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Tag: Smart Watch

  • Apple Watch to Drive Smart Watch Adoption

    Apple Watch to Drive Smart Watch Adoption

    The long-awaited Apple Watch is finally here. Apple last week officially unveiled its first smart watch, immediately propelling what was a tech-geek fashion statement into the mainstream.

    The Apple Watch shares many software features with established smart watch brands such as the Sony SmartWatch and Samsung’s Galaxy Gear. Where Apple’s product shines, as always, is in its hardware design. The Apple Watch features a sleek, classic watch look and includes a “Digital Crown” (jog dial) that can be used to zoom and scroll content on the watch face.

    Available early next year, the Apple Watch is set to help the smart watch category more than double in 2015. Research firm Canalys is predicting that wearable band shipments will hit 43.2 million units next year, an increase of 129% over 2014 shipments. The firm’s report suggests that smart watches will make up around 28.2 million of next year’s wearable band shipments.

    “By creating a new user interface tailored to its tiny display, Apple has a produced a smart watch that mass-market consumers will actually want to wear,” said, Daniel Matte, an analyst at Canalys. “The sleek software, variety of designs and reasonable entry price make for a compelling new product. Apple must still prove, however, that the final product will deliver adequate battery life for consumers.”

    In the short term, Canalys sees the Apple Watch dominating the smart watch category. The coming transition from specialized bands such as the Jawbone to more smartphone-like wrist-wear will likely be hastened by Apple’s new product. As seen in the tablet market, however, Apple’s competitors are prepared to quickly offer lower-priced alternatives, bringing smart watches to a wider market.

    “The basic band vendors, such as Fitbit and Jawbone, will enjoy the advantages of their lower pricing for the immediate future,’ said Chris Jones, principal analyst and VP for Canalys. “Eventually, however, stronger smart band competitors to the Apple Watch will likely emerge and push smart band pricing down, threatening the basic bands. This market will undergo disruption similar to that suffered by feature phones when smart phone prices fell.”

  • LG G3 and G Watch Coming to AT&T on July 8

    AT&T today announced that the LG G3 smartphone will be available on its network starting July 8. The device can be ordered online starting on that day and will be available at physical AT&T retail locations starting on July 11.

    LG announced the G3 on May 27 with launch events in cities such as New York, London, Seoul, and San Francisco. The device is the latest in LG’s flagship Android smartphone line and incorporates the G2‘s love-it-or-hate-it rear power and volume buttons. It also includes a 2560 x 1440 resolution screen.

    In addition to finally releasing the G3 on AT&T’s network, LG today announced that its G Watch smart watch is now available for order through Google Play and other retailers worldwide.

    The G Watch is yet another Android-powered smart watch from a large Android smartphone manufacturer. This one features a 1.65-inch LCD screen with a 280 x 280 resolution and 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor.

    The G Watch will come running Google’s Android Wear software. The device was developed in collaboration with Google to make it fully compatible with Android Wear.

    “As one of the first Android Wear devices to market, we see this as the beginning of a long-term commitment to making wearables running Android Wear a household name,” said Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile. “We’re confident that once consumers see how useful and compelling LG G Watch can be, it will be integrated into their daily lives, just as smartphone have.”

    The G Watch will also soon be available via AT&T and the carrier is offering a special deal for the smart watch. Customers who purchase an LG G3 or LG G Flex device will be able to purchase a G Watch for half off its list price. Other smartphone accessories such as headsets and cases are also available through the deal for those that aren’t yet sold on the smart watch concept.

    “We’ve been working diligently to be the first U.S. carrier to offer the brand new LG G Watch and among the first to offer the LG G3 smartphone on the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network,” said Jeff Bradley, SVP for devices at AT&T. “AT&T offers one of the largest and best selections of LG devices and these products take our device portfolio to the next level.”

    Image via Youtube/LG

  • Wearable Computing to Grow Quickly in the Years Ahead

    For almost one year now wearable computing has been the tech segment to watch. Though Apple’s rumored iWatch has not yet made an appearance both tech companies and apparel companies have found success with wrist-mounted computing devices. As head-worn gadgets come of age later this year the entire wearable computing segment is now set to finally take off.

    Market research firm IDC today released a report predicting that more than 19 million wearable computing devices will be shipped worldwide this year. This number is more than three times the number of wearables shipped during 2013. The firm also predicts that the segment will grow at an average annual rate of 78.4% through 2018, when nearly 112 million wearable devices are expected to ship.

    Though more robust wearable solutions such as Samsung’s Galaxy Gear are expected to lead the market eventually, right now devices such as the Jawbone, Fitbit, and Nike’s FuelBand are top-sellers. IDC is calling these devices “complex accessories” on account of their reliance on smartphones and the firm predicts that they will continue to lead the market over the next four years.

    “Complex accessories have succeeded in drawing much-needed interest and attention to a wearables market that has had some difficulty gaining traction,” said Ramon Llamas, research manager for mobile phones at IDC. “The increased buzz has prompted more vendors to announce their intentions to enter this market. Most importantly, end-users have warmed to their simplicity in terms of design and functionality, making their value easy to understand and use.”

    Beyond 2018 IDC sees smart wearables that need no connection to another device gaining traction in the market. Fully-independent smart watches and headwear such as Google Glass will eventually become major players in the space, though it may take time for these platforms to mature and find their niche.

    IDC’s report also surveyed consumers worldwide about the brands they trust for wearable computing. Oddly enough, Samsung came out on top of the survey as more trusted than even Apple or Google. This could be because Samsung already has a proven place in the wearables market with its moderately successful Galaxy Gear device.

    Image via Samsung

  • Apple iWatch Could Arrive Before the Holidays

    Over one year ago rumors surfaced that Apple was working on its own wrist-based computing device. Dubbed the “iWatch” by industry watchers, the device was expected to launch before the end of 2013.

    We know now that this did not happen. Apple’s big iPhone 5S announcement contained plenty of product reveals, but none of them were smart watches of any sort.

    In the meantime other technology manufacturers have released their own smart watches. Despite lukewarm reviews some of the devices, such as Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, have proved to be moderately successful. This, combined with analyst predictions that smart watch software will significantly improve in the coming months, means that Apple will, for once, be entering into a crowded market rather than pioneering it.

    It seems, though, that Apple may still enter the field. Reports from Taiwan in January indicated that the device’s delay could be due to manufacturing yield difficulties. Now a new report is predicting that the iWatch could arrive before the end of summer.

    A DigiTimes report today quotes a story in China’s Economic Daily News as stating that the iWatch will arrive sometime during the third quarter of 2014. The report also attributes an ambitions sales goal to Apple, which is expected to ship 65 million of the smart watches before the end of the year. To meet these lofty expectations, Apple is reportedly pressuring manufacturers to deliver components by August.

    A few new details about the manufacturing of the iWatch were also contained in the report. Apple is reportedly using Quanta Computer to manufacture its new smart watch and collaborating with Richtek to design the chip for the device. The touch display for the iWatch is also rumored to be coming from TPK while Samsung will reportedly be used to manufacture the device’s processor.

    With the iWatch now all but confirmed, Apple fans can rest easy knowing that the company’s design philosophy will soon put pressure on the bland smart watch category. As for the other heavily-rumored new Apple product, it seems that “iTV” has been pushed back yet again due to difficulties dealing with content providers.

    Image via Samsung

  • Smart Watches to Get Android Wear Soon

    Smart Watches to Get Android Wear Soon

    It’s still unclear whether the smart watch market will grow into the massive consumer segment that tech manufacturers are hoping, but with the smartphone and tablet markets now beginning to saturate in developed markets it’s clear that some sort of wearable computing is likely to be the next large tech growth industry.

    For the time-being fitness bands connected to mobile apps are leading the wearables category. Brands such as NIKE and Jawbone are leading the industry – not traditional computing brands.

    With so many new and different applications coming to wearables, Google has recently announced that it will release a version of Android specifically tuned to the needs of wearable devices.

    Google is calling the operating system Android Wear. The software is now being offered in a developer preview that includes features such as voice to text, expanded notifications, and stacked notifications.

    According to Google, the OS will automatically surface relevant information based on app preferences and other factors. Android Wear also has the “Ok Google” functionality found in the smartphone version of Android and on Google Glass. Using the command, Google hopes consumers will be able to use their smart watches to control everything from their smartphone to their TV.

    The basic ideas are previewed in a new hipster-heavy teaser ad released last week by Google:

    Android Wear could end up being one of the most important initiatives that Google has produced since the introduction of Android itself. Though the latest version of Android is optimized to run on lower-end smartphones, manufacturers are beginning to leave Google services out of their Android builds in favor of their own software.

    Mobile ad revenue is set to hit $18 billion this year and Google is striving to keep itself at the center of a rapidly-shifting online advertising industry. Whether or not wearables truly take off in the same way tablets have, Google will have to have to make sure it has a strong foothold in the segment, just in case.

  • The Smart Watch: The Good and The Pretty

    The smart watch! What’s your favorite one? Oh, you don’t know what a smart watch is? Understandable.

    While it’s pretty obvious that sooner or later there would be a smart watch since there are smart-everything-elses, the whole smart watch phenomenon hasn’t blown up as fast as those iDogs and such. Nevertheless, they do exist, and people use them. The watches have apps; some are helpful, some are not. Here are the top three that you might want to look into:

    1. The Martian Smart Watch
    The Martian Smart Watch concentrates on elegance; you may have noticed that many smart watches look like mini computer monitors on your wrist. While it may have less features than the next two watches, its smartphone camera control, hands-free voice command and alerts display make it effective as a smartphone extension of sorts.

    2. META Watch
    The META Watch is a highly-anticipated smart watch still in development. Designed with the help of former Vertu luxury phone designer Frank Nuovo, this smart watch uses a digital screen but makes sure that it stays sleekly high-fashion. Apparently. many smart watches have been the victim of crappy apps and features for the sake of calling it a smart watch, and this phone does not fall into that category while still being fashionable.

    3. Pebble Smart Watch
    If based just on popularity, the Pebble Smart Watch is the winner. Pebble used a Kickstarter and set a record for the funding it received, and it served as an excellent marketing tool as well. Critics agree that it is a great product, but the software seems to have no use at all. Sort of like wearing one of those yellow LiveStrong wristbands pre-Armstrong Scandal. Software upgrades, however, are surely soon to come.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Google Smart Watch Specs Leaked [Rumor]

    Earlier this month, it was rumored that LG would be making both the Nexus 6 and a smart watch for Google this year. Based on prior releases, we could reasonably assume what the Nexus 6 would look like, but the smart watch remained a mystery. While we still know next to nothing about the device, a leak has shared a few details on Google’s upcoming wearable.

    Over on Twitter, @evleaks shared some of the specs for Google and LG’s upcoming smart watch this afternoon. The leak says that device will feature a 1.65-inch 280×280 IPS LCD display, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. The CPU is still be to determined, though, so we don’t know how powerful this thing is going to be.

    As for the actual design of the watch, we don’t know that either. It could possibly look like the prototype smart watch Motorola was working on, but it’s unlikely. LG and Google are going to want their smart watch to have a premium look and feel, and a rubber strap just isn’t going to cut it anymore.

    So, when are we going to see Google’s smart watch? According to @evleaks, Google will unveil the device at Google I/O on June 25. Knowing Google, everybody in attendance will likely get one. From there, it will likely be made available on the Google Play Store a few days later.

    It will be interesting to see if LG unveils its own smart watch before then as it may give us some insight into Google’s device. After all, most Nexus hardware is based off of existing hardware with a few tweaks here and there to conform to Google’s own design language.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Notifications, Caller ID Most Important For Smart Watch Buyers

    Signs show that smart watches are catching on in the consumer market, but the devices themselves still have a long way to go. Samsung’s first Galaxy Gear, for example, sold well despite a distinct lack of features and support for only a few smartphones.

    The software that consumers are waiting for in smart watches, though, isn’t too far from what the devices already offer. According to research released today by market research firm ABI Research, notifications such as text and call alerts and caller ID are the most-wanted features of consumers looking to buy smart watches.

    “At present, smart watch vendors are going for somewhat of a scattergun approach to smart watch design,” said Stuart Carlaw, chief research officer at ABI. “They are typically over delivering with 12 or more features per product and hoping that three of them stick. This recent research clearly shows that a more targeted, segmented and use-case driven approach to design is needed.”

    Though most consumers are concerned with how smart watches can help them, ABI found that the category of smart watch buyers used to wearing expensive watches want something a little different. Consumers looking to buy smart watches who typically buy watches that cost $1,000 to $5,000 most wanted voice commands as a feature and were also concerned with how fashionable a smart watch might be.

    Across all consumers the price range wanted for smart phones was found to be consistent. ABI’s report found that most consumers want a smart watch to cost between $50 to $200 though a large potion would also pay between $200 and $500.

    “When you couple this price analysis with the price consumers usually spend on a regular watch, it is clear that there may be some opportunity to attract a premium for purchasers that traditionally buy cheaper watches,” said Carlaw. “However, the opposite is true for those that typically spend upwards of $500 for a regular watch where smart features are generally not seen significant value-adds. The majority of consumers that spend over $1,000 for a regular watch indicated that their desired price point for a smart watch was in the $50-$500 range.”

    Image via Samsung

  • LG Will Be Making The Nexus 6, Nexus Smartwatch [Rumor]

    LG and Google have a good thing going right now. The Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 have both been two of the highest rated phones in the year of their release. With that being said, Google could suddenly tap another manufacturer to make its next Nexus phone, but why would it?

    Gizmodo Germany is reporting that sources close to LG at Mobile World Congress told them that the company will continue its lucrative partnership with Google and produce the Nexus 6. Like the Nexus 5 before it, it’s assumed that the Nexus 6 will be based on whatever the LG G3 ends up being. The G3 is expected to be revealed during the Summer with a Nexus 6 launch coming later in the year – traditionally October.

    The news of LG working on the Nexus 6 isn’t all that surprising. What is surprising, however, is that LG is being rumored as the company behind Google’s smart watch. A report from last week unveiled that Google was already working on a smart watch with Motorola, but the project was killed while the hardware was still just a prototype. With Motorola now being sold to Lenovo, somebody else had to step in to continue production. That somebody may just be LG and it’s not all that surprising considering how close LG has become with Google over the last few years.

    Of course, this is all hearsay for now so don’t go start raising those expectations. It’s reasonable to believe the Nexus 6 exists. Likewise, it’s pretty reasonable to assume that LG will be making it. That’s about it. We know a smart watch from Google is coming, but don’t start assuming just yet. In the past, Google has divvied up its Nexus line among different manufacturers so it’s reasonable to assume that its smart watch might be made by Asus or Samsung instead.

    Image via Google Play

  • Here’s A Prototype Google Smart Watch That Never Saw The Light Of Day

    Here’s A Prototype Google Smart Watch That Never Saw The Light Of Day

    It’s been rumored for a while now that Google has been working on a smart watch. As it turns out, Google actually had a prototype at one point, but it was scrapped.

    Android Police reports that Google and Motorola were collaborating on a smart watch back in 2013 back when Google wasn’t in the process of offloading the mobile device manufacturer onto Lenovo. The watch was called the Google Watch, but went by the codename of Gem.

    So, what was this Google Watch like? According to the report and photos, it featured a rubberized strap, a small square display, one back button on the bottom of the device, a button on the side and two buttons on the top. Here’s what it looked like:

    Here's The Google Smart Watch That Could Have Been

    Image via Android Police

    So, what happened? It’s hard to say, but I would guess that Google’s sale of Motorola to Lenovo got in the way of development. The project was therefore scrapped before it could get out of the prototype phase.

    Despite the apparent death of the Google Watch, Motorola is still working on a wearable. The company announced its intentions to pursue the smart watch space on Twitter earlier this week:

    As for Google, the company will reportedly be teaming up with long-time Nexus partner LG to produce its smart watch. Whether that smart watch is anything like the Motorola prototype remains to be seen.

  • Samsung Unveils Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo

    Samsung Unveils Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo

    One of the more interesting rumors from last year is that Samsung would unveil a new Galaxy Gear less than a year after it launched its first wearable device. While its rare to launch a successor that soon, Samsung hopes you don’t mind that it just made your $300+ smart watch obsolete.

    Samsung unveiled the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo at Mobile World Congress this week. Unlike the original, the Galaxy name is no longer attached to the Gear. There’s no explanation for this, but it could be due to the fact that the devices are powered by the Tizen OS.

    Samsung continues to lead innovation in the wearable market by creating devices that are completely integrated into the lives of consumers through extended connectivity features, stylish customization options and a robust application ecosystem,” Said JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics. “With the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, we have enhanced everything consumers love about the Gear to offer unparalleled smart freedom in their everyday life.”

    As is the case with most hardware upgrades, the specs have received a small boost. Both the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo sport the same 1.63-inch display, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory that was found in the original Galaxy Gear. The CPU got an upgrade from the original as the two new devices now sport a 1.0GHz dual-core processor. The real improvement, however, comes in the form of battery life as the new 300mAh battery promises up to 3 days of battery life.

    So, what’s the difference between the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo? As far as anybody can tell, the Gear 2 has a camera and the Neo doesn’t. That’s about it. Thankfully, Samsung makes the camera-equipped option more appealing as it’s no longer on the wrist strap. The camera is now inside the main body of the Gear 2 and can snap photos at resolutions ranging from 1920×1080 to 1280×960.

    While all of this sounds like a definite improvement over the original Galaxy Gear, it looks like Samsung is still keeping it within the family. Despite the move to Tizen, Samsung implies that the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will only connect to Galaxy smartphones. That will hopefully not remain the case as Samsung needs to make its wearables compatible with all Android devices for mass market adoption.

    The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will be available starting in April. There’s no price yet, but you can probably expect them to cost just as much as the original Galaxy Gear.

    Image via Samsung

  • Health Products Top the Wearable Computing Market So Far

    There’s plenty of excitement in the tech industry surrounding the coming wave of wearable computing products. Already Samsung has seen limited success with its Galaxy Gear smart watch and fitness bands from companies such as Fitbit and Nike are now taking off as well.

    While tech companies rush to carve out a place in consumer tech, however, the medical industry is quietly dominating the wearable computer segment. A new report out from market research firm ABI Research today revealed that shipments heart rate and “activity monitors” are leading smart watches by quite a bit and will continue to for at least a few more years. The report estimates that nearly 12 million wearable heart rate monitoring devices were shipped last year.

    Wearable devices are expected to become an even more essential part of the healthcare industry in the coming years. Eventually other devices will integrate health monitoring functions into a more general toolset, but not before such products are well-established in the market.

    A similar product trajectory is seen for the fitness bands that are becoming popular. ABI believes these very specific devices will continue to rise in popularity for a few years before their functionality is subsumed by more general products such as smart watches and smart glasses.

    “The market for wearable computing devices is driven by a growing range of wireless connected wearable sports, fitness and wellbeing devices,” said Jonathan Collins, principal analyst at ABI. “Heart rate and activity monitors will outpace shipments of smart watches and glasses for some years to come and they will also provide the essential foundation for the development of the broader wearable market.”

    Image via Fitbit

  • Millions of Smart Watches/Bands Shipping This Year

    With smartphone and tablet markets beginning to saturate in established markets, tech manufacturers are now hoping that wearable computing will lift mobile sales and revenue. Smart watches and wrist bands are the first wave of wearable computing to hit the market, and shipments of the devices are now set to ramp up during 2014.

    Market research firm Canalys today released a new report showing that combined smart watch and smart band shipments hit 1.6 million during the second half of 2013, representing a huge increase in shipments. The firm predicts that shipments will increase even more this year, with more than 17 million units expected to ship in 2014. This number is expected to increase to 23 million units next year and 45 million units by the year 2017.

    Much of the smart band/watch shipments during the second half of 2013 came from two companies – Samsung and Fitbit. Fitbit’s line of fitness bands led the smart band market during the second half of the year, making up a full 58% of the market. Jawbone (21%) and Nike (14%) follow Fitbit’s market lead with their own fitness band products.

    For the smart watch market Samsung’s late-year Galaxy Gear launch gave the Korean manufacturer 54% of all smart watch shipments during the second half of 2013. Sony is the runner-up in the smart watch market with 19% of shipments during the period and Pebble also made up a significant 16% of the market.

    Samsung launched the Galaxy Gear with a major marketing push that gained significant consumer interest,” said Chris Jones, principal analyst at Canalys. “Shipments of the device took Samsung to the top of the smart band category, though disappointing sell-through will necessitate more promotional activity in coming months. Basic band vendors have greater wearable expertise and have shipped greater numbers to date, but smart bands are already growing faster. Increasingly, smart bands will adopt basic band features as the two categories converge.

  • Introduce Your Child To The Surveillance State With The FiLIP Smart Watch

    Kids just love to scamper off into the nether when their parents aren’t looking. Previously, the only way to prevent this was to either actually educate your children or slap a leash on them. Disturbingly, too many parents often choose the latter. Well, they don’t have to anymore as they can now trade that leash in for constant, pervasive electronic surveillance.

    FiLIP, the wearable tracking device for children, is out today at AT&T stores nationwide. The device disguises itself as a colorful, playful watch that your children are too stupid to question. When worn, parents can track their child’s location via an app on their smartphone and send them texts telling them to get home. Parents can also set up safe zones so the watch sends a[n] electric shock notification when the child leaves said safe zone.

    “We’ve been extremely pleased with sales of FiLIP online and in AT&T’s flagship store in Chicago since we launched in November last year,” said Jonathan Peachey, CEO of Filip Technologies. “We know that many people want to see FiLIP and try out its features with their kids in-store before buying, and with this expanded availability they can do just that.”

    AT&T seems to be a fan of the device and thinks it will be a hot seller. To prove it, they will give parents a $100 bill credit when they buy the device. The bill credit will come in handy as FiLIP costs $10 a month when adding it to your existing plan.

    “FiLIP is an innovative form factor that is generating a lot of buzz and attention in the wearable space. We are excited to expand its distribution into our retail locations to make the product even more accessible to families,” said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, Emerging Devices, AT&T Mobility. “FiLIP has been a great addition to AT&T’s product lineup as a device designed specifically to improve family communication and provide parents peace of mind.”

    FiLIP is available at AT&T stores across the nation today for $200. It’s a great way to acclimate your children to the constant surveillance they’ll face as adults.

    Image via FiLIP

  • 90 Million Wearable Devices to Ship This Year

    90 Million Wearable Devices to Ship This Year

    This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was full of new wearable computing products from a wide variety of tech companies. It’s clear that those companies are banking on devices such as smart watches as being the next big growth segment for the tech industry, and they may not be entirely wrong.

    Market research firm ABI Research today released a report predicting that 90 million wearable computing devices will be shipped during 2014. Many of these devices will be in the form of smart watches and smart glasses, but the firm believes that only devices tailored the fitness and healthcare sectors will see significant sales and adoption.

    “The next twelve months will be a critical period for the acceptance and adoption of wearable devices,” said Joshua Flood, senior analyst at ABI. “Healthcare and sports and activity trackers are rapidly becoming mass-market products. On the flip side, wearable devices like smart watches need to overcome some critical obstacles. Aesthetic design, more compelling use cases, battery life and lower price points are the main inhibitors. How vendors approach these challenges and their respective solutions will affect the wearable market far in the future.”

    Overall, ABI sees smart watch and smart glasses devices as being a relatively minor portion of the wearable device market over the coming year, though it does predict that more than two million smart glasses will ship in 2014. Meanwhile, brands not normally associated with tech such as clothing companies could enter the market in force, providing fitness and healthcare solutions more tailored to their customers’ needs.

    Image via Nike

  • The Future of Wearable Electronics Predicted in White Paper

    The Future of Wearable Electronics Predicted in White Paper

    For almost one year now, tech companies and clothing companies alike have been debuting their new smart watches or wristbands. These companies are betting on wrist-wear as the next big growth market in tech. At the same time, industry watchers and analysts are looking for smart watches to be the vanguard of a coming wearable electronics revolution that will change the way people interact with technology.

    Plastic Logic, a manufacturer of flexible plastic display technology, is now well-positioned for a market that that looks set to take off. The company this week issued a new white paper discussing what the current state of the wearable market is, where it will be going in the next few years, and what type of products will eventually become adopted by consumers at at large.

    The paper points out that current (first-generation, really) smart watches from companies like Samsung and Sony are less than compelling. The devices are small, rigid, and do not offer many unique features that make them indispensable.

    Despite disappointing early models, however, Plastic Logic believes that there is a significant untapped market for wrist-mounted technology. More specifically, the company believes that the fitness and healthcare industries will be the main drivers of wearable technology over the next few years. Tech companies are already heavily investing in research for wearable devices to monitor conditions such as diabetes or heart health.

    Looking further ahead, the paper predicts that charging technology will become an integral part of the wearable device landscape. Devices that charge other devices through the use of light or sound waves may seem futuristic, but are the types of technologies consumers will see in the coming decade.

    Image via Samsung

  • Pebble Unveils Stainless Steel Smart Watch

    Pebble has the distinction of being the most funded Kickstarter project in history, and for a pretty good reason. It proved the smart watch was something that people wanted, and everybody else started to develop their own smart watch platform shortly after Pebble’s success. You’d think the company would have an innovative new product for CES to shake up the wearable market again, but you’d also be wrong.

    Before CES starts proper, Pebble took time to announce its new Steel smart watch. The Steel is the exact same Pebble smart watch that Kickstarter backers fell in love with, but now with a stainless steel wrist strap, Corning Gorilla glass, and a tricolor LED display. In other words, it’s a prettier, tougher version of the previously released Pebble smart watch.

    Check it out:

    Pebble Steel Announcement @ CES | 6 January 2014 from Pebble Technology on Vimeo.

    While you may have hoped that Pebble to release a completely new watch, the Pebble Steel is actually a pretty brilliant idea. The Steel is backwards compatible with all apps built for the previous generation Pebble watches, and apps built for the Steel will work on the original Pebble. What you’re paying the $249 premium for then is a premium smart watch that exudes luxury.

    In all honesty, it definitely seems that the Pebble Steel is squarely targeted at those who want a luxury smart watch that looks stylish. Until now, smart watches, except for Sony’s Smartwatch, have looked like plastic toys. Pebble is maturing its smart watch lineup to appeal to those who want a smart watch, but don’t want to be seen wearing a gaudy plastic bauble.

    If you fall into the category of consumer who seeks a luxurious look over all else, you can preorder the Pebble Steel directly from the company’s Web site right now. It retails for $249, and comes in brushed stainless steel and black matte varieties.

    Image via Pebble Technology/Vimeo

  • Wearable Devices Reportedly Delayed by Manufacturing Difficulties

    The long-rumored “iWatch” from Apple failed to make its debut last year, despite reports early in the year that Apple was working hard to get it out by the end of 2013. Samsung, on the other hand, managed to release its Galaxy Gear smart watch, which turned out to be a mild success despite its lack of features.

    Now a new report could shed light on why so few smart wearable devices launched in time for the 2013 holiday quarter.

    According to a DigiTimes report, manufacturers are currently struggling with yield rates as low as 50% for their wearable devices. More specifically, the report’s unnamed “sources from the upstream supply chain” say that manufacturers are reportedly having trouble with surface treatments applied to metal injection molded components.

    The brands affected by these yield issues reportedly include Apple and Qualcomm, which released its Toq smart watch one month ago. DigiTimes’ sources believe that quality concerns combined with the large supply needed for product launches has resulted in the yield issues causing delays.

    Though these issues seem to have delayed a number of product launches, consumers can still expect a wide variety of smart watches and other wearable devices to launch this year. Both tech device manufacturers and apparel companies (such as Nike and Adidas) are diving into what they see as the next big device segment.

  • Smart Band Shipments Up Fivefold in the Past Six Months

    The wearable computing device market is still very much in its infancy. Markets for products such as smart glasses has still yet to take off. This year the smart watch category did finally take off, however, and companies like Samsung and Sony are reaping the rewards of being first to market with their smart watch products.

    Market research firm Canalys today estimated that the “smart wearable bands” market saw shipment growth of over 500% during the second half of 2013. Shipments this fall far outpaced the firm’s estimated 200,000 smart band shipments seen during the first half of the year.

    Unsurprisingly, Samsung has broken out as the new leader in the smart watch space with its Galaxy Gear. The company sold over 800,000 units during the Galaxy Gear’s first two weeks of availability.

    Canalys also singled out the successfully-kickstarted Pebble smart watch as a possible competitor due to its iPhone integration and battery life.

    “Samsung’s marketing and promotional efforts with the Galaxy Gear resulted in shipments of over 800,000 units in its first two months on sale, establishing the company as the new market leader,” said Chris Jones, VP and principal analyst at Canalys. “Pebble continues to grow rapidly with its smart watch. iOS 7 integration and an updated SDK with additional APIs give Pebble’s partners a great opportunity to increase the watch’s appeal while maintaining its excellent battery life.”

    Though the wearable device market is finally being pioneered, there is still plenty of room for competitors. Canalys predicts that improvements in low-power displays, operating system design, and manufacturing will significantly develop in 2014, leading to further market expansion and a rapidly changing marketplace.

    “The market for smart wearables is extremely dynamic,” said Daniel Matte, analyst at Canalys. “This space is going to look very different in 12 months’ time. A successful wearable device depends on the connectivity of a smart phone, which increasingly serves as the new digital hub for mobile users. Wearables entail a unique set of constraints for vendors and platform owners more experienced with the smart phone and tablet markets.”

  • Wearable Device Shipments to Hit 130 Million by 2018

    With Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smart watch selling relatively well, it appears that the wearable device market might actually be the big tech segment that manufacturers are hoping for. If so, the competition will be fierce, with clothing manufacturers hoping to stake a claim on the market as well. Already athletic clothing companies such as Nike and Adidas are marketing wearable fitness tech.

    Today yet another analyst firm predicted that wearable computing will, indeed, be the next big tech market. Market research firm Juniper Research this week predicted that the wearable device market will hit 130 million shipments within five years. The market will include devices such as smart watches and smart glasses modeled after Google Glass.

    “Even though wearables are relatively new in terms of market maturity, it is clear that the market, for example the smart watch in particular, will be – as per smartphones – a somewhat crowded affair,” said Nitin Bhas, a senior analyst at Juniper.

    Though the wearable device market will likely take off in the coming years, Juniper also points out that privacy concerns could slow the market considerably. Though fitness-related wearable computing devices and smart watches are natural extensions of the smartphone app ecosystem, smart glasses are beginning to make people uneasy. In addition to their ability to surreptitiously record anyone in public, smart glasses could run into trouble with business owners who refuse to allow patrons to use them.

  • Nike to Release New Smart Watch in 2014

    With sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Gear now surprisingly good, it appears that the smart watch segment just might be the growth market tech manufacturers have been hoping for. Though Samsung and Sony are now the leaders in the high end of the market, several players are already tackling the smart watch from a different angle – fitness.

    Nike in particular has been developing its Nike+ fitness apps and hardware for years. The athletic wear company already markets two different types of fitness-related smart watches, the Nike+ Sportwatch and the Nike+ Fuelband SE. According to a DigiTimes report, Nike now has a 30% share of the sports equipment market worldwide, putting it in a position to compete with tech companies in the wearable computing market.

    That same report holds that Nike is already preparing its refreshed smart watch lineup. DigiTimes’ unnamed “sources in Taiwan’s supply chain” are cited as saying Nike will release a brand new smart watch (not a Fuelband or Sportwatch) sometime in the first half of 2014. The company is reportedly already performing trial production of its new smart watch.

    Smart watch and other wearable computing device shipments are expected to increase rapidly in the coming years. DigiTimes’ own research arm predicts that over 24 million smart watches will ship in the year 2016. With clothing and tech this year’s most popular sales items during the Black Friday weekend, the coming merger of these two product segments could create the next huge growth market for both tech and clothing manufacturers.