely showed us anything new

Another year, another underwhelming Apple event. This batch of slightly improved devices lacks a stand out feature or innovation worth getting exciting about.

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Alphabet and iRhythm Partner Up to Develop Health Management Solutions for Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Fi GPS dog collar review: Finding Fido

With three-month battery life and a super compact design, the Fi GPS dog collar is discreet enough to slip on your pooch and forget about. Until you really need it.

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Orchestra BioMed’s BackBeat Cardiac Neuromodulation Therapy Gets CE Mark for Hypertension Treatment

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Apple Watch Series 5 hands-on review: Still the best

The new Apple Watch Series 5 is a minor update to Apple's smartwatch lineup, but it remains the best. The new always-on display is the cherry on top.

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Apple Watch Series 5: Always-on display, ceramic and titanium models, native compass and more - CNET

Apple just announced the latest generation of its Watch fitness wearable.

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The chic Fossil Gen 4 Explorist HR smartwatch is down to just $179 on Amazon

One of the most stylish smartwatches for men, the Fossil Gen 4 Explorist HR, is currently discounted on Amazon for 35% less.

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Stay active with this Garmin Forerunner 645 smartwatch for 21% off on Amazon

The Garmin Forerunner 645 is a well-rounded sports smartwatch that's handsomely designed and loaded with features. You can get it for $315 on Amazon.

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New Apple Watch Studio lets you mix and match watches and bands

The new Apple Watch Studio will let buyers mix and match their Apple Watch size, finish, and band type to see and order in-store or online.

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Here’s where you can buy the brand new Apple Watch Series 5

Apple unveiled the latest and greatest Apple Watch, called the Apple Watch Series 5. Here's where to get the Apple Watch Series 5 for yourself.

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This cellular Apple Watch Series 4 is $69 off on Amazon for the Apple event

Amazon's deal drops the 44mm Apple Watch Series 4 cellular variant to only $460 just in time for Apple's even on September 10.

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Apple Watch Series 5: All you need to know about Apple’s new smartwatch

The iPhone 11 and iPhone Pro may be the headlining devices at Apple's September 2019 event, but the company also announced the Apple Watch Series 5. Here's everything you need to know.

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Apple event 2019: WatchOS 6 coming Sept. 20 with cycle tracking and hearing health - CNET

Apple refreshes its wearable OS and adds a new feature that measures decibel levels.

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Apple Watch Series 5 smartwatch: Always-On display, price, specs, compass and more - CNET

Apple just announced the latest generation of its Watch fitness wearable.

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Is an iPhone 11 Pro coming? Here’s what to expect from the Apple Event today

Apple's September event is coming, and that means new hardware to check out. But what will be there? Here's what we expect to see on September 10.

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VivaLNK Partners with Emory University to Provide Wearable ECG Sensors for Study

IFA 2019: Garmin Unveils Four New Smartwatches, Including the New Venu

Collaboration is King for Innovative Wearable Technologies in B2C and B2B Markets

by Peter Düking, Strategic Business Consultant at Wearable Technologies

Introduction

The market for Wearable Technologies is experiencing a consistent growth pattern and there are numerous types of devices with a multitude of applications. Wearables are maturing from products for early-adopters to consumer mass-market products and cannot only be highly beneficial in B2C, but also in B2B Markets. Yet, for business development purposes it is critical to identify the right collaboration partners from different industries to build sustainable products. Additionally, to gain competitive advantage, increasing brand awareness is crucial, especially for start-ups working in this highly innovative and competitive market.

Definition of Wearables and Market Figures

Wearable Technologies can be defined as connected electronics and technologies which are worn close to, on, or even inside the body. Wearables can have different form-factors ranging from Smartwatches to Smart Garments, head-worn Wearables such as Smart Glasses, Hearables or Helmets, and Smart Patches. We estimate that in 2019 around 550 million Wearables will be sold across all industry sectors with rising numbers in the coming years. We estimate that in the near future Smart Patches will make up to 30 % of the overall wearable market.

Users First!

In the past, many products failed because product developments were driven by technological innovations and without having the user and its needs in mind. This impaired mass volume production. A clear understanding of your company’s target group, whether that be e.g. athletes, medical doctors or factory workers, is the basis for Wearable Technologies to become mass volume products. Wearables need to be developed with an ‘identity’ in mind which evolves from the needs, habits, preferred activities of users. Of course, Wearable Technologies need to solve an (at least perceived) problem of the user. Developing and applying Wearable Technologies in such a manner will unearth a unique set of unexpected data enriching the customers (and companies) with information they previously have never had access to which is a fantastic starting point to enhance aspects of peoples life’s as well as for further business development.

No product development without collaboration

Collaboration is a critical element in any product or service development process. Especially for Start‑Ups it is almost impossible to develop every technological detail of a Wearable on their own, and reliance on, and cooporations with educated consultants, SME and blue chip corporations in different areas is king. For example, Start-Ups can rely on the expertise of chip manufacturers such as STMicro, or the electronic printing capabilities of VTT, and/or the material innovations developed by DuPont and/or Datwyler Sealing Solutions. All of them have extensive experience in the field of Wearables and enabled many Start-Ups to develop different Wearables already. Cooperating with such companies could also open doors for cross-industrial marketing of products. Often, technological innovations stemming out of the medical market can be positioned in the sports and/or the industrial safety market and vice versa. This creates completely new business channels for companies. However, well guided strategies are essential not only to find the right collaboration partners which fit to your individual business, but also marketing strategies need to be defined in reconciliation with the relevant target group and brand awareness needs to be created.

How to find the right Collaboration Partner?

If you want to learn more about the Value Chain of Wearables and who might be your potential collaboration partner, a visit to the conference and trade show series of the WT | Wearable Technologies Group, stopping respectively in Bangkok/ Singapore and Düsseldorf at the Medical Fair Asia and MEDICA, as well as in Munich, Melbourne and San Francisco.

Additionally, the Innovation World Cup ® which is the most established open innovation platform worldwide is a great opportunity for Start-Ups to create brand awareness and to win prices to propel business growth. Participation is free-of-charge.

Reach out to us to get professional assistance in your journey of developing wearables!

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Monday, September 9, 2019

Amazfit GTS hands-on review: Don’t dismiss this smartwatch as an Apple imitator

Don't dismess the Amazfit GTS off as a cheap Apple Watch knockoff. It’s undeniably a clone, but to ignore it entirely because of this would be a mistake.

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Scientists laser print graphene supercapacitors

The next generation of waterproof smart fabrics will be laser printed and made in minutes. That’s the future imagined by the RMIT University researchers behind a new e-textile technology. The team of scientists reported they have developed a cost-efficient and scaleable method for fabricating textiles embedded with energy storage devices.

In just three minutes, the method can produce a 10-by-10 centimeter patch that’s waterproof, stretchable and integrated with energy harvesting technologies, the team’s research says. The technology enables graphene supercapacitors to be laser printed directly onto textiles. In a proof-of-concept, the researchers connected the supercapacitor with a solar cell, resulting in a washable, self-powering smart fabric that may overcome some drawbacks of existing e-textile energy storage technologies.

“Current approaches to smart textile energy storage, like stitching batteries into garments or using e-fibers, can be cumbersome and heavy and can also have capacity issues,” said Dr. Litty Thekkakara, a researcher in RMIT’s School of Science. “Our graphene-based supercapacitor is not only fully washable, it can store the energy needed to power an intelligent garment, and it can be made in minutes at large scale,” Thekkakara said.

RMIT honorary professor and distinguished professor at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Min Gu, said the technology could enable real-time storage of renewable energies for e-textiles.

“It also opens the possibility for faster roll-to-roll fabrication, with the use of advanced laser printing based on multifocal fabrication and machine learning techniques,” Gu said.

The researchers have applied for a patent for the new technology, which was developed with support from RMIT Seed Fund and Design Hub project grants. The research is published in Scientific Reports. RMIT is a multi-sector university that strives for excellence in professional and vocational education, applied and innovative research, and engagement with industry and the community.

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There’s no need for a new Apple Watch, because the old one is still amazing

There are growing rumors of a new Apple Watch., but Apple doesn't need a new smartwatch because the current model is still the best you can buy, despite being a year old.

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Apple Watch Series 3 with Wi-Fi and cellular reaches its lowest price at Walmart

Stay connected even when your iPhone is turned off or far away with the cellular Apple Watch Series 3, now available on Walmart for $150 less.

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LG Unveils Three Meridian Backed Bluetooth 5.0 Headsets

JARVISH Qualified by Taiwan’s NCSIST for its Augmented Reality Smart Combat Helmet System

IFA 2019: The biggest announcements from Europe’s leading tech show

The world's leading manufacturers have now taken to the stage at IFA 2019 in Berlin, Germany, to showcase their latest innovations. Here's what you need to know.

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Sunday, September 8, 2019

Is an iPhone 11 Pro coming? Here’s what to expect from Apple’s September event

Apple's September event is coming, and that means new hardware to check out. But what will be there? Here's what we expect to see on September 10.

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Apple Watch Series 5: Everything you need to know about Apple’s next smartwatch

Apple's next event is set for September 10, and alongside the iPhone 11, we're expecting to see a new Apple Watch — called the Apple Watch Series 5.

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Saturday, September 7, 2019

Common AirPods problems, and how to fix them

Apple’s AirPods are among the best fully wireless earbuds we’ve seen, but they’re not perfect. If you’re having trouble, take a look at our guide to the most common problems and what you can do to fix them.

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Friday, September 6, 2019

Diesel On Axial hands-on review: An undeniably wild and stunning smartwatch

Diesel's latest smartwatch, the On Axial, has the wildest, most uncompromising, and completely masculine design we've seen yet. It runs Wear OS.

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IFA 2019: The latest announcements from Europe’s leading tech show

Later this week, the world's leading manufacturers will take to the stage at IFA 2019 to showcase their latest innovations. Here's everything you need to know about this year's show.

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Vuzix Now Offers Blade Smartglasses in a New Safety Glasses Rated Version

Suunto courts the triathlete crowd with Ironman version of its 9 Baro watch

Suunto has long been the favorite watch among triathletes, and now that relationship has been solidified in a partnership between Suunto and Ironman.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2: Everything you need to know

Samsung's latest wearable, the Galaxy Watch Active 2, adds the ability to scroll through Twitter, browse trending YouTube videos, and perform electrocardiogram tests, all with a new digital rotating bezel and 4G LTE connectivity.

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Huawei's FreeBuds 3 are the latest AirPods rival you need to know about - CNET

Adaptive noise cancelation and a brand new wearables chip are just two of the reasons you should pay attention to Huawei's latest wireless headphones.

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The Freebuds 3 are Huawei’s answer to the AirPods with built-in noise cancellation

Huawei has taken Apple's AirPods design, refined it, stuffed a special new chip inside, then added active noise cancelation to create the Freebuds 3.

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IFA 2019: Latest Wearables Launches and Big Surprises at Europe’s Largest Consumer Electronics Show

The Diesel On Axial might be the most unique-looking Wear OS smartwatch to date

Diesel is the latest to announce a new Wear OS smartwatch, the Diesel On Axial. It has top specs and features, all in a classicly bold Diesel style.

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Thursday, September 5, 2019

Best fitness apps for the Apple Watch

The best fitness apps for the Apple Watch can help take your workout routine to the next level. Here are a few of our current favorites, from Stava's wrist-centric offering to the comical Carrot Kit.

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Withings Move ECG review: An affordable electrocardiogram alternative

The Withings Move ECG has the same capability as the Apple Watch to measure your electrocardiogram but at a fraction of the cost. It's not as smart.

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Withings Move ECG hybrid smartwatch makes its European debut

Earlier this year, Withings unveiled the Move ECG, a hybrid smartwatch with a built-in ECG unit. Now, it's ready to release the watch to the world, starting first in Europe.

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Hyundai Develops Lighter Exoskeleton to Ease Burden in Overhead Work

Polar’s Ignite fitness watch puts a fire into workouts, sparks your recovery

Polar puts a fire into your workouts and sparks your recovery with its new Ignite fitness watch that offers advanced sleep metrics, personalized training plans, and recovery tips.

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Garmin’s latest smartwatches track how you breath and how much you sweat

Garmin's fitness-focused smartwatches are bigger and better than ever. The company unveiled the new AMOLED Venu, as well as the superhero-inspired Captain Marvel and Captain America watches.

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Medisana Will Premiere its Smart Home Care Robot ‘Medisana Temi’

Michael Kors’ three new Wear OS smartwatches are stylish and heavy on features

Michael Kors has announced 3 Wear OS smartwatches, including the Access MKGO, the brand's first fitness-focused smartwatch. It's also its lightest.

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Puma’s first smartwatch is here, running Google’s Wear OS, and its purrfect

Sports and lifestyle brand Puma has made its first smartwatch, called the Puma Smartwatch, running Google's Wear OS platform. It has built-in GPS.

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Wednesday, September 4, 2019

The best smartwatch deals this week include Garmin, Fossil, and Kate Spade

There are plenty of deals on smartwatches this week including the Apple Watch and others, some saving you up to 41% off retail. Act fast as supplies are limited.

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Save $161 with Amazon’s deal on the Garmin Fenix 5 Sapphire smartwatch

Garmin's top-of-the-line Fenix 5 Sapphire is one of the best multisport GPS watches out there. The black variant is currently discounted on Amazon by 27%.

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Get the Michael Kors Access Runway smartwatch for 46% less on Amazon

The Michael Kors Access Runway is a stylish smartwatch available on Amazon for just $188 instead of $350.

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Huami Launches Amazfit GTS – An Apple Watch Clone For $126

At an event in China, Huami, one of the largest wearable device company in the world, announced three new smartwatches under the Amazfit lineup: the Amazfit GTS, Amazfit Smart Sports Watch 3 and the Amazfit X Concept Watch.

The Amazfit GTS, although a stylish smartwatch, looks unmistakably like the Apple Watch. The newly launched watch has a 1.65-inch AMOLED display that operates at 348 x 442 pixels, with Huami also integrating a 220 mAh LiPo battery that it promises will last up to 14 days between charges. The screen supports 100% NTSC high color saturation. It also leverages a real array screen technology. The screen is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 glass.

This device is currently only confirmed to be launching in China, but it is expected to come to other markets around the world soon, reports Tech Radar.

The new Amazfit GTS is 5ATM waterproof and is equipped with 12 mainstream sports modes It also supports NFC access control bus. There is also a built-in GPS+GLONASS dual-star positioning chip, and BioTracker PPG bio-tracking optical sensor for 24-hour heart rate monitoring. According to a source, “the Huami Amazfit GTS smartwatch takes full advantage of the large square display.”

The Amazfit GTR comes in various designs and strives for a great appearance. The smartwatch comes in aluminum alloy, stainless steel, Marvel Iron Man, titanium, and Austrian zircon special edition to cater to the needs of different ages and genders. The straps are made of truly leather and Silicone mixture with premium and professional look.

The Amazfit GTS runs on a custom OS and has a 6-axis accelerometer, a geomagnetic air sensor and an ambient light sensor. The Amazfit GTS product page states that the watch runs a version of MIUI, for reference. The watch measures 43.25 x 36.25 x 9.4 mm and weighs 24.8 g without a strap.

The Amazfit GTS will retail for US$126.

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