Wearable Computing & Fashion - Page 2

Meta has just released a new pair of AI-powered sunglasses with Ray-Ban, and now we have an idea of what Meta plans on doing with the images and videos captured by the glasses.

For those who don't know, Meta's AI-powered Ray-Bans have a camera located in front of the glasses. The camera can be used for taking photos and video, but it can also be enabled when the user initiates an AI feature through saying a keyword such as "look" and then requesting Meta AI to analyze what the wearer is seeing and provide an answer. An example of this would be looking at a mountain and asking MetaAI what the name of that mountain is its height.

When prompted, the Meta Ray-Bans will then capture a selection of images that will be scanned by MetaAI, and the answer will be read out loud to the wearer via the speakers. However, what happens to the captured images? TechCrunch queried Meta on this and discovered the company was being cagey about the process of using captured images and video, but since then it has provided more clarity.

Tech companies have pushed for many years for smart glasses to become everyday items at the same level as smartphones, but unfortunately, the technology just doesn't seem there yet, or at least not at the level where everyone is walking around with a version of Tony Stark's sunglasses.

Despite the pushback from the public at the mass adoption of devices such as Google Glass or, even more recently, Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, this hasn't stopped tech companies from investing millions of dollars into various forms of smart glasses research and development. Now, a new partnership has been unveiled between three heavy hitters in the space, Qualcomm, Google, and Samsung - all of which have their own expertise in various forms of hardware and software.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon spoke to CNBC and revealed the company has partnered with Google and Samsung to create a brand new product that will explore mixed reality in a set of glasses, and these glasses will be linked to a smartphone. For those who don't know, mixed reality involves the device imposing digital images on top of the real world, versus virtual reality, which completely immerses a user in a virtual world.

Samsung's Galaxy Watch is one of the more well-known pieces of fashionable wearable tech. It offers a suite of smart features that tie into Samsung's smartphone ecosystem with additional wellbeing and health-oriented features. Today marks the addition of a brand-new Samsung wearable device - the new Galaxy Ring. This is the first 'smart ring' from Samsung or big tech companies.

As a ring on your finger, it does not have a display or otherwise clearly visible smart functionality or feature set. So, what's it all about? Health and wellbeing, with 24/7 monitoring and tracking that integrates seamlessly with the Samsung Health platform. And it's lightweight, too, weighing between 2.3 and 3 grams, depending on the size.

"Galaxy Ring delivers a straight-forward approach to wellness, offering health monitoring, tracking, and personalized insights while worn comfortably on a finger, even while asleep," Samsung writes in the announcement.

Auctioning off historical pieces of Apple technology can be big business - earlier this year, we reported on a first-generation iPhone with 4GB of storage selling for over $130,000 at an auction. However, if you think it stops at vintage Apple silicon, think again - anything related to Steve Jobs and Apple is worth a lot of money.

Even the clothing he wore to work, out on the town, and to photo shoots. Julien's Auctions in California is currently listing several clothing items worn by Steve Jobs, including this 'navy blue pin-striped Brioni for Wilkes Bashford suit' that he wore for an ad or photo shoot commemorating the release of the original Macintosh in 1984. It includes the original wooden hanger and a 'vintage Apple Macintosh pin' found in one of the pockets

Bidding is now open for the item, and the estimate is that this old and possibly musty-smelling suit from the 1980s will sell for between $20,000 and $30,000.

Apple regularly releases special Apple Watch faces, bands, and other accessories to celebrate specific communities and the latest Pride watch face is a great addition to the mix. It was announced alongside the stunning Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop which will be available to order on May 22, but you won't have to wait that long to get the watch face - it's available right now.

The new watch face is part of watchOS 10.5 software update that Apple has today made available for download and it also happens to be the only new feature that was confirmed via the update's release notes. Apple calls it the Pride Radiance watch face and says it's to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture.

The update, which is free for owners of all compatible Apple Watches, can be downloaded via the Watch app on the iPhone. Alongside the new watch face, the update also brings with it a number of bug fixes and other improvements, although Apple's release notes did not go into details as to what they were.

2024 marks the tenth year of the Apple Watch, a wearable that first launched in 2014 and has become a huge global hit. Just as it did with the iPhone X in 2017, it's thought that Apple may choose to release an Apple Watch X to celebrate the decade of Apple wearables, and if it does, we could be in for something interesting.

Details for what the Apple Watch X will actually offer customers are hard to come by but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously suggested that it will be the wearable's biggest overhaul to date. With that in mind, we think we would be pretty happy if Apple released this concept.

Designer Lukas Gehrer from the German design agency Wordsmattr shared details of his concept with 9to5Mac and it definitely has plenty for us to get excited about. The concept looks similar to the Apple Watch Ultra in some ways but it's thinner with curved edges that aren't quite flat but are much less bulbous than the Apple Watch Series 9 and previous non-Ultra models.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has been on sale since September of last year and that came a year after the original Apple Watch Ulta went on sale. With that in mind, it doesn't take too much figuring out to assume that Apple will also update the Apple Watch Ultra 2 to something new this coming September, although it remains to be seen whether it winds up being called the Apple Watch Ultra 3. Whatever title Apple gives it, we've been told not to expect too much from the refreshed wearable.

That's because supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple isn't going to bring any big new hardware upgrades to the Apple Watch Ultra 3, meaning anyone who already has the Apple Watch Ultra 2 might not want to upgrade this year. However, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 wasn't a huge upgrade over the Apple Watch Ultra either, so it's unclear what kind of differentiation Apple will offer this time out.

This bombshell comes via a MacRumors report which cites Kuo having received a direct message from the analyst. Kuo says that while the Apple Watch Ultra will indeed be updated to receive a new model this fall, he believes that almost no hardware upgrades will be offered compared to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 model. However, he did not reveal any specific plans for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, so it's unclear which changes he expects to be part of the new model's unveiling.

The next non-Ultra Apple Watch may be thinner than previous models if a new report suggesting a thinner logic board turns out to be accurate. It's reported that the new Apple Watch will use resin-coated copper, a move which will allow Apple to make the wearable's logic board thinner than previous iterations.

Resin-coated copper is a thin layer of copper foil coated with a resin and while it's thought that such a move would have multiple benefits to the Apple Watch, the ability to make the logic board thinner is one that could be particularly notable.

By making the logic board thinner Apple could theoretically open up extra space within the wearable's chassis, allowing that space to be used for other things. The most obvious use would be to allow Apple to make the Apple Watch's battery larger, improving battery life. But it's also possible that Apple could simply make the overall Apple Watch thinner, a move that would be well received by some. However, with Apple thought to be working on new sensors that could monitor blood pressure and glucose levels, it's also possible that the saved space could be taken up by those sensors.

If you're yet to treat yourself to a new Apple Watch Series 9 and have been waiting for a way to get one and save money at the same time, you're in luck - especially if you happen to live in the United States. The watch, which was only released in September of last year, is now available in various configurations in Apple's refurbished store. All you have to do is place the order to save money.

First spotted by MacRumors, the refurbished Apple Watches start from $339 with savings of around 15% compared to the price you'd pay when choosing a brand-new model. These Apple Watches are only likely to be available for a limited time, however, with stocks often very fluid. Don't see the model that calls to you? Keep checking, these stock levels are likely to change regularly.

Refurbished Apple Watches are all checked thoroughly to ensure that they are working and they're cleaned so as to appear as if they were brand new. Products sold via the Apple refurbished store tend to be some of the best, arriving in condition so good that you'll be hard-pressed to spot a difference between it and a new model.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 has been on sale since September of last year and now Apple has begun to offer people the opportunity to buy one as a refurbished device from the Apple Store. Apple first started offering the same refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 models in the United Kingdom and China recently but this is the first time that we've seen this happen in the United States.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 would normally sell for $799 when buying a new model, but if you choose to go the refurbished route you'll pay just $679 instead. There are a handful of options available depending on when you choose to place an order. We've seen different color bands offered including the blue, orange, and white Ocean Band since MacRumors first spotted the new refurb option.

Alongside the Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple also released the Apple Watch Series 9 in September but so far there is no option to buy a refurbished model in the United States. Buying refurbished from Apple is the closest to buying new that you're likely to be able to get anywhere. Apple says that it checks all refurbished devices and any Apple Watches that require parts to be replaced simply aren't offered as a refurbished option. Refurbished models are also covered by Apple's one-year warranty while Apple's 14-day return policy is also offered. AppleCare+ can be bought by those who want additional cover.