The emergence of wearables — connected devices you wear on your body — is sweeping big tech companies like Google and Apple, as well as startups like Misfit Wearables. But if the devices are just plain dorky-looking they’re going to struggle to break into the mainstream.
Google Glass didn’t emerge as a sleek (but nerdy) pair of digital glasses. Google’s first prototype was a clunky Borg-looking device that required a backpack full of batteries.
A young battery startup called Imprint Energy has designed a new type of battery that uses zinc and can be screen printed. It’s innovation could enable entirely new types of wearable electronics.
Project Glass, Google’s augmented reality smart glasses, is the ultimate expression of the wearable tech trend. Paul Armstrong of @TheMediaIsDying says that whether you like it or not, the technology is coming–and the changes are going to be profound for the media business.
Jawbone is coming back to the market with a brand new (and much improved) version of its much maligned UP wearable device that tracks your personal data including time spent walking. This time, it faces considerable challenge from Nike’s increasingly popular, Fuelband.
GigaOM’s RoadMap conference is exactly two weeks from today and will feature speakers like Kickstarter CEO Perry Chen, Tumblr CEO David Karp, fuseproject CEO Yves Behar, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom, The Obvious Corporation CEO Evan Williams, MINIMAL Founder Scott Wilson and many more.
As more people pick up connected pedometers, specialized exercise trackers and personal calorie-counting devices that connect back to the web, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group is trying to capitalize on the trend with new certifications for running and cycling. This is a win for consumers.
Brands like Nike, Vevo and Fandango now have a new way to integrate into Facebook Timeline. At an event hosted by Facebook in Austin at the South by Southwest festival on Monday, big and small brands mingled and demoed the new wave of Timeline apps.
Apple is joining the board of the Bluetooth standards organization as the group focuses the latest iteration of Bluetooth on the market for fitness and health sensor data from mobile devices. But can Bluetooth beat out a variety of other standards hoping win in bioinformatics?
Thursday, Apple filed a patent application for “personalized fitness services” on a handheld device, focusing on exercise in a gym setting. Features would include how-to videos for equipment, as well as the ability to check on classes and possibly schedule training sessions.
