Category: Wearables

Smartwatch, Apple Watch, Moto 360 , Samsung Gear, Gear Fit, Galaxy Gear, watches smart wearables and all the latest news on iGyaan

Microsoft’s Future Smart Glass Might be Able to Read Emotions

To remain interesting, wearables are continuously being upgraded. They have a massive potential, and major tech companies are constantly looking to improve their last offering. From smartwatches to smart glasses, possibilities of technology seems only limited till the emotional spectrum. Recently, it seems that Microsoft may have overcome this barrier. The US technology giant, known for making its mark in the computing world, have recently been awarded a patent for a smart glass that would be able to detect or interpret emotions of people within its range.

This patent, filed as ‘a wearable emotion detection feedback system’, was originally filed in October last year and has been announced this week. By judging different variations in speech rhythm and amplitude, choice of words, type and speed of gestures,eye focus and body posture, the glass would be able to determine the emotion of a single person or a group, without them knowing about it. It will use sensors like depth cameras and a microphone under the nose bridge to pick up the audio and video information about the subject.

According to Wall Street Journal, its uses were not specified, but one can imagine it will come very useful during interrogation questioning where devices would be able to measure changes in the person’s body temperature or pick up small shifts in the voice tone. According to the patent, this device can communicate with another same device, thus allowing the share of information. This also gives the user a 360-degree view, and can be used in gaming or security work.

Again, the possibilities seem endless. Let’s wait and watch how Microsoft takes this innovation forward.

May 4, 2015
Motorola Announces a Massive Rs. 5,000 Discount on Moto 360

Just a few days back, Motorola’s Moto 360 got a price cut on Google Play Store. The same is now reflecting on Flipkart where both the leather and steel variants are available at discounted prices. Motorola has cut the price of Moto 360 smartwatches by Rs. 5,000, bring them down from Rs. 17,999 to Rs. 12,999 (leather) and Rs. 19,999 to Rs. 14,999 for the steel version.

It should be noted the price slash is not permanent and the discount is applicable till the stocks last. The leather version is available on the online store from long, whereas the steel model was added just recently.

Launched in India in September last year, the smartwatch has got critical acclaims in the Android wearable segment. It sports a 1.65-inch display that has Gorilla Glass protection. The water-proof Moto 360 runs on Google’s Android Wear OS and offers voice control. It is powered by a TI OMAP 3 processor along with 512MB of RAM and 4GB internal memory space. The 320mAh battery of the device can keep it running for up to 12 hours, as claimed by the company. The Moto 360 comes with Bluetooth 4.0 and sensors like pedometer and heart-rate monitor.

The smartwatches are available in black and silver colour options. Click here to buy now.

May 4, 2015
Apple Admits Tattoos May Cause the Watch Problems

Who would have thought that the proper working of Apple’s newest product, the Apple Watch, will depend on if you have tattoo or not? A few days back, several reports had surfaced of tattooed Apple Watch owners facing trouble with their new purchase. Just like the Bendgate fiasco, it sounded like a tech glitch, which was made to sound bigger than it actually was. However, Apple has posted on its official blog that users sporting tattoos may face difficulty in operating the smart watch’s key feature – the heart-rate monitor.

Apple said the watch works on a technology called photoplethysmography that bombards the wearer’s skin with green LED and infrared light in order to follow the blood flow between heart pumps.

The official Apple support page reads:

Permanent or temporary changes to your skin, such as some tattoos, can also impact heart rate sensor performance. The ink, pattern, and saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making it difficult to get reliable readings.

The only solution Apple has to offer for now is that by connecting the Apple Watch wirelessly to external heart rate monitors via Bluetooth, the wearable can bypass the sensor reading from the tattooed area.

The tattoo problem is not only being faced by Apple Watch users. Similar fitness wearables that use the same technology, have been reported to malfunction a little when worn on a tattooed hand.

May 2, 2015
It Costs Less Than $84 to Make an Apple Watch Sport Edition

The finest luxury Gold Edition smartwatch by Apple comes at a whopping amount of $17,000. The lowest version starts at $349, and the price goes up with the higher the model you choose. But do you know the heavily tagged Apple Watch costs just 24% of the retail price to the company?

The research firm IHS did a teardown of the Apple Watch Sport and discovered that one unit of the Sport is worth 24% of what buyers pay for it. It is less than one-fourth of the price and costs the Cupertino-based tech giant a mere $84 (approx.). The firm quoted it as the lowest price set by the company for any hardware as other Apple products are traded much higher than their manufacturing cost.

As per IHS estimates, the 38mm Watch has the OLED display as its priciest part that is coated with Ion-X cover glass. The whole arrangement of display and protection provided by LG costs $20.50. The second most expensive part of the watch is the A1 processor manufactured at the company’s plant itself. All other components cost below $10, except the electro-mechanical apparatus.

As the cost is estimated on the basis of teardown, the expenses such as licensing, logistics, R&D, and other noticeable costs have not been taken into account.

The expense table of the 35mm Apple Watch Sport by IHS is given below:

May 1, 2015
Xiaomi’s 1,000 Mi Band Units Priced at Re. 1 Might Cause Trouble for Other Buyers

Along the new Mi 4i, Xiaomi introduced another much-desired product to the Indian market – the Mi Band. Xioami’s fitness band is one of the cheapest available in the market and helps keep a track of users’ sleep, workout and overall fitness. The company announced at the Global Mi 4i Premier that it will give away the Rs. 999 Mi Band for just Re. 1. The first 1,000 units of the tracking device are going up for sale, but massive number of people are registering to secure it.

Xiaomi claims that the Mi Band is a reliable activity tracker which offers a battery life of 30 days. Users can set alarms, get missed call notification right on their wrists. The water-proof band is IP-67 certified and works under water. It connects with both iOS and Android smartphones through Bluetooth 4.0 and a companion app.

As Xiaomi has kept the price negligible at Re. 1 for the Mi Band Preview, a massive crowd is sure to login the official Mi website. To be the lucky one, willing buyers will continually attempt to make a purchase, which will cause an unwanted onslaught of traffic. This will cause a problem for the rest of the buyers who wish to buy smartphones, power banks or other accessories. There might be chances of the website facing a temporary outage. The registrations started from April 28, and the sale will commence at 2pm on May 5.

April 29, 2015
Here’s Why It is Difficult for Developers to Create Games for Apple Watch

When Apple Watch went up for sale globally on Friday, nobody thought that games could find a place on Apple Watch. The Cupertino-based firm focused on health and fitness apps incorporated on its Watch, and never talked about any game-related app in its March 9 conference.

However, it sparks a question of whether developers would be able to shrink down games to the size of a 2-inch screen of the device. The gaming market for the smartphones is vast, and with the size of games decreasing year after year, it now seems possible. The preview page of Apple shows only two games.

It was learnt that developers don’t have access to full features of the wearable and development tools. But if any company succeeds to squeeze down a game to the size of the watch, it will have a firm grip on the smartwatch game sector. Apple has made a record-breaking $15 billion in 2014 through games in its App Store, and with estimates of 40 million Apple Watch to sell by year-end, there is a vast market for the developers ahead.

Some game developers have already started to take an initiative. New York-based studio Robot 5 says it has already designed three games that can be played on the 2-inch screen, along with seven more that will complete before the end of June.

Runeblade

Right now, the Apple Watch acts as a screen interface when tethered to the iPhone. Developers are still trying to figure out a way to develop native apps for the Watch. For making games on the wearable, it will need an entirely different mindset, however. Peter Chen, Founder and CEO of Robot 5 Studios says –

The biggest challenge is the complexity of the animations. iPhone games can have animations that are infinitely complex, with full control of each pixel and also of objects movements across the screen. Apple Watch games don’t have this kind of control over pixels and objects, so we have to mimic this kind of behavior.

It is likely that Apple will work on this issue on its launch or after, added Peter Chen. The 18-hour battery life of the wearable is also a problem for the developers.

It is quite evident that creating games for Apple Watch is not impossible. Just like for the iPhone and iPad, creating a set of games for the wearable needs a different approach.

Robot 5 Studios released a teaser of a new game. Check out how it looks like on Apple Watch in the video below:

https://youtu.be/tcwFyJysTG8

April 25, 2015
Motorola Introduces Steel Variant of Moto 360 in India

Months after releasing the leather version of Moto 360, Motorola has now announced the steel version of the smartwatch in India. The wearable with steel bands is available exclusively on Flipkart and comes in silver and black colour options. The new variants are priced at Rs. 19,999, which is Rs. 2,000 above the regular version.The smartwatch is the most appreciated wearables of all and holds some amazing features and specifications. The device has a 1.65-inch display and comes with Gorilla Glass protection. The water-proof Moto 360 runs on Google’s Android Wear OS and offers voice control. It is powered by a TI OMAP 3 processor along with 512MB of RAM and 4GB internal memory space. The 320mAh battery of the device can keep it running for up to 12 hours, as claimed by the company. The Moto 360 comes with Bluetooth 4.0 and sensors like pedometer and heart-rate monitor.

The company came up with a Gold edition as well, but for now, there is no word on its price and availability in the country. Meanwhile, we surfaced the news that the US-based firm is working on the successor of Moto 360. The smartwatch is in testing mode and can be announced any time soon.

Keep checking back for more updates.

April 24, 2015
Samsung Teases Round Display of its Next Gear Smartwatch

The next Gear smartwatch is the most-awaited product to come out of the Samsung factory. Till date, quite a few details were known about the next wearable device, but now we have significant information about its form factor. The Korean electronics giant today gave a slight glimpse of its next Gear smartwatch that confirms of it boasting a circular display. The revelation was made in a press release that speaks of developers getting an early access to the Software Development Kit (SDK) for the company’s next-generation smartwatch.

A round smartwatch is the first for Samsung, who has previously released rectangular and curved screen watches. It would look like Moto 360 that has gained critical acclaim.

An image (provided above) was affixed to the official statement that let slip a brief sight of its watch face. Below are five more round watch faces that appear to be freshly designed. The company seems to have partnered with CNN, Baidu, Yelp, Apposter, and FidMe and is looking for more businesses for a tie-up.

The Suwon-based electronics firm announced that it is building up an ecosystem for the seventh generation Gear smartwatch. It sent an open invitation to members of the global developer community saying that they can get early access to SDK of next Gear device. CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics, JK Shin commented –

Samsung has actively adapted its approach to wearable device development as the leader of the rapidly developing category. Through meaningful and progressive innovation, Samsung welcomes to developers and industry leaders to join this open collaboration effort to enrich and create unique user experiences for a new smart mobile life.

The company was expected to unveil the smartwatch at Mobile World Congress 2015 alongside Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, but instead, Samsung showcased virtual-reality headsets. It is expected that the next Gear device will run on Tizen OS with Exynos 7420 powering it. The smartwatch may launch in two variants. The company hasn’t come up with an official announcement till now, and we expect to hear it soon.

April 24, 2015
Thanks to Massive Demand, Apple Working to Accelerate its Smartwatch Production

Seems like Apple itself was dubious about the success of its first wearable, and ordered production of a limited number of Watch units. The demand of the Apple Watch, as forecasted by the US tracking firm Slice Intelligence, hit almost one million on its first day of pre-order, which outstrips the supply of the watch. As per Reuters, the consumer electronics giant is likely to speed up the production of the Apple Watch to meet the towering demand.

Analysts have predicted that Apple could see a total of 2.3 million to 4 million sales by June end. Meanwhile, Apple didn’t disclose the pre-order details on Monday as part of its usual strategy, and analysts are stating that this may be due to supply shortage.

A demand of 4 million is a great start for a company debuting in the wearables segment. Another Swiss analysis firm USB has revealed that the tech behemoth will sell as much as 16 million watches in FY 2015 ending September and 40 million in FY 2016.

Apple Watch was unveiled at the March 9 event and went up for pre-orders on April 10, and on sale on April 24. World over, the Apple Watch stores saw a huge flock of people patiently waiting to get a closer look at the personal luxury by Apple.

All these speculations point out to the fact that the fate of the Apple Watch was predicted wrongly by critics; they believed the device to be a worthless gadget with aggressive pricing.

April 14, 2015
LG’s New Design Patent Shows a Futuristic Smartphone-Watch Hybrid

We can all agree that the modern day design of smartphones have reached a standstill. Slowly tech industry giants are looking to develop futuristic devices with dual-bending display. Case in point – the bendable LG G Flex 2 and the dual-edge Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Another significant advancement that the firms are now aiming at is a bendable phone that can be wrapped around the wrist. Seems like LG may have overcome a major hurdle in making the hybrid wrist-phone concept a reality.

The Korean consumer electronics manufacturer has been granted a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that speaks of a phone and watch combination. The design patent gives a perspective view of a smartphone that can be bent at the ends to wrap around the band. It turns the band into a smart device that has the smartphone as a screen. Such a smart band would be nothing but a huge bracelet with an enormous screen.

Other images suggest that the smartphone can be docked onto the band or bracelet, transforming your hand into a portable phone holder. The patent doesn’t mention the mechanism behind securing a giant screen onto a wristband, but surely there has to be a locking system to keep it fixed.

LG has two bendable devices in its catalogue, G Flex and G Flex 2. At this point of time, it would be too early to say if this model is feasible as there are many hurdles building such a prototype. First of all the SoC (system-on-chip) has to be extremely thin and compact to fit in the thin band, then there are many other primary issues like paper-thin battery, which is a dream yet to achieve.

April 13, 2015
Apple Watch Hits One Million Pre-Orders on its First Day

According to reports from Slice Intelligence, Apple’s smartwatch kicked off to a solid start by receiving almost a million pre-orders in the US. Slice Intelligence is a firm that tracks and projects US consumer spendings through e-commerce mail receipts. Slice Intelligence projections showed Apple, on its first day of accepting orders, hit a million pre-orders based on 9,080 online shoppers.

Saw the estimates of 1M Apple Watch pre-orders in my inbox. Won’t be surprised by an official Apple statement tomorrow saying 2M.

— Kevin C. Tofel (@KevinCTofel) April 13, 2015

According to Slice reports, 71% of the Apple Watch pre-orders were for the larger 42mm case and 32% of the aluminum Sports Watch. The expensive 19-karat Gold model did not have enough pre-orders to be included in the list. The report also revealed that 28% of the pre-orders included a black Sports band, thus making it the most popular option for its customers. The steel Milanese Loop came in second with 25% after which came the Link Bracelet with 14%.

Apple has not given any verification to the data yet or the official sales figures of the Apple Watch. The smartwatch sales will begin on 24^th April in over nine countries: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, UK and the US. The company is encouraging pre-orders, which seem to be quickly selling out. The availability of the watches have been pushed to May or June due to the massive demands.

To read more about the Apple Watch, click here.

April 13, 2015
Samsung Galaxy S6 Comes to India But Where is the Apple Watch?

Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S6 is set to hit the Indian and global stores today. The Korean electronic behemoth has grasped the importance of the Indian consumers for the future of the smartphone industry and has been bringing phones almost at the same time as the global market. But the other major force in the tech industry, Apple is still not close to giving India that priority, which is evident by the lack of the country’s name in the release locations for the Apple Watch.

Apple Watch is the company’s newest product family. The wearable is available from $349 for the basic model, the Watch Sport, and the line of offering goes up to $17,000 for the gold plated version called the Watch Edition. People looking forward to owning the device can pre-order it today in the countries where it is offered. But the only piece of information that the Indian Apple fans get is that the Watch will come to the country ‘sometime in 2015’.

Samsung brought the Note 4 to India at the same time as the US.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 was already up for pre-order in India and goes up for sale today. Samsung had also brought its last major launch, the Note 4 to India on 17th October, exactly the same time it came to the United States.

It’s not like Apple has a small market in India. Just in the space of October to December of last year, the company sold 500,000 devices in India, and the number keeps growing. Of course, it is just a tiny fraction of the global sales that have helped the company to have the most profitable quarter in history. A push for the massive Indian population can help the company take the profit higher.

Things do look brighter for the Indian consumers as Apple has plans to set up 500 stores across India. So maybe then the Indian fans would not have to wait impatient hours to buy Apple products.

April 10, 2015
Apple Watch Faces Roadblock in the Swiss Market

Switzerland is known to be the land of exquisite watch makers. For decades, the Swiss watch has been one of the most prominent exports of the tiny European nation. The year now is 2015, and it’s the age of smartwatches. Silicon Valley giant, Apple is ready to launch its new product, the Apple Watch around the world, but it has hit a legal wall in the watchmakers’ nation.

Apple cannot sell the Watch with the name Apple or image of an Apple, which are both central to the branding of the product. The patent to the brand name in the country is held by William Longe, who received it in 1985. This patent is set to expire on December 5 of this year after which the tech giant can bring its new smartwatch to the country.

The patent issue was reported by Swiss broadcaster RTS. Till now there has been no comment from either Apple or the patent authority of Switzerland on the matter. Apple will be bringing its new product to nine countries on April 24th.

Seeing the challenge to their markets, the Swiss watchmakers are raising their game too. Founder of one of the largest watchmaker from the country, Swatch had recently said that the nation’s watch business will head for trouble if they don’t compete with the tech companies. Swatch has already unveiled their own smartwatches, but they look like toys at present. They will have to do a lot better to take on the offerings from Samsung, LG and of course, Apple.

April 6, 2015
Motorola is Currently Working on a Second Generation Moto 360 : Report

Moto 360 by Motorola was one of the best smartwatches of year 2014. Everyone appreciated it for its simple watch face and round design. Since the time of its launch, rumours started floating about the successor of Moto 360 and today, it another one has popped up.

According to a report by Phandroid, the Schaumburg-based electronics firm is working on a second-generation Moto 360 near its headquarters. The online tech publication claims that the next Moto smartwatch is codenamed as ‘Smelt’ and they have recovered proof of its existence. The source says that it has spotted a device with ‘Smelt’ codename that has been pinging from Mundelein – a city close to Schaumburg – to an anonymous Android developer’s console. The gadget is said to be running on Android 5.1 and sports a screen resolution of 360×360.

The explanation to why ‘Smelt’ could be the next Moto smartwatch is a bit bizarre, but that’s one of the primary grounds of this assumption. The publication says that Smelt defines ‘a small silvery fish that lives in both marine and freshwater’. At the time of Moto 360 testing, the wearable also received a codename of similar fashion – Minnow – which means ‘small freshwater fish’. From the common fish-themed codename, it turns out that the “Smelt” is the upcoming Moto wristwatch.

However, it’s just a presumption and Motorola hasn’t officially stated anything as of now. But this appears to be true in a way since the company has almost had a year to work on its next product.

April 4, 2015
Apple’s New Video Tutorials Demonstrate Apple Watch at its Best

Since the day Apple Watch was unveiled, it has received a heavy number of mixed reviews. Some say it is an overpriced device, while others suggest it will change the way the general audience looks at wearables. The Cupertino-based giant has decided to give its final customers a closer look at the Apple Watch and has released four new videos that demonstrate the Apple Watch at its best.

The videos describe how the Apple’s first smart watch can make your day-to-day tasks a lot easier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LHdVkPrdRYg

The company recently updated its Apple Watch web page with four new videos. The clips walk the users through several features of the Watch giving a fair idea about how to use it and what it can do. The first one of the four is an introductory clip that says “Welcome to Apple Watch.” The 4:44 minutes video is dedicated to providing an elaborate detail of its hardware and software concepts like Messages, Digital crown, Force Touch and Faces. The video narrates the power of Apple Watch and how it is a must-have accessory for every iPhone user.

The other three videos are comparatively shorter than the introductory video and finishes within 2 minutes. Each of them focuses on one key feature and demonstrates how to customize the watch. The Faces speaks about how with a long press, all the watch faces come up and you can make a selection from a list. Tap any to make it the new face and customise it as you desire like changing hand colours, adding calendar and weather, and more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=N6ezjg6-0hU

Similarly, Messages and Digital Touch give an insight into the functionality of the other features. Messages give a tour of sending audio and text messages along with numerous emoji options. The Digital Touch caters to your social habits. The side button below the Digital crown gives access to your friends. You can add contacts, send sketches, taps, messages, and heartbeats to your contacts, and of course, you can ring them any time using the Watch.

Meanwhile, Apple has made public only 4 of the videos, while the official web page depicts 7 more guided tours each with “Coming Soon” tag. These include Phone Calls, Siri, Maps, Music, Activity, Apple Pay and workout. Apple Watch will go on sale on 24th of this month. Needless to say, we’re extremely excited to get our hands on Apple’s first wearable.

You can check out all the videos here.

April 4, 2015