Wearable clothing news : March 2020

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Apple Watch Series 5 tips and tricks

Take a deep dive into some of Apple Watch Series 5's more advanced features with our tips and tricks guide.

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New Fitbit Charge 4 fitness tracker adds GPS but keeps the same design - CNET

The updated tracker is Fitbit's first GPS wearable since the Ionic, and is similar to the current Charge 3.

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Everything you need to know about the new Fitbit Charge 4

The fitness tracker has built-in GPS and a workout intensity map

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Nemaura’s US Launch of proBEAT Digital Healthcare Subscription Targets 100 Million Potential Users

Loughborough, England-based medical technology company Nemaura announced it is planning to launch a digital healthcare subscription service in the USA under the brand name proBEAT™.

proBEAT, which comprises a non-invasive glucose monitor and a digital healthcare subscription service, is expected to be available without the need for a prescription and appeal to a broad range of adults encompassing pre-diabetic and Type 2 diabetics.

Over 88 million American adults have prediabetes – that’s 1 in 3 adults. Of those 88 million, more than 8 in 10 of them don’t even know they have it. More than 34 million Americans have diabetes (about 1 in 10), and approximately 90-95% of them have type 2 diabetes.

The company is considering various options to expedite the launch of proBEAT in the US, including potential partnering with multi-national companies.

Nemaura hopes proBEAT will help users improve their knowledge of how a range of lifestyle, dietary and health and wellbeing factors impact their sugar levels by acting like a black box flight recorder. Big data about the multitude of factors that affect glucose levels will be gathered from all users and employed in developing and subsequently ‘fine-tuning’ predictive algorithms and artificial intelligence-based feedback and prompts. These will then be able to both educate and provide motivational tools to the user to encourage them to lead a healthier lifestyle, reports Business Wire.

Nemaura diabetes management — Image: Nemaura

Nemaura intends to market this device as a general wellness product as described in the FDA’s guidance document on the subject. General Wellness Products outlined in current FDA guidance are those which have either: (1) An intended use that relates to maintaining or encouraging a general state of health or a healthy activity, or (2) an intended use that relates the role of healthy lifestyle with helping to reduce the risk or impact of certain chronic diseases or disease conditions and where it is well understood and accepted that healthy lifestyle choices may play an important role in health outcomes for the disease or condition.

Nemaura develops micro-systems-based wearable diagnostic devices and currently commercializing sugarBEAT™, and proBEAT™. sugarBEAT, a CE mark approved Class IIb medical device, is a non-invasive and flexible continuous glucose monitor (CGM) providing actionable insights derived from real time glucose measurements and daily glucose trend data, which may help people with diabetes and pre-diabetes to better manage, reverse and prevent the onset of diabetes. Nemaura is planning to submit a PMA application for sugarBEAT during the second quarter of 2020 for FDA review of this device under medical device regulations.

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Best Buy offers rare discounts on latest Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch

The Apple Watch Series 5 and Samsung Galaxy Watch are two of the best smartwatches you can buy.

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New Fitbit Charge 4 adds GPS - CNET

The updated tracker is Fitbit's first GPS wearable since the Ionic, otherwise it's very close to the current Charge 3.

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Wyze Band review: Put this tracker on your radar

With so many fitness bands on the market, Wyze Band has some stiff competition. Here's how it matches up.

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Nuvo Awarded FDA Clearance for its Remote Pregnancy Monitoring System INVU

Nuvo, a private company that makes pregnancy monitoring wearables, announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to market INVU™, a prescription-initiated, protocol-driven remote monitoring platform that offers measurements of fetal and maternal heart rate via a wireless, self-administered INVU sensor band. This FDA clearance now allows healthcare providers to offer a novel site for distributed pregnancy care—the mother’s location—to remotely obtain documentation of medical-grade fetal heart rate (FHR) and maternal heart rate (MHR).

The INVU platform will be available by prescription from a healthcare provider who will initiate and schedule remote monitoring sessions. INVU non-invasively measures and displays FHR and MHR tracings via a self-administered, wearable sensor band worn by the mother which passively collects multiple sources of physiological signals. During the reading, the mother can access personalized insights via a smartphone app, while her provider receives detailed data on maternal and fetal heart rate over time. INVU is indicated for use by pregnant women who need documentation of fetal heart rate activity, and who are in their 32nd week of gestation (or later), with a singleton pregnancy, said Nuvo in a press release.

“Nuvo was founded to provide 21st century technology and tools that enable distributed pregnancy care. Meeting 510(k) requirements has been an important part of the mission to ensure that we are delivering safe and effective prenatal monitoring solutions remotely,” said Oren Oz, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Nuvo Group. “Now more than ever, distance health solutions like INVU are needed to minimize pregnant women’s exposure to crowded offices and infectious hospitals settings.”

Joshua Copel, MD, chair of Nuvo’s Medical Advisory Board, and Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, and Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, said, “Offering pregnant women new and more convenient ways to connect with OB providers can increase access to specialty care, enhance patient experience in a way that is safe, cost-effective and risk-appropriate, and—importantly during the current COVID-19 pandemic–minimize unnecessary exposure.”

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The best cheap Fitbit deals for April 2020: Fitbit Versa, Charge 3, Inspire

Out of shape? Get a head start on your summer beach bod with the best cheap Fitbit deals currently available.

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Monday, March 30, 2020

Best cheap Apple Watch deals for April 2020

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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The best pedometers of 2020

Pedometers come in various styles and sizes like clip, bracelet, and pendant. We round up some of best ones.

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Samsung Launches First All-In-One PMIC for Wireless Earbuds

Korean electronics giant Samsung announced the industry’s first all-in-one power management integrated circuits (PMIC), MUA01 and MUB01, optimized for today’s True Wireless Stereo (TWS) devices.

Unlike wireless headphones, TWS earbuds have no wire that connects the two earpieces. Without the connecting wires, TWS devices present users with more freedom in movement and range on their day-to-day activities. However, like other mobile devices, long battery life and small form factors are key requirements for these wireless earbuds, says a press release.

“TWS earbuds present elevated listening experiences for more users and the trend is rapidly expanding the mobile accessory market, creating new opportunities for device manufacturers,” said Dong-ho Shin, senior vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung’s industry-first, all-in-one power management solutions optimized for TWS devices will allow manufacturers to craft new applications with greater flexibility.”

The MUA01 and MUB01 PMICs, respectively, have been designed for the charging case and the earbuds, and are one-of-a-kind fully-integrated solutions optimized for TWS devices. By combining several of the company’s in-house logic technologies, Samsung was able to integrate up to ten discrete components into one, including switching chargers and discharge circuits, enabling the PMICs to occupy less than half the space compared to previous alternatives. The compact solutions can allot more room to the battery for longer playback time and enable more flexible and efficient designs.

A power IC — A PMIC on the inside. This is a die shot of an Apple 338S1164 PMIC manufactured by Dialog Semiconductors. (Image credit: Kawe Mazidjatari, Wikimedia Commons)

The MUA01 is also the industry’s first solution to support both wireless and wired charging in a single chip. For wireless charging, it supports the Wireless Power Consortium’s (WPC) Qi 1.2.4, the consortium’s latest wireless power transfer interface standard. To provide efficient power management, the MUA01 integrates a highly effective switching charger. In addition, MUA01 comes with a microcontroller unit (MCU) and embedded Flash (eFlash), offering the option of modifying its firmware to support other applications.

With power line communication (PLC) support, the new PMICs can communicate with each other over the charging pins. This allows the charging case and earpieces to share essential information such as battery levels and whether the earpieces are inserted in the case.

The MUA01 and MUB01 are currently in mass production and are featured in Samsung’s recently-announced Galaxy Buds+ TWS earbuds.

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Taking action

The textile industry moves quickly to provide critical supplies to fight COVID-19.

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab. Photo: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – Rocky Mountain Laboratories.

As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, the story has changed daily and even hourly. The textile industry has galvanized to respond to the need for medical masks, hospital gowns and other textile applications. In some cases, manufacturing facilities shuttered due to the crisis, were quickly reopened to make desperately needed masks and other products.

It is clear that the textile industry has an important role to play in addressing critical needs. The shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), crucial in keeping doctors and nurses safe from infection, is the most immediate need that the medical textile sector faces. Materials suppliers and end-product manufacturers alike have stepped up with offers to fast-track production, share information and contacts, and donate goods to hospitals and other entities on the front lines fighting this virus.

FEMA posts PPE call

Recent government action includes a call for PPE from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has posted a new solicitation for personal protective equipment and medical supplies. Products identified include face shields, gown coveralls, face masks, and gloves. FEMA will receive offers to supply through September 25, 2020.

Businesses should submit a price quote under the COVID-19 PPE and Medical Supplies Request for Quotation. Solicitation requires registration with the System for Award Management (SAM) in order to be considered for award, pursuant to applicable regulations and guidelines. Registration information can be found at www.sam.gov. Visit www.fema.gov/coronavirus/) for more information.

Organizations work together

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) was among the organizations that moved quickly to establish industry-wide resources. The banding together of industry organizations has established a united front for the larger industry and created a communication network that stands support the virus-fighting effort, and benefit participants, as well.

IFAI created the COVID-19 Resource Center (www.ifai.com/COVID-19/), which offers regular updates of news stories and resources concerning government and agency information, financial information, textile industry news, IFAI member updates, and available products, services and equipment. These topics are organized in an easily accessible format.

The Medical Textile Sourcing Center, opened by Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN) was accessed by nearly 1,000 people within 12 hours of its opening last Sunday (March 22), AAPNetwork executive director Sue Strickland reported. Messages continue to be posted by the dozens every day.

“One U.S. mill that had closed on Friday, because of lack of work, reopened yesterday [Sunday] to respond to requests for production—in part from a resource we announced on Sunday,” Strickland said. “This … center … works.”

These are just a few examples of the information sharing that is underway on the site:

An awning manufacturer and custom sewing shop has a good supply of aluminum to construct shelters
A business, that customarily makes fabrics for cargo control lashings, lifting and rigging slings and hydraulic hose, offers its help
A cut and sew facility able to produce large quantities of medical protective garments and vinyl shelters/curtains
A producer of fishing tackle bags is the father of a nurse who has been asked to make her own masks at home. He wants to help find the right material for the masks.

Through IFAI’s ongoing partnership with AAPN, IFAI offers the service to its members and network, as well. (Visit https://www.ifai.com/2020/03/24/take-part-in-medical-textile-sourcing-center/ for instructions on how to access the forum.)

SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, has launched the Coronavirus Small Business Resource Center, a central hub of up-to-date information and best practices for small business resilience. The free resource center includes financial support resources, live and on-demand educational content and access to remote mentoring. (www.score.org/coronavirus)

Competitors become collaborators

Also on March 22, the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) and IFAI announced that a coalition of American apparel brands and textile companies, responding to the urgent call for medical supplies, came together to build a supply chain virtually overnight for the manufacture of medical face masks to help hospitals, health care workers and citizens battling the spread of the disease.

Parkdale Inc., a large yarn spinner business headquartered in North Carolina, helped lead the effort to build the coalition with six other companies to set up a manufacturing supply chain and begin ramping up production of the masks. The coalition consists of brands that are often competitors, such as Hanesbrands and Fruit of the Loom, who are joining together in the effort. American Giant, Los Angeles Apparel, AST Sportswear, Sanmar, America Knits, Beverly Knits and Riegel Linen are also part of the coalition.

The companies are dedicating their assets, resources and manufacturing capacities to create a high output of face masks. Once fully ramped up in four to five weeks, the companies expect to produce up to 10 million face masks per week in the U.S. and in Central America.

Dr. Peter Navarro, assistant to the President and director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, worked with the coalition and helped expedite the production of these masks. The first face masks have been approved by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. President Trump had invoked the Defense Product Act (DPA) on March 18 to speed up and expand the supply of resources from the country’s industrial base, particularly to increase the production of medical supplies and equipment.

IFAI and other U.S. textile/nonwoven associations have urged the U.S. government to deem manufacturing facilities “essential.” In a joint statement issued March 19, IFAI, NCTO and the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) said, “We are asking the administration and state and local authorities to provide greater certainty and clarity for our companies and employees and ask for a clear exclusion of our manufacturing operations from ‘Shelter in Place’ orders as the textile and nonwoven products that we make in the U.S. play an essential role in mitigating the shortages of critical supplies. Such a designation will help us avoid disruptions of vital goods and services during this challenging time.”

Independent action

The companies noted above represent a few of the businesses that are stepping up to participate in producing necessary products. Many companies are pitching in on their own to ease the burden during the COVID-19 crisis.

Sourcing Journal reports that Milliken & Co., for example, said it has increased domestic production of its BioSmart fabric, which integrates anti-microbial protection into the most common medical products like scrubs, lab coats and privacy curtains. Manufactured in the U.S., BioSmart fabric is available through Prime Medical.

Jay Hertwig, senior vice president of global sales and marketing at Unifi Inc. said the company continues to receive orders from customers and its plants are still running and supplying yarn, fiber and other Unifi products to its manufacturing partners who make supplies for medical first responders, the military and the food packaging industry.

BarcoâUniforms announced its pledge to donate 10,000 scrubs each month for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic to health care professionals treating patients who have been infected. Donations will be prioritized and distributed based on requests made by health care teams, the company says, who submit a scrub donation request on Barco’s website (https://www.barcouniforms.com/). Scrub donations include all seven of Barco’s brand collections, including Barco One^TM, Grey’s Anatomy^TM and Skechers^TM by Barco.

AR Tech, an aerospace and medical equipment manufacturer, announces that its Patient Isolation Transportation Unit (PITU) is now ready for production. The unit encloses individuals suffering from highly contagious diseases like Covid 19, providing a secure barrier between the patient and medical staff. The product is pending final FDA approval but is ready for pre-order. The company says the initial production rate will be 25 within the first two weeks, followed by the ability to provide up to 75 a day as production is implemented.

Connecting diverse industries

But more expertise is required to pull all the parts together and get the needed products in the hands of health care facilities immediately. Insum, a Montreal software company, launched a global online platform to allow healthcare facilities worldwide to login and post needs for Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) in response to the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic.

Companies or organizations willing to donate hand-made products, such as masks, can connect with facilities by entering search data including country and state. Items are mailed or delivered to the perspective facility. Since its launch, the site has been utilized by facilities in Canada, as well as the U.S., Egypt and Philippines. (Access the Insum global online platform here: https://covid19masks.info/webapps/f?p=2222:1::::::)

The Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA, www.ecianow.org) has requested the federal government to include the electronic components industry as an “essential business.” The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), within the Dept. of Homeland Security, received the request Thursday (March 26).

While it is ECIA’s interpretation that electronic component manufacturers and their supply chains are essential businesses, the CISA guidance document does not specifically mention the industry. The association is actively involved in the e-textiles and wearables segment of the textiles industry. ECIA is made up of the leading electronic component manufacturers, their manufacturer representatives and authorized distributors.

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Huawei To Explore Its Mobile Services Ecosystem to Deliver Richer Experiences With P40 Series

During the HUAWEI P40 Series Global Launch Event, Huawei announced the latest development related to the Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) ecosystem and apps. Huawei is welcoming developers to collaborate with the company in its effort to expand its ecosystem, and thereby deliver richer experiences to consumers around the world.

users in over 170 countries and regions can already access HUAWEI AppGallery, HUAWEI Browser, HUAWEI Mobile Cloud and HUAWEI Themes. The company will soon roll out HUAWEI Video, HUAWEI Music and HUAWEI Reader in additional locations.

HMS is rapidly gaining popularity with global users and is becoming a trusted enabler of quality, all-scenario experiences. With the launch of HUAWEI P40 Series, HMS ecosystem is set to benefit even more consumers with smarter, richer, more efficient and secure user experiences.

Huawei is rapidly expanding the volume of high-quality entertainment content on HMS platforms. The company has partnered with BBC to introduce a BBC News category on HUAWEI Video, bringing the most updated quality news videos to users in more than 20 countries and regions. In the near future, HUAWEI Video and BBC will offer high-quality TV shows and documentaries by BBC Studio to users in more locations around the world, says a press release.

Through HMS Apps, Huawei provides rich entertainment experience to users by cooperating with global leading partners.

HUAWEI Video: Huawei is working together with top content providers and leading content partners including ZDF, Filmin, Megogo, Rakuten and more, to offer a rich selection of international and local video content to consumers.
HUAWEI Music: A vast library of great music created in partnership with Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and more.
HUAWEI Reader: A catalog of digital books, now available in China, Spain and Malaysia. But will be available in other languages soon.

The brand-new panorama theme in HUAWEI Themes comes with the launch of P40 Series. Made in collaboration with artists around the globe, the panorama themes come in multiple forms including live-photo and Chinoiserie, bringing an immersive and realism experience.

“Huawei remains committed to the development of our chipset-device-cloud capabilities, and we hope to join hands with global developers and partners to speed up the development of HMS ecosystem. Together, we will create better smart experiences that make the full use of 5G technology for the benefit of consumers,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer BG.

With the arrival of HUAWEI P40 Series, Huawei will continue to build out the HMS ecosystem to enrich the digital lifestyle for HUAWEI P40 Series users.

The HUAWEI P40 Series is pre-installed with AppGallery, Huawei’s official app marketplace and the world’s top 3 distribution platform. Global popular apps are available on the AppGallery and it also provides localized experiences for users with a rich selection of local apps.

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Saturday, March 28, 2020

Suunto 7 review: Still a hardcore fitness watch

Can the new Suunto 7 appeal to both hardcore sports fans and those who want a fitness-lifestyle smartwatch?

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Friday, March 27, 2020

Huami Partnering With Chinese Athletics Team to Use its Wearables to Enhance Athletic Performance

Huami has signed a formal cooperation agreement with the Chinese Athletics Team and the Chinese Athletics Association to develop Chinese sports by leveraging brand, market, R&D, and big data of smart wearable devices from Huami.

“The official partnership will promote the sports spirit and healthy lifestyle to the whole society, which also has a positive impact on building a leading sports nation,” said Yu Hongchen, the Vice President of the Chinese Athletics Association.

The partnership will continue until 2025. During the period, the two sides will be in a joint effort to contribute to Tokyo Olympics, Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 2021 World Athletics Championships, 2022 Asian Games, and 2023 World Athletics Championships. In addition, Huami will also participate in the operation and service of the Chinese Athletics Association, says a press release.

According to the agreement, Huami owns exclusive rights granted by the Chinese Athletics Association in the fields of smart wearables and smartphones. Huami Amazfit Stratos 3 smartwatch and Amazfit PowerBuds earphones will be included in the first batch of “Chinese Athletics Team Officially Recommended Smart Wearable Products”.

The two sides plan to set up a joint laboratory for track and field with the goal of healthy lifestyle. Based on Huami smart wearable devices, the laboratory will study the massive data of professional Chinese athletes and sports enthusiasts through intelligent algorithm and big data analysis technology. There will be professional research reports and industry standards to guide people on how to get healthier and become more effective at athletic training.

Huami is a biometric and activity data-driven company with significant expertise in smart wearable technology. Since its inception in 2013, Huami has established a global healthcare ecosystem, including smart wrist bands, smartwatches, sport earphones, smart treadmill, weight scale and related sports gear. As of August 2019, Huami has sold more than 100 million smart devices. The company currently enjoys extensive sports and health data. Huami also has numerous channels and strategic partnerships worldwide.

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Spry Health Launches “Loop Signal” to Improve Remote Monitoring for COVID-19 Patients

Spry Health, a leader in health management technologies and remote patient monitoring, announced the launch of Loop Signal, a new clinician-led monitoring service utilizing the company’s proprietary FDA-cleared solution, the Loop System, to reduce avoidable hospital visits and to improve at home monitoring of patients confirmed, suspected, or at risk for COVID-19. The service is available immediately to healthcare provider and payer organizations across the United States.

Through its wrist-worn wearable, the Loop System remotely tracks heart rate, pulse-oximetry (SpO2), and respiratory rate, ensuring that care teams can monitor the vitals deemed critical to assess COVID-19 severity, according to the recent World Health Organization guidance. Spry Health has demonstrated the efficacy of the Loop System through extensive clinical validation studies with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). It was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 2019 as a tool for clinicians to remotely monitor their patients with chronic diseases, allowing them to detect early signs of deterioration. This simple-to-use wearable does not require any input or data from patients, and does not require a smartphone or app. The Loop System’s clinical dashboard aggregates data to easily identify patients at risk and prioritize care, reports Business Wire.

A wearable smart wristband — Image: Spry Health

“After talking to dozens of healthcare leaders over the past few weeks, it is clear many organizations are nearing their maximum capacity due to the large influx of patients showing up to emergency departments, often without meeting the necessary criteria for testing set by the CDC,” said Pierre-Jean “PJ” Cobut, co-founder and CEO of Spry Health. “We want to help alleviate the daily stress these providers and organizations are facing, as well as provide peace of mind to patients and their families. Clinicians can focus on the patients that need critical care, while we help monitor high-risk populations and intervene in advance of an emergency when early signs of deterioration are detected. The last thing we need now is to continue to flood the ED with avoidable visits, and possibly increase exposure to COVID-19, when care can be delivered remotely in the patient’s home.”

Patients showing signs of deterioration are contacted by telephone, treated remotely when possible to avoid unneeded exposure, or triaged to the appropriate level of care in coordination with their local care team.

“Implementing a remote patient monitoring program allows us to extend our resources out into the community and directly to the individual,” said Steven Steinhubl, M.D., Director of Digital Medicine at Scripps Research Translational Science Institute. “Embracing remote, continuous monitoring can help us more safely and effectively care for everyone.”

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Thursday, March 26, 2020

Global Wearables Market Faces Short-Term Impact Before Recovery in 2020, Says IDC

The global wearables market is expected to grow 9.4% in 2020, reaching 368.2 million shipments according to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. This marks a significant slowing of the market compared to the 89% growth in 2019 as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts supply in the first half of 2020. Nevertheless, healthy growth is expected to continue throughout the forecast period as shipments reach 526.8 million units by the end of 2024 with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4%.

“Watches and wristbands will be negatively impacted in the short term and we anticipate a 13% decline collectively during the first quarter as many factories in China struggle with manufacturing due to labor and component shortages,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC Mobile Device Trackers. “Similarly, a decline of 7.1% is expected in the second quarter followed by mild recovery in second half of the year as supply constraints slowly begin to disappear and manufacturing returns to normal.”

Ramon T. Llamas, research director for IDC’s Wearables Team said:

“IDC expects continued interest in hearables and smartwatches this year. Hearables have become the must-have wearable device for end users and are available at a broad range of price points and feature sets. Meanwhile, smartwatches have gradually gained greater salience not only for health and fitness but simply for the convenience of having information surfaced to the wrist, and convenience is what owners appreciate the most in their wearables.”

Hearables

Earwear or hearables are expected to grow with a five-year CAGR of 10.3%, reaching 301.5 million units by 2024, reports Business Wire. While the category is currently focused on providing access to audio and smart assistants, IDC believes the category is on the cusp of offering health and fitness tracking that would be on par or perhaps even better than what is currently offered on the wrist. However, these health and fitness features will likely remain secondary to audio and smart assistant-based use cases.

Smartwatches

Smartwatches, as well as basic watches, will experience a five-year CAGR of 11.4%. Apple will undoubtedly remain in the lead as it continues to offer a very tightly integrated ecosystem of products and its advances in health/fitness tracking as well as numerous improvements to the OS have made it an appealing wearable to the mass audience. Android-based smartwatches are expected to account for a little over 25% of the smartwatch market throughout the forecast. Following Android would be Google “blessed” WearOS watches, which will slowly gain share and are expected to capture 16.9% of the smartwatch market by 2024. Outside of smartwatches, IDC also expects basic watches to grow with a 5.8% CAGR as hybrid watches, such as those offered by Fossil, and sports watches, such as those offered by Huawei, will continue to have a place, appealing to those seeking long battery life.

The market for wristbands is expected to remain nearly flat with a 1.8% CAGR.

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Common AirPods problems, and how to fix them

Apple’s AirPods are some of the best true wireless earbuds in the business, but they aren't without fault.

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Japanese Researchers Develop ‘Liquid Electric’ Material That Could Power Wearable Devices

Researchers at the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), a unit of the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan, have created a material that could power a new generation of wearable electronic mobile devices.

The finding is another step toward realizing what could be numerous potential applications for flexible mechanoelectrical devices in self-powered wearable electronics, including healthcare sensors such as pacemakers, surgery tools, muscle-driven energy harvesters, communications devices and smart textiles, says a press release.

The new “liquid electret” material has the mechanoelectrical and electroacoustic functions, as well as the flexibility and stretchability, that would be crucial in a reliable and long-lasting power source for such devices.

Electrets are key components for powering mechanoelectrical devices as they behave like a battery or as an electrical counterpart of a permanent magnet.

Man holding a smartwatch — Image: Needpix

Electrets used in such devices are generally solid films composed of insulating polymeric materials. However, a liquid electret material would be a better solution — it would be flexible and stretchable, and greatly enhance the usability of the devices they power. In addition, liquids offer fluidity with fast diffusion of molecules, easy processing, lack of defects and high deformability — all requirements for flexible/stretchable device technologies.

The MANA researchers developed a new method of producing electrets, using a shielded pi-unit of liquid porphyrins with trapped charge to create their liquid electret, which they fabricated to demonstrate its mechanoelectrical and electroacoustic functions. They shielded the pi-core with hydrophobic and insulating bulky-alkyl side chains, enabling the liquid porphyrins to store an electric charge.

This research was carried out by Takashi Nakanishi (Group Leader of Frontier Molecules Group, MANA, NIMS) and his collaborators.

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The best cheap GoPro alternatives that won’t leave you broke

Cold weather is here. A good action camera is a perfect way to record your adventures

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Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Vuzix Blade and M400 Augmented Reality Glasses to Fight the Coronavirus Pandemic

Vuzix Blade smartglasses have been selected by X.Labs, developer of SWORD weapon detection system, as the optional smart glasses companion for Feevr, an AI-based system for screening and detecting individuals in a crowd that have an elevated temperature. At the same time, the company also received follow-on order for 110 M400 smartglasses from 1Minuut Innovation for COVID-19 healthcare needs in the Netherlands.

X.Labs Feevr

Vuzix received an initial payment upfront from X.Labs and will immediately ship 100 Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses to support the launch of Feevr. X.Labs expects to begin shipping Feevr units to customers beginning March 26, 2020.

“Vuzix is excited to be working with the X.Labs to provide a smart glasses solution that can deliver critical information on demand as needed to Feevr users,” said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix.

Feevr is a completely mobile platform that utilizes a thermal imaging camera with best-in-class thermal sensitivity and an AI-based mobile app integrated with an Android device. Feevr’s non-contact-based solution automatically provides a discreet alert when a scanned individual’s temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold, enabling users to efficiently and effectively identify individuals who may require further medical examination. Elevated temperature is one of the key indicators of COVID-19.

When Feevr is paired and integrated with the Vuzix Blade, users will receive a real-time alert on the heads-up display of the Vuzix smart glasses, allowing the glasses wearer to stay engaged with their environment while also simultaneously receiving critical alerts from Feevr, says a press release.

“Vuzix Blade provides a see-through display that allows our customers to receive real-time alerts from our Feevr solution while staying engaged with their environment,” said Barry Oberholzer, Founder and CEO of X.Labs.

A researcher holding a lab flask — Image: Vuzix

1Minuut Innovation

1Minuut Innovation is a Dutch medical services company. The M400 smartglasses will be used for general telemedicine and to support 1Minuut Innovation in response to COVID-19 healthcare needs in the Netherlands.

1Minuut’s main focus is to deliver highly secured video streaming and recording through their Genzõ mobile software platform. Genzõ facilitates an easy-to-use, safe and mobile communications platform to chat or video call using Vuzix Smart Glasses, delivering medical expertise across multiple use cases in healthcare. The Point of View (PoV) of the care practitioner wearing the Vuzix Smart Glasses makes it easy for external highly skilled colleagues to give help. The care practitioner has their hands free all the time while receiving visual and voice expert feedback on their Vuzix Smart Glasses. Using AR overlays, Genzõ makes it easy to point to a certain area on the live video screen or give textual feedback.

“In this time of crisis, when The Netherlands is flooded with the widespread Corona virus, smart glasses are proving to be an efficient way to keep key professionals at a safe distance while not sacrificing the quality of care in quarantine environments,” said Martijn de Groot, CEO and Co-Founder of 1Minuut Innovation.

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ViTrack: Cuffless Wearable for Continuous, Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Monitoring

Massachusetts-based startup Dynocardia has developed ViTrack, a cuff-less, wearable device that allows for direct, continuous, non-invasive measurement of blood pressure.

Around 80 million people in the United States suffer from hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. The condition increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. However, many people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels.

Currently, there is no standalone, wearable, continuous, non-invasive blood pressure monitor (cNIBP) available. Consequently, accurate hypertension diagnosis and management and assessment of 24-hr blood pressure parameters and nocturnal blood pressure have remained elusive.

Traditional method of blood pressure monitoring uses a cuff device that you wrap around your arm. It uses the oscillometric technique, in which the cuff measures one value (mean arterial pressure) and an algorithm calculates systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings.

ViTrack is a direct, continuous, yet non-invasive way of measuring systolic and diastolic blood pressure, reports MedGadget.

“We built a unique optomechanical sensor which captures the spatiotemporal force information in real time — that’s the proprietary methodology. We [then] came up with specific optical signatures that directly correspond to systolic and diastolic blood pressure. And since we’re looking at spatiotemporal information, we can do it continuously,” said Mohan Thanikachalam, Founder and CEO of Dynocardia.

ViTrack provides true measure of blood pressure by tracking blood pressure over multiple respiratory cycles and during sleep. Additionally, ViTrack can monitor heart rhythm and respiratory parameters. Since the device can be worn 24 hours-a-day, it provides real-world actionable data for better blood pressure control and thereby prevent 100,000 strokes and heart attacks per year in the US.

“ViTrack will also contribute to management and prevention of a broad spectrum of other diseases by virtue of effective BP monitoring, such as the 1 billion adults who live with sleep apnea and the 50 million adults with dementia worldwide,” ViTrack said in its website.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Best smartwatch deals for March 2020: 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. With so many models available, you can find a deal on one almost all of the time.

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FDA Expands Use of Remote Patient Monitoring During COVID-19 Emergency

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a new policy that allows manufacturers of certain FDA-cleared non-invasive, vital sign-measuring devices to expand their use so that health care providers can use them to monitor patients remotely. The devices include those that measure body temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate and blood pressure, reports FDA.

“Allowing these devices to be used remotely can help health care providers access information about a patient’s vital signs while the patient is at home, reducing the need for hospital visits and minimizing the risk of exposure to coronavirus,” said FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy, M.D., Ph.D. “This policy reflects the FDA’s commitment to ease burdens on health care providers and facilities as they face this public health emergency. Such devices include technologies capable of enabling remote interactions to provide crucial information to be used as an adjunctive when health care providers diagnose or treat COVID-19 or co-existing conditions. During this public health emergency, it is imperative that the FDA provide regulatory relief and adapt as the situation warrants to act upon measures to save lives.”

Illustration depicting a coronavirus — This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). (CDC Illustration). Image credit: Health.mil

This policy applies to certain modifications to the indications, claims, functionality, or hardware or software of FDA-cleared non-invasive remote monitoring devices used to support patient monitoring. This policy is limited to the duration of the emergency, the FDA report said.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

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Aktiia Raises CHF 6 Million in Funding to Market its Cuffless Optical Blood Pressure Monitor

Aktiia, a Swiss-US startup that has developed an optical blood pressure monitor at the wrist, has raised an additional USD 6.1 Million (CHF 6 million) in funding to bring its product to market.

Aktiia’s technology is based on 15 years of research by its founders. It combines common optical sensors and proprietary clinically validated algorithms to measure blood pressure at the wrist. Validated through extensive trials in acute and low-acute settings, its accuracy has received worldwide acknowledgement, enabling Aktiia to proudly offer the most complete and user-friendly blood pressure companion to date. With one third of adults globally suffering from hypertension, this mission is more urgent than ever.

In 2018, Aktiia raised a CHF 4 million Seed Round of funding and the company was incorporated, with the mission to reduce the burden of hypertension. In the past two years, the Aktiia team has translated scientific knowledge into a complete solution for cuffless blood pressure monitoring, using standard optical sensors to take accurate blood pressure readings around the clock without interrupting daily life.

Aktiia’s bracelet and algorithms have now been validated in clinical trials against arterial lines (the gold standard for clinical reference) and in ambulatory settings. Never before has it been possible to measure blood pressure profiles around the clock over long periods of time. This valuable and unique dataset will allow for broader insights into the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, the largest epidemic of humankind.

A group of people — The Aktiia team (Image: Aktiia)

Aktiia is in the final steps of taking this new solution to market, pending FDA clearance and CE mark. This CHF 6 million in new funding, led by the Switzerland based Redalpine, will fuel Aktiia in achieving these goals. The round includes a strategically recruited international investor syndicate: Translink Capital (Palo Alto, US), Investiere (Zurich, Switzerland), Libra (New York, US), Christian Wenger (Zurich, Switzerland), Sparks Street Capital (Boston, US) and Barbaric Holdings (Montreal, Canada) underpinning the company with a global network and commercialization experience.

“Getting blood pressure data 24/7, day and night, is a paradigm shift in the daily management of hypertension and will trigger a whole range of novel health- and wellness-related applications,” stated Michael Sidler, Co-Founder and Partner of Redalpine.

About Aktiia

Aktiia was founded in Switzerland in May 2018 out of a passion to create the best tool for diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. Aktiia’s founders, Mattia Bertschi (CEO) and Josep Solà (CTO), previously contributed to research and development at CSEM, a prestigious Swiss research institute. They built an incredible team of 15 employees and founded Aktiia to turn their years of pioneering work into a useful tool for people around the globe.

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Monday, March 23, 2020

Best cheap Apple Watch deals for March 2020

Best cheap Fitbit deals for April 2020: Fitbit Versa, Charge 3, Inspire

Out of shape? Get a head start on your summer beach bod with the best cheap Fitbit deals currently available.

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Intel Develops Neuromorphic Chip that Can Sniff Out Hazardous Chemicals

Researchers at Intel Labs and Cornell University demonstrated the ability of Intel’s neuromorphic research to learn and recognize hazardous chemicals in the presence of significant noise and occlusion. The chip, called Loihi, learned each odor with just a single sample, without disrupting its memory of previously learned scents. It demonstrated superior recognition accuracy compared with conventional state-of-the-art methods, including a deep learning solution that required 3,000 times more training samples per class to reach the same level of classification accuracy.

“We are developing neural algorithms on Loihi that mimic what happens in your brain when you smell something,” said Nabil Imam, senior research scientist in Intel’s Neuromorphic Computing Lab. “This work is a prime example of contemporary research at the crossroads of neuroscience and artificial intelligence and demonstrates Loihi’s potential to provide important sensing capabilities that could benefit various industries.”

A man holding a chip — Intel Labs’ Nabil Imam holds a Loihi neuromorphic test chip in his Santa Clara, California, neuromorphic computing lab. (Image: Business Wire)

The Research

Using a neural algorithm derived from the architecture and dynamics of the brain’s olfactory circuits, researchers from Intel and Cornell trained Intel’s Loihi neuromorphic research chip to learn and recognize the scents of 10 hazardous chemicals. To do so, the team used a dataset consisting of the activity of 72 chemical sensors in response to these smells and configured the circuit diagram of biological olfaction on Loihi. The chip quickly learned the neural representation of each of the smells and recognized each odor, even when significantly occluded, demonstrating a promising future for the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence, reports Business Wire.

The study was published in Nature Machine Intelligence.

About Intel

Intel is an industry leader, creating world-changing technology that enables global progress and enriches lives. Inspired by Moore’s Law, the company continuously work to advance the design and manufacturing of semiconductors to help address our customers’ greatest challenges.

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Biofourmis’ AI-Powered Tech Being Used in Remote Monitoring of COVID-19 Patients in Hong Kong

Biofourmis, a developer of digital therapeutics that powers personalized predictive care, announced that its technology is being leveraged in a remote monitoring and disease surveillance program in Hong Kong involving patients with diagnosed or suspected novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The program, administered by The University of Hong Kong, also includes Hong Kong-based Harmony Medical Inc., which is Biofourmis’ joint venture partner for the China region.

Biovitals Sentinel’s 24/7 remote monitoring technology and analytics are providing clinicians involved in the COVID-19 program with clinical decision support for early identification of any physiological changes that could indicate deterioration, and to enable earlier interventions for better outcomes, says a press release.

“The goal of this program is to leverage Biovitals Sentinel to remotely monitor patients and identify COVID-19-related physiological biomarkers that indicate deterioration in patients,” said Prof. David Chung Wah Siu, MD, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong. “We hope our combined efforts also will rapidly lead to a better epidemiological understanding of COVID-19 so we can improve the outcomes of our citizens—as well as the global community—as more people become infected.”

Patients with COVID-19 deterioration commonly exhibit symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, all of which can be closely monitored through related physiological parameters via Biofourmis’ cutting-edge, clinical-grade biosensor Everion®. With several medical-grade sensors, including optical, temperature, electrodermal, accelerometer and barometer, Everion can be comfortably worn on the arm for 24 hours a day for several days and has much higher-than-average patient satisfaction and adherence rates.

The novel coronavirus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. Washing hands often and avoiding close contacts with other people are the best ways to prevent Coronavirus Disease aka COVID-19. (Image: Pixabay)

AI-powered Biovitals Analytics will derive more than 20 physiological signals from the sensor data, including temperature, heart rate, blood pulse wave, heart rate variability, respiration rate, inter-beat-interval and others. These signals are then fed through advanced AI and machine-learning techniques to flag key physiological changes that could indicate disease progression.

“The sooner these biomarkers associated with COVID-19 deterioration are identified, the sooner healthcare providers can intervene and prevent a serious medical issue,” said Kuldeep Singh Rajput, CEO of Biofourmis. “We currently know the common symptoms, but we are still learning how this strain of the coronavirus affects the body. This program will be a key step in achieving this important goal. When a pandemic such as COVID-19 spreads and so much is unknown, every second counts.”

“We currently know the common symptoms, but we are still learning how this strain of the coronavirus affects the body,” Mr. Rajput said. “This program will be a key step in achieving this important goal. When a pandemic such as COVID-19 spreads and so much is unknown, every second counts.”

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Friday, March 20, 2020

Digital Trends Live: COVID-19 impact, Doom and Animal Crossing arrive, and more

On this Digital Trends Live, we detail the top tech stories, including Instagram’s disappearing messages.

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Amazon offers rare discount on latest Apple Watch (Series 5)

Amazon's discount on the brand new Apple Watch Series 5 is one of the deepest we've seen yet, saving you 10%.

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Ava Bracelet Seeks Research Partners, Funding to Study the Potential Utility of the Device to Diagnose and Monitor COVID-19

Given the overlap between the physiological parameters measured by Ava and early symptoms of COVID-19, Ava AG, the Swiss medical device company, is calling for research collaboration or funding to study the potential utility of the Ava Bracelet in studies on the diagnosis and monitoring of COVID-19 infections. The goal is to understand if the Ava Bracelet could leverage its real-time monitoring system during sleep of temperature, breathing and pulse rates to provide guidance around if and when people should seek medical care, the company said.

“Our idea is to offer our bracelet at a significant discount to researchers recognizing the value these physiological datasets add to public health research of infectious diseases,” Ava said in its website.

The Ava Bracelet may be of particular interest to research or healthcare professionals who want to:

Monitor physiological parameters in patients infected with COVID-19, including asymptomatic confirmed cases
Compare physiological parameters of trial participants, including physiological changes in response to potential therapeutic agents for COVID-19
Investigate changes in physiological parameters in patients at higher risk of infection and complications from COVID-19, including:
- Men (4.7% crude fatality ratio compared to women [2.8%])
- People over the age of 60
- People with underlying conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer

The wrist-worn Ava Bracelet tracks breathing rate, pulse rate, skin temperature, heart rate variability and perfusion. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. During a fever, body temperature and pulse rate increase. Shortness of breath can be measured by an increased breathing rate.

Corona Virus disease symptoms — Image: Ava

Why is Ava Bracelet Ideal for Diagnosing Covid-19?

The Ava Bracelet measures multiple physiological parameters that could be used to identify fever in patients exposed to COVID-19.
The Ava Bracelet is non-invasive, comfortable to wear and requires very little user interaction
The data should be synched each morning via a mobile app allowing information sharing with researching physicians.

“We believe the simple but continuous monitoring of temperature, breathing and pulse rates could provide guidance around if and when people should seek medical care. Furthermore, the recorded physiological data could vastly improve our knowledge of COVID-19’s early signs and overall trajectory; when sharing their data in a clinical research trial, Ava Bracelet users can personally contribute to advancing science and shape our future response to COVID-19,” Ava said.

The Ava Bracelet is not approved for COVID-19 monitoring. This product is intended to support data collection and research during the COVID-19 pandemic but is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent COVID-19.

Ava is asking folks interested in this project to reach out to maureen.cronin@avawomen.com regarding research partnerships.

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Best cheap Apple Watch deals for March 2020

Huami Amazfit Ranked No. 1 by Shipments in Spain, Indonesia and India

Huami, with its self-owned brand Amazfit, ranked No.1 by shipments in Spain, Indonesia and India, and No.2 in Italy, No. 3 in Russia in the 2019 Q4, according to IDC report.

In the Q4 of 2019 watch market, Huami Amazfit achieved average year-on-year growth of 440.1% in the West Europe, notably 1814.4% in Germany (shipment rank, No. 6); 708.3% increase in France (shipment rank, No. 6); and 379.5% increase in UK (shipment rank, No. 7). In North America, Huami officially entered the US market in 2019, and now at a No.6 marketplace with 97.5% increase in 2019 Q4. In the rest of markets, 328.5% average growth were acquired, says a press release.

According to the 2019 financial report, Huami’s revenue in 2019 reached 834.9 million US dollars with 59.4% year-on-year growth and 42.3 million shipments in total. Mr. Wang Huang, founder, chairman and CEO of Huami, said in the earning call, “as strategic partner, Huami and Timex have cooperated closely in product development and new technology exploration. At present, the first product with exciting experiences R300 GPS has been launched in the North American market. At the same time, the partnership with Xiaomi is continuing, and it is expected that the Mi Band 5 will be seen later this year.”

Huami self-owned brand AMAZFIT overseas shipments has taken 51.6% of all the Amazfit products in 70 more markets. In the Q4 of 2019, Huami entered MediaMarkt, the EU’s biggest consumer channel. Besides effective channel and marketing operation, the success could also be attributed to the new innovative products, in the second half of 2019, Huami launched its sports series product, Amazfit Stratos 3, and the fashion product series, the Amazfit GTR and the Amazfit GTS. At IFA 2019, the high-end innovative concept product, the curved-screen Amazfit X were unveiled. The high growth rate of shipments has proved that Huami Amazfit products were well-recognized and welcomed by users.

In January, the Huami launched at CES 2020 the six new products spanning three verticals which indicates that Huami is enhancing its category and ecosystem expand, including the at-Home Gym, Amazfit HomeStudio; the foldable treadmill Amazfit AirRun; the true wireless stereo (TWS) fitness earphones with Clip-to-Go design, Amazfit PowerBuds; the sleep-comfort and health monitoring Amazfit ZenBuds and the outdoor series, Amazfit T-Rex. And all the new launched products have their names nominated as the best of CES or recommended by global top media and institutions.

As of August 2019, Huami has sold out more than 100 million smart devices in more than 70 markets. As a true active wearable industry player with good will, Huami aims to help more people live healthier and to establish a health ecosystem, and on its way to be the most trusted partner of its users.

In addition, despite the current global economic impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the company’s management is still full of confidence in the forecast for the first quarter of 2020: Net income is expected to be between 980 million RMB and 1.01 billion RMB, compared with the 799.6 million RMB in the first quarter of 2019 increased by approximately 22.6% to 26.3%.

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Thursday, March 19, 2020

Femtech Startup Bloomer Develops Smart Bra that Can Monitor Women’s Health

Bloomer, a Massachusetts-based Femtech company, has raised $3 million in seed funding for its bra-like ECG tech. The round was led by Material Impact, with participation from One Brave Idea and several angel investors, including Boston Scientific co-founder John Abele.

Adam Sharkawy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Material Impact and a former cardiovascular healthcare executive, will be serving as Bloomer’s Chair of the Board.

The MIT-spinoff is tackling the leading cause of death in women with the world’s first electrocardiogram device that looks and feels like a bra. By embedding patented, medical-grade fabric sensors and machine learning algorithms into a garment that women wear every day, Bloomer provides users and doctors with unprecedented access to heart health data, reports Business Wire.

“As women in STEM, we are keenly aware that digital health and AI tools are tuned to the people who are represented in the datasets. So when we realized that women have been woefully underrepresented in clinical research, especially in cardiovascular diseases, we had to take action,” said Alicia Chong, CEO of Bloomer. “At Bloomer we are eliminating healthcare imbalances by replacing an uncomfortable piece of plastic with a beautiful piece of clothing that empowers women to feel sexy instead of sick. This seamless and comfortable monitoring experience prevents algorithm biases and unlocks new, sex-specific digital biomarkers that can more accurately provide personalized care for patients.”

The femtech sector has shown explosive growth, with close to $1 billion of funding going into femtech startups in 2019 alone. Forbes predicts that the space is poised to become a $25 billion industry within the next five years.

“Bloomer addresses some gaping needs in cardiovascular health, one of the largest spaces in healthcare overall,” said Sharkawy. “There has been little innovation in the past several decades in clinical grade remote cardiac monitoring. Bloomer’s current soft electronics technology combined with its elegant form factor should allow for effective remote monitoring that patients will actually wear. In addition, the high-fidelity data they will collect will help to fill a large void in female-specific datasets, which may drive better cardiovascular therapies for women. At Material Impact, we aim to invest in category-creating companies poised to solve some of the world’s largest problems. Alongside other investments in femtech, we are dedicated to building a focus in women’s health.”

Bloomer has already had early traction with women’s heart programs at leading hospitals in the Boston area. With paid pilots planned for 2020, Bloomer will use its seed funding to expand its pilot program, collect key clinical data and further develop the commercial product and user experience.

Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO of Thrive Global is also an Advisor to Bloomer. She was instrumental in helping the MIT-spinoff translate its big idea into a business.

“Bloomer is arming women with the tools they need to take their heart health into their own hands. It’s when we can understand how our lifestyle choices impact our health outcomes that we truly have the power to change our lives for the better,” said Huffington.

Bloomer was founded in 2017 by graduates of MIT’s Computational Cardiovascular Research Group and Integrated Design and Management cardiovascular program.

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Common AirPods problems, and how to fix them

Apple’s AirPods are some of the best true wireless earbuds in the business, but they aren't without fault.

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Garmin Picks Motocross Athlete to be its First Emirati Brand Ambassador

American multinational technology company Garmin has appointed Emirati Motocross athlete Mohammed Al Balooshi as the brand’s first Emirati Ambassador.

Al Balooshi, the five-time Arab Motocross Champion and 2018 FIM Bajas World Cup winner, will represent the brand across the Middle East. With over 15 years of sporting experience and as the first Emirati FIM world titleholder, Mohammed has played a significant role in the increased representation of the Middle East sporting community on a global stage, Garmin said in a press release.

The ambassadorship will see Garmin working closely with the Motocross driver to ensure that he is equipped with the best of the brand’s handheld and wearable products. This includes the recently launched Garmin fēnix 6 Solar, the brand’s first solar charging, multi-sport GPS watch. Built for performance, it is designed with carefully curated features to meet the needs of athletes of any and all disciplines.

The appointment aligns with the brand’s continued growth plans for the region. AMIT International Group, the official Garmin distributor for the UAE since 1993, has recently expanded into Saudi Arabia in hopes to further drive Garmin’s presence in the Kingdom.

Mohammed Al Balooshi — Image credit: Abu Dhabi Sports Council (YouTube screenshot)

“Mohammed encapsulates the spirit of the Garmin brand with his passion and endurance for sport,” said Cassandra Sawali, Group Marketing & Communications Manager for AMIT International Group. “His success in the field of Motocross acts as both inspiration and a reminder to continuously push to be better, attributes that are at the heart of Garmin’s brand ethos.”

In 2020, Al Balooshi will participate in a slew of global competitions throughout the year both regionally and internationally.

AMIT International Group, previously known as AMIT Trading Est has been established since 1981 to serve the growing demand for modern marine technology in the United Arab Emirates. Over the years, the company has gone through a period of intense growth and secured regional distributorships for leading International brands across multiple sectors, from marine and aviation navigation to water sports, outdoor recreation and fitness. With showrooms in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, and a growing network of offices in Saudi Arabia, India, and Bangladesh, AMIT is now the region’s premier marine and land technology company.

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