Wearable Computing & Fashion News - Page 24

The fitness and healthcare sectors will help drive the wearables market into an estimated $2 billion market by 2019, according to Juniper Research, but questions remain.

There is great potential for doctors and medical patients embracing wearable devices able to consistently monitor physical data - but privacy concerns and unstable regulation must be addressed. Medical devices have mandated standards they must follow while collecting and storing data, though wearables don't currently follow the same standards.

In its "Smart Wireless Devices: CE, Enterprise, Fitness, Healthcare, Patients, 2015-2019", Juniper Research also found a use for smart glasses and other wearables in the workplace.

Wearable manufacturers can pitch their products to a wide possible customer base, but attracting athletes could be of major focus in the future.

Many endurance athletes already rely on heart rate monitors and GPS units, but companies hope devices that are able to track additional metrics, such as skin temperature and respiration, are appealing. The hardware is important, but companies must create appealing partnerships so that all collected data can be easily observed by active consumers.

Instead of trying to create a product to compete with trusted GPS units, wearable manufacturers may try to make clothing, shoes, sunglasses, and other athletic gear smarter.

Intel is currently undergoing its largest push into the mobile market, learning from previous mistakes after missing the first major smartphone wave a few years ago. The company has endured dropping sales of PCs and laptops, as more consumers and business workers embrace mobile - so this is an important effort for the Silicon Valley giant.

"They're determined not to miss the next big thing," said Mark Hung, analyst at Gartner. As such, Intel's Q1 revenue estimate lost almost $1 billion because of slowing PC sales, but merged its mobile and PC businesses into one computing business.

"It helps when your other businesses are performing well," said Andy Bryant, Intel board Chairman, in a statement to investors late last year. "When things are going well it gives you the time and the resolve to make the changes you need to make in other parks of your business."

The wearable electronics market is booming, and some consumers and doctors are wondering what type of health impact these products could have on owners.

Considering the Apple Watch - which is expected to quickly propel the wearables market - isn't even out yet, and there has been no research into possible health-related issues, this is more of a general concern than outright risk.

"The radiation really comes from the 3G connection on a cell phone, so devices like the Jawbone Up and Apple Watch should be okay," said Dr. Joseph Mercola, alternative medicine specialist, in a statement to the New York Times. "But if you're buying a watch with a cellular chip built in, then you've got a cell phone attached to your wrist."

Fitness wearables and smartwatches might be popular among consumers, but show true potential in the health industry. The collected data could be easily passed from consumer directly to his or her medical professional, offering a more detailed look into daily physical activity.

There are concerns related to privacy and data security, especially when it comes to personal medical information, though Fitbit - and other manufacturers - are keen to work with the FDA to approve regulation.

"I think right now everyone is focused on pure consumer benefits and motivating people to change their behavior," said James Park, CEO of Fitbit, in an interview with TIME. "I think there'll be a next big leap in benefits once we tie into more detailed clinical research and cross hurdles and dialogue with the FDA about what we can do for consumers and what's regulated or not."

The Apple Watch has gained a lot of attention from consumers, and around 40 percent of adult US Apple iPhone owners are interested in possibly purchasing the device, according to a poll by Reuters/Ipsos.

A previous Reuters/Ipsos survey found that 69 percent of American consumers aren't actually in a big rush to purchase the Apple Watch - but Apple hopes its first new product in years will be popular among iPhone owners.

There are more than 100 million iPhone owners in the United States, and almost 500 million across the world, so there is a huge base of potential customers.

The Apple Watch may have garnered significant attention ahead of launch, but 69 percent of Americans don't have an interest in actually buying one, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos survey. Consumers will be able to purchase an Apple Watch starting on April 24.

Not surprisingly, the Apple Watch requires an iPhone to utilize all functionality, and 13 percent of survey respondents said they would think about purchasing the smartphone so they can use the watch. The product's launch is a major test for Apple CEO Tim Cook, as this is the first new product from Apple in more than five years.

Even if the majority of American consumers don't have a high interest in the Apple Watch, investors are expecting the long-awaited wearable to be a financial success. Unfortunately for Apple, 52 percent of consumers believe smartwatches are just a "passing fad."

Apple has provided the most details yet on its Watch, something that will begin hitting wrists across the world on April 24. We now know that there will be the regular Watch, the Watch Sport, and the Apple Watch Edition.

The Apple Watch Sport starts at $349 in its smallest 38mm size, and $399 for the 42mm with both being available in silver or space gray. The "regular" Watch has a stainless steel casing, with its price ranging from $549 up to $1049 for the 38mm version, while the 42mm ranges from $599 to $1099. Then we have the Apple Watch Edition, with its casing made from 18-karat solid gold, starting at $10,000.

The Apple Watch will have Apple Pay baked into it, where you can double-tap on the side button to bring up Apple Pay. "Taptic" feedback is also here, which will come into play once a transaction is complete. No authentication is needed with your iPhone, as it is all done on Watch. Notifications will also pop up on Watch, with every notification from your iPhone hitting your wrist.

MWC 2015 - Security software maker AVG has shown off a pair of concept glasses at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that can get around even the most advanced facial recognition technology.

In the image above, Facebook's facial recognition technology can detect a face on the left, but when the infrared LEDs are switched on, it cannot detect a face at all. The infrared LEDs are positioned around the nose and eyes, which emit light at wavelengths that are invisible to the human eye, but to camera sensors, they are very bright and disruptive.

Better yet, the glasses have a retro-reflective material on their rim, something that bounces light back to where it came from. If a wearer of these glasses from AVG is hit with flash photography, the retro-reflective material will bounce back most of that light into the camera's sensor. This is purely a proof of concept right now, but it's an interesting thing for AVG to be showing off at MWC 2015.

MWC 2015 - The wearables game is heating up with Mobile World Congress now kicking off, with Acer announcing its next-gen Smart activeband products, starting with the new Liquid Leap+.

Acer's new Liquid Leap+ supports multiple operating systems, with Android, iOS and Windows being supported. We have a 1-inch OLED touchscreen that gets slapped onto your wrist, with the wristband coming in many different colors giving you some personalization. The Liquid Leap+ tracks users' steps, running distance, and calories burned.

The Liquid Leap+ is a wearable that can be worn day and night thanks to its waterproof certification (rated IPX7). Music controls are also provided, where you can play, pause, previous, and next song through your favorite tunes. The Acer Liquid Leap+ is powered by Bluetooth 4.0 LE, and uses Acer Leap Manager to communicate between your Liquid Leap+ and iOS, Android and Windows.