Category: Wearables

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

ARM Unleashes Cortex M7 Chip To Make Smart Devices More Powerful

Internet of Things is the buzzword of this decade, turning everything around us into interconnected computers. Well, every computer needs a processor to run, which in turn consumes power.

The processors for various smart devices need a whole different class of chip as they don’t have a traditional interface. Usually, for a devices to become smart, they need to be user friendly and convenient. Hence, the most popular smart devices are generally small in size which means they need smaller processor with equal power. This is achieved by special type of microprocessors called Embedded Processors.

But, until now, these embedded processors were still low on power and needed an upgrade to meet the need of the consumers. ARM, the company that has its chip tech in almost every smartphone today, just gave the category a big upgrade.

The company announced the latest processor in its M-series. These are a set of low-power processors capable of handling embedded devices like smart home appliances, drones, automotive and wearables. It is focused on making these devices more powerful. The company’s 32-bit Cortex-M7 chip architecture is a big step up from the previous top-of-the-line, the M4.

Being able to perform twice as well, while consuming the same battery life as previous chips will have benefits to many wearables. The M7 comes with a 400MHz processor, packing more than twice the punch as the 168MHz M4 that came before it (and will continue to be available to manufacturers). It comes with support for more displays, motors, voice controls, connectivity, audio performance and improved GPS accuracy.

The company said that manufacturers are already building devices with the chip embedded, so it won’t be long before we get to see if the extra power actually makes a difference in our everyday lives.

September 24, 2014
Oculus Reveals New VR Headset Prototype Codenamed ‘Crescent Bay’

Unlike Google’s Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR, which use a smartphone, Facebook and Oculus VR are aiming at a much more sophisticated, independent and ultra-high-res experience with their new VR prototype codenamed as Crescent Bay.

The company revealed the new prototype, which is an upgraded version DK2 Headset, at the recent Oculus connect conference. “It’s as big of a leap as we made from DK1 to DK2,” says Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe, referring to the first two versions of the Rift development kit. The new headset comes with 360-degree tracking, letting the Rift’s external camera track the back of the headset as well as the front, making it easier for people to move without feeling constrained by staying in the camera’s range.

The first Oculus Rift VR headsets were shipped in the spring of 2013, but a consumer version has not yet been announced. According to the company so far, over 100,000 Rift development kits have been shipped to 130 countries, and the company is still filling pre-orders for its second-generation model. The Crescent Bay prototype follows “Crystal Cove,” which was first shown off at CES 2014 in January — the DK2, which is based on it, came out a couple of months later.

Oculus and Samsung announced their Gear VR mobile headset earlier this month, and it is believed mobile and desktop VR will ultimately complement each other in coming time. Oculus created its first real in-headset user interface for the Gear VR, and it’s now said that it will be releasing a mobile app for VR games.

September 22, 2014
Google Glass Competitor Sony SmartEyeGlass to Arrive Next March

Even though wearables have caused a lot of excitement in the tech scene, there has been barely any competition matching up to Google Glass. And it has been a year since Google Glass was launched. Now Sony will soon launch a device in the market that would be competing with the Google Glass headset.

Sony’s new SmartEyeGlass was first shown off back in January at CES 2014. The device aims to be as versatile as Glass while bettering it in some respects as well. However, Sony has made quite a few changes in the device.

There’s an accelerometer, gyroscope, electronic compass, ambient light sensor, and a 3-megapixel camera. And what sets it apart from the Google Glass is that it comes with a wire connecting it to an external battery pack equipped with an extra touch sensor and microphone.

Sony has released the software development kit (SDK) for SmartEyeGlass yesterday for developers. The company also promised to have hardware kits available for developers to buy by the end of March. Apart from the battery set up the key difference between this heads-up display and Glass is that Sony uses a green monochrome display to overlay information atop the user’s general view.

The Google Glass rival will work in sync with compatible Android smartphones to provide the users with notifications and other useful information like navigation directions.

September 20, 2014
The Adidas miCoach Smart Run Smartwatch is Here!

Adidas, the German sportswear giant, has introduced a new smart watch called the miCoach Smart Run. The new smartwatch, according to the company, is the most advanced and intuitive wrist based running device in the market. The smartwatch, which will be available exclusively on the Adidas website, will also allow runners to track their runs using GPS mapping.

“There are no cables, straps and additional sensors with this all-in-one device — Smart Run uses optical technology to track heart rate from wrist, an in-built accelerometer counting every step to help monitor stride rate and GPS to track speed, distance and logs,” said the company in a statement.

The watch is priced at Rs. 24,999 and is exclusively available at shop.adidas.co.in. The new device sports a 1.45 inch color touch screen display and also a MP3 player with Bluetooth wireless audio delivers music and audible coaching guidance. The Adidas miCoach app is already available on iOS and Android devices.

The new emerging market of smartwatches is swelling in a rapid speed with new devices launching practically every week. Last week, Apple announced its much-awaited smart watch called the Apple Watch, which comes with expensive sensors and NFC. While new Apple Watch is not dedicated to healthcare or athletics, it support apps like pedometer and heart rate monitor to help users monitor various bodily functions.

September 16, 2014
Does the Apple Watch Make Sense For the Indian Market?

Yesterday at the massive event held at Cupertino California, Apple announced its long-awaited smartwatch, the Apple Watch. And we have to admit, this revolutionary device looked stunning. Square face with detachable straps, Apple Watch has an easy to understand interface for working with standard applications. It’s user-friendly, equipped with the new ‘Apple Pay’ remote payment system, and, obviously, comes with amazing watchfaces. With three choices to choose from, Apple Watch, Sport, and Edition, there ought to be something for everybody.

Well, everybody here might refer to be restricted to people from developed country. How much is Apple’s newest technology feasible for a country like ours, where tech such as NFC and Apple Pay wouldn’t be of much use?

Clearly, Apple has put lot of brains and research in the Watch. However, the starting range US$349 (INR 22,000 approx), Apple’s Watch seem quite expensive in Indian market which is ruled by value for money budget devices. The Indian handset market is ruled by Android-powered smartphones. It seems to be a major setback that the Apple Watch requires an iPhone to operate. Which makes its real price much, much higher.

Second major setback, India doesn’t have kind of technology to fully experience the power of Apple Pay, which will be one of the selling points of this device other countries. In India, over the past year, there have been several NFC trials for ticketing in Delhi Metro, in Delhi buses and a movie halls in Mumbai, which failed.

Apple has also tied up with several app developers to create useful apps for their watch. One of the important features which was welcomed yesterday, with a round of applause from the audience, was the ability to open hotel room doors by simply tapping the Apple Watch to the door. This feature was brought out with collaboration with Starwood Hotels, a popular chain in the US. They’ve even teamed up with American Airlines, to automatically show you your flight information and a copy of your boarding pass on your watch. With such apps, Apple Watch eliminated the need to carry around magnetic plastic cards provided by hotels and the need to safe-keep your boarding pass. However, it will take a long time before Indigo Airlines or Taj Hotels invest to work on such technology.

We wouldn’t say that this wearable would fail in our country. It still has several interesting features which would make life simpler, no matter where you’re located on the globe. Apple’s ecosystem is undeniably very strong. The way it lures consumers into the endless arena of iPods, iPhones, Macs, App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple TV is enviable.

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September 10, 2014
The Smartwatch Battle Begins! Apple Watch vs Moto 360

Apple’s first attempt on the still nascent wearable market was huge, with people eyeing Tim Cook’s wrist the moment he entered the stage. Apple Watch (not iWatch) will be priced at $349 and will be available by early 2015. It will come in three variations – Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and the Apple Watch Edition. The wearable will be compatible with iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus.

There are already quite a few competitors trying to define what should a smartwatch look like on your wrist. However, Google beat Apple in that race by just a few months by releasing Android Wear. One of the crowd’s favourite is Moto 360 which was launched last week, priced a hundred dollars less at 250$.

The smartwatch technology is still in its infant stage. Apple is known for its innovations and setting trends like it did with iPods and iPads; the Apple Watch is anticipated to have the same impact. However, both Moto 360 and Apple Watch both have their strengths and weaknesses. A quick rundown to help you decide which one to buy, once the devices are available.

Interface

Both companies have provided several interestingly themed watch faces which can be changed easily to suit your mood. Agreed that our watches are getting smarter, but the basic function of the watch is to tell time every time we look at the device. Apple Watch display turns off when you aren’t looking at it. When you turn your wrist, it’ll light up again only showing information when you want it.

In Moto 360, colors pop on the display, and everything is easily viewable, even in direct sunlight. However, when the display is dimmed it darkens after a few seconds of inactivity, but the time is still visible. Though, it is very hard to see outdoors. Waking up the watch is as simple as lifting your wrist; same as on the Apple Watch.

On-The-Go Information and Notifications

Main aim of smartwatches since their earlier days has been to minimize handset use by integrating phone notification with the smartwatch on your wrist for a easy and more convenient experience. In Apple Watch all notifications coming through your phone will pop up on your watch. If the app developer chooses to, they can enrich that notification to let you do a lot more with it — replying to messages or even taking actions, like accepting a Facebook friend request. All together, it sounds fairly decent.

Google’s smartwatch platform is all about notifications, which uses most of its interface. In Moto 360, all of your notifications are routed to it, and you can swipe through the phone to view them all, dismiss them, and even act on some of them. That said, you can’t use them as easily as Apple hopes to allow.

A good smartwatch, in my opinion, is the one gives you what you want, when you want it, without having to do to much. To some extend both Apple and Motorola have achieved that. Apple promises that the person sitting next to you would not be able to tell that you’ve received a notification. The notification buzz will simply give the effect as if someone is tapping you lightly on your wrist. You can customise the apps which you’d like notifications from. It will use the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi from the iPhone for all communication purposes. The built-in speaker phone and microphone can be used to receive calls and use the built-in Siri. With a simple tap on the digital crown, Siri can be activated.

The Moto 360 can do a number of things, such as display incoming calls and texts, measure your heart rate, pull up directions from Google Maps, count your steps, and tell you the weather. The idea behind Android Wear is that the watch should display contextual information before you even need to ask for it. Google Now has always been really capable, and its ability to predict and surface information that you’re interested in is built right into Android Wear. So, for example, if your favorite IPL team has a match at 7 p.m. tonight, Android Wear would display that information on your wrist automatically.

Health and Fitness

The Moto 360 has a heart rate monitor on the underside, that’s good for getting a causal fix on your overall health, but it will not be much of use for vigorous workouts sessions. On the Moto 360 are three pre-installed apps for measuring your overall health. Fit shows how many steps you’ve taken during the day, can measure your heart rate, and lets you set a goal for the number of steps you take each day. In a similar vein, Heart Activity displays how many minutes you need to be active during each day (it’s set at 30 minutes), and how close you are to completing that goal.

Apple Watch promises to take over and take it to a whole new level. Instead of simply tracking daily activities, the watch will actually encourage you to be more active. It has two key apps for this; the first will map your fitness activity through the day, while the second and the more important one, will help you set goals and then help you achieve them.

Thirty-Party Apps

For wearables to entice prospective buyers, third party apps were needed and both Motorola and Apple understood that. Apple has already experimented with certain third-party apps. Developers will be able to create custom notifications for the home screen. For example, the City Mapper will remind you to get off at the right station, the BMW app will direct you to where you would’ve parked your car and the Nike app will allow you to challenge your friends to go for a run.

It’s been a few months, and Google says there are already thousands of apps that support Android Wear. Facebook Messenger, for instance, will now send messages to Wear and can accept responses dictated over voice. Though, we’ve seen a handful of good apps that run specifically on Wear, but no one has actually gave us any breakthrough app yet.

Style

Since watches are worn all the time, it’s important that they look good. The design and style should suit you well. The Apple Watch will be available in six designs. The watch comes with a mechanism which would make it super easy to switch between the straps. The straps include a sport band, soft quilted leather and stainless steel options. And since one size does not fit all, Apple has also developed smaller sizes.

The Moto 360’s 1.56-inch-diameter round display is big, bold, and feels a lot larger than a square display. It has a 320×290 resolution, effectively, at 205ppi. Actually, it’s not fully round there’s a bit of a black bar on the bottom. Apple has done great job by giving us variety, but Moto 360’s round dial and sleek look has already garnered many fans.

A biggest setback is that the Apple Watch will be compatible with only with iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus, on the other hand the Moto 360 isn’t as exclusive or biased to its own brand. Apple definitely stands out with its sophisticated and extensive sensors. Unlike Moto 360, Apple Watch seems to do much more than just showing you notifications. It seems both the devices have the right components, they just need to get some developers to come up with more compelling apps.

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September 10, 2014
Com1 : A Powerful Smartwatch Designed To Take On The Giants

The Smartwatch market is heating up with the big brand such as Samsung, LG, Motorola and Asus bringing their versions of the wearable. Now using the open source awesomeness of the Android Wear operating system an indiegogo campaign is trying to bring its version of a powerful smartwatch. The Com1 has some competitive specs, and it can actually pose some serious challenge to its competition.

The Com1 has a squared clock face and as mentioned earlier is powered by the Android Wear OS. It gets its processing might from a 1GHz XBurst-based Ingenic JZ4775 processor. It has a Dedicated 2D graphics engine and is capable of playing 720p videos at 30 fps.

The Smartwatch also has massive 3GB of RAM and 32 GB of eMMC internal storage. It also offers a wide array of connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM and NFC.

The display on the device is a LED Backlit, 1.6,” 240 x 240 TFT LCD screen. It also has multiple sensors including 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer with pressure, humidity and temperature sensors.It has a thickness of just 8mm.

The Com1 is IP67 certified

Like the Moto 360, Com1 comes with IP67 rating that certifies its water resistance. With this, you can go ahead with your daily tasks without worrying about the complicated electronics on your wrists getting affected by random splashes of water. It is waterproof up to 1m of water.

The Com1 has a 400 mAh Battery that the company claims will last for two days. It can be charged using the USB port on the watch.

There are multiple strap options to choose from.

To make the device more appealing to varied ages the makers also provide a selection of watch straps. The options available are; Black, White Brown Leather and Stainless Steel Strap. This will surely sweeten the deal for a person going on a lookout for a Smartwatch.

Google Now works on the device and so does all the Android Wear apps, after all it has some great RAM under the hood. The usual apps such as Music, Maps, Fitness, Hangouts, Google Keep and Calendar work automatically on the device.

These stylish devices can pose some serious threat to the big brand devices.

Overall this device does deserve a chance. If you are as impressed with the device as we are, you can pledge to the project at Indiegogo. With 28 days left, the company has got 6% of its required pledges. The company’s stretch goals of $80000 would bring Moto 360 like wireless charging on this device. With all the good specs and design features, the smartwatch is one of the cheapest out there. The company is giving out the early bird pledges at $125, and its most expensive watch costs $170 which is fairly cheap for what it offers. It will be shipped out in January 2015.

We hope to see this succeed to see some real competition to the giants. Devices like these will encourage the big name brands to make their devices better, so it will be a win-win for all. In its present state, the Com1 does show the potential of becoming the OnePlus One of the smartwatch market. We’ll know in 28 days if the hard work of the developers is realized.

September 9, 2014
New Details About Apple’s iWatch Design Leaked

Apple’s September 9th event is few hours away and rumors are still flying high. A latest leak on Reddit supposedly depicts the specs and diagrams of Apple iWatch. While plenty of images purporting to be the new iPhone 6 have made it to the internet, Apple has managed to keep the iWatch under wraps – until now.

The images, posted on Reddit, allegedly show CAD design drawings of the iWatch chassis and components, including a mic and speaker. Descriptions accompanying the images claim that the iWatch will feature a multi-touch, flexible screen that will “add a new dimension to the UI.”

The Reddit user who posted the images, called OwenCarlyle, says the watch will also support Siri, Apple’s voice command system. The Reddit user also claimed that the iWatch will last for more than a day on a single charge, will be waterproof to 60m and won’t have any external connection points which could line up with past reports of the smartwatch features wireless charging.

The leaker also claims that the device will go into mass production sometime this January while describing the wearable computer as “the most complex and expensive product to manufacture to date.” Purported schematics are labeled as coming from Quanta, which has been reported to be Apple’s manufacturing partner for the device.

Other images show renders of various components of the devices, such as the microphone and speaker, although one blurry photo purports to show the iWatch housing, which is rectangular in shape. Apple is widely expected to unveil a wearable device alongside new iPhones on today. The event is due to start at 10:30 IST.

September 9, 2014
What We Hope to See at Apple’s Mega Event on 9th September

It has been way too long since the internet has been abuzz with rumours about the much-awaited iWatch and the next iPhone 6. Love ’em or hate ’em, you have to admit that Apple has a history of making some fine products. And after reading plethora of leaks over the past few months, we’re excited to finally find out what Apple has in store for us this year.

With Apple’s September 9th event only a few hours away, we’re still witnessing the last round of leaks and rumours. Few hours ago, a leak has shown us the working iPhone 6 for the first time.

The company had sent press invites last week with the cryptic statement ‘wish we could say more’ in the typical Apple style. The event will be held at Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California which is the same venue where Apple debuted the Macintosh computer in 1984, 30 years ago. It is said that the venue is chosen to pay a homage to the company’s first big achievement with another groundbreaking device, the iWatch.

It is expected Apple will showcase two iPhones this year, same as last year (iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C). However, this year the second variant will not be a step down but will come with the bigger screen and better innards. Anyhow, there are numerous rumors and it is hard to keep track of it all but there are some important advancements and iterations which are expected to come with these three devices.

Lets take a moment and dissect what Apple has in store for us and what we want from the new-gen Apple devices.

The Bigger The Better

As we all know, Apple’s been working on not one, but two iPhones: a 4.7-inch version and 5.5-inch phablet for people who think iOS 8 needs more real estate to breathe. Debates have raged over whether Apple will cover those displays in ultra-durable sapphire crystal. However, recent rumors have suggested that the company won’t take the plunge, but instead they’ll offer 128GB versions of the new phones.

Exciting Upgrades

It is also been said that there will be more upgrades — a faster chip, increased resolution and improvements to the camera. Also, it is said that Apple will include NFC in the new iPhones. This will simplify the process of pairing an iWatch (if NFC is also included in the device) and an iPhone as well as both can be used to encourage mobile payment directly. A feature many companies are trying to achieve but have failed until now.

Affordable Prices

It’s highly unlikely, but we can dream. It is said that 5.5 inch iPhone 6L will be $50-100 more than the 4.7 inch variant. Recent leak suggested that Apple iPhone 6 with 4.7” display will purportedly cost 6,663 HKD, 7,671 HKD, and 8,679 HKD . The aforementioned prices are for devices with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB of built-in memory respectively. According to the leak listing of prices, the iPhone 6 with 5.5-inch display is unsurprisingly more expensive (it is rumored to have more powerful hardware on board). It is reportedly priced at 7,923 HKD for the 16GB model, 8,931 HKD for a 32GB unit, and 9,687 HKD for a device with 64GB of onboard memory. If you convert these purported prices into Indian currency and add the standard import duties, iPhone 6’s 4.7 inch variant will come at the starting price at Rs. 61,900 approx and the 5.5 inch variant may come at starting price of Rs. 71,800.

The Super Cool New OS

Well, also iOS 8 will make its debut with these devices and anyone with an iPhone 4S or later will be able to download iOS 8 on Sept. 17. The company added tons of developer tools for home mechanization, heavy gaming performance and extensions in abundance. There’s a lot of polished new apps and add-ons that is expected to earn rave reviews.

Siri Becoming More Helpful

Siri can now be activated by saying “hey Siri,” rather than pressing the home button. She can now understand more languages and accents. The best part? Apple has gone ahead to integrate a music-recognition feature, so you can know which tune is being played instantly, without wasting time to open an app. You have the option to download the song instantly from iTunes, and if you’ve installed Shazam, you can save the song in your tabs.

The Wearable Trend : iWatch

It is quite amazing that Apple has managed to keep most of its iWatch details a secret. It is said iWatch won’t be available after it is launched with iPhone 6 which goes on sale on the Friday of the week following the event — in this case, Sept. 19. The smartwatch category is certainly experiencing a boom, although it’s still unclear if consumers really want them. The iWatch could be the product to take smartwatches mainstream, but to do that, it needs to do something that no other wearable does.

Extensive Sensors

Rumors say the iWatch will have a curved-screen design, come in two sizes and have multi-day battery life. But based on early leaks of the software, its highlight will be the extensive sensor data that it gathers about the wearer’s health. The unveiling of the new iWatch will connect the dots between the Health app, which was unveiled at WWDC 2014, iPhone 6 and wearables.

How Apple Plays the Beats

This event will also be the first event after Apple has acquired headphone-maker Beats. While it’s only been a month, it’s still a bit early for the first Beats project with Apple company, we may see the beginning of the collaboration or at least an appearance by Dr. Dre.

September 8, 2014
Mymo: A Fitness Wearable That Pays You to Be Fit

Wearable health devices are slowly flooding the market. Equipped with sensors, these devices are capable of informing you on your activity through the day. But the basic motivation to get moving still has to come from within, so a company called Tupelo brings a wearable that can give you that extra push.

Tupelo’s fitness wearable Mymo is a one of a kind device. The coin-sized wearable which can be clipped on, tracks the users’ steps, distance travelled and calories burnt. The device connects to any Android device; it also works with the iPhone as well as desktop PC’s.

The most convenient aspect of Mymo is that the battery on the device lasts about 6 months before the need for a recharge. This gives it considerable advantage over its competition.

Coming back, the extra push that we spoke of in the beginning; Mymo is perhaps the only device that lets user cash in their fitness points with real life goods. The device starting at Rs. 3,999 offers amazing 12 month rewards package. Users can track their movements and earn ‘MyMiles’. These MyMiles points can then be redeemed for rewards like talk time, groceries, air miles and even international vacations.

You can even compare your results with friends and family through the Tupelo leaderboard. The Tupelo Life app is available now in the Google Play Store and is soon going to be launched in the App Store.

Tupelo is a Dubai based company and it plans to bring more heath devices in India. It plans to build a comprehensive wellness platform here. The company is also offering real Gold for the first 1000 customers. These customers will automatically enter into the program in which their daily activity can earn them a full gram of gold, which at current rates would be worth Rs.2700, the device literally will pay for itself.

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September 6, 2014
Apple iWatch Rumored to Come in Two Sizes with NFC and Curved OLED Display

This may be the last round of rumours surrounding Apple’s most mysterious wearable. We’ve been waiting to have a Apple product wrapped around our wrist for quite some time. Now we’re wishing and hoping that Apple unveils it on its 9th September event.

The latest leaks have pointed out to the fact that the expected iWatch might come in two sizes, both with curved OLED displays, will be able to track health and fitness data, and will include NFC for to make mobile payments directly from your wrist.

OLED display has been criticised for having over-saturated colors but now, Apple may use the OLED display for its first ever wearable. An OLED display only needs to light up pixels that are actively in use, meaning that Apple’s watch could potentially display some basic information such as an analogue watch face while leaving the rest of the screen black. Using OLED display can save battery in the smartwatch.

The addition of NFC in the smartwatch comes in line with rumors of inclusion of the same technology in iPhone 6, too. This will simplify the process of pairing an iWatch and an iPhone as well as both can be used for encouraging mobile payment directly from the smartwatch, which many companies are trying to achieve but have failed until now.

It is said one of the main features of Apple’s upcoming iWatch is the variety of health sensors. However, the details about this has been scarce. A heart-rate sensor is believed to be one of them. As far as display sizes goes, reports have varied, however, earlier reports have pointed to sizes between 1.3-inches and 2.5-inches. If this to be believed, Apple’s iWatch will have one of the biggest watch face in the smartwatch market.

September 5, 2014
IFA 2014 : Garmin’s Fitness Tracker Vivosmart Comes With Smartwatch Capabilities

Fitness trackers have created their own niche market in the tech industry. While they are small, easy to manage and minimalistic than most smartwatches, they are also seem restricted to certain features.

At the ongoing IFA 2014, Garmin, popular in-car navigation systems maker, has introduced a new wearable device that combines the communication features of a smartwatch with the fitness-centric capabilities of an activity tracker. The Vivosmart does what typical activity trackers do best, along with which it borrows some of the key features typically found in smartwatches.

Unlike its predecessor, Vivofit, Vivosmart can also receive notifications from your smartphone for everything from social media updates to emails and text messages, all displayed on the device’s horizontal screen. You can also use the Vivosmart to control your smartphone’s music player.

Vivosmart has a hidden OLED display which light ups with a double tap. A finger swipe on the display rotates through various customizable display pages, like the fitness-focused ones. The Vivosmart is waterproof up to about 50 meters and is fueled to get up to 7 days of battery life.

It also tracks your sleep, based on movement, and offers daily reports on how much time you spent moving vs being still. In fact, through the Garmin Connect app, all your activity data gets translated into easier-to-understand charts and graphs.

None of the fitness trackers from the likes of Jawbone or Fitbit, two of the biggest names in fitness bands, can do this, giving the Vivosmart a huge advantage over its rivals. The Vivosmart goes on sale in mid-September exclusively at Best Buy for $169 or $199, it is already up for pre-order.

September 5, 2014
Samsung’s Galaxy Gear VR, It’s An Oculus For Note 4

Samsung had quite an eventful, launches filled day today. After facing immense amount of criticism for lack of innovation, Samsung flexed out its innovation muscle for its critics. The company released varied products that were impressive in their own strengths. One major release is the Gear VR which is a virtual reality headset that uses the Note 4 for displaying content.

Few weeks back we had heard of oculus using the Note 3 screen for its display. Guess there were bigger plans at work and Samsung working in coordination with Oculus brought out this piece of gadgetry.

Apart from the focus control and the trackpad, there aren’t any manual controls/
Image Credit: The Verge

The device looks like Oculus but is untethered and only works with the Note 4. The only control it has is a trackpad on the right and focus adjusting wheel on the top.

The Gear VR does remind you of the Google Cardboard project but much more complete. It also has a safety support for the head so the device stays stable on the head.

The device comes with some preloaded content, and you can use it to play games, watch immersive videos. The coolest aspect of the device would be the Tony Stark labs which let you peer at the world with Tony Starks perspective, We are Sold!

The release date of the device is not mentioned yet, but it hopefully will arrive by this fall. We’ll be vigilantly looking forward to this one.

September 3, 2014
IFA 2014 : Sony Launches First Android Wear Smartwatch 3 and SmartBand Talk

IFA is expected to go big on the wearable category. Just like Samsung, LG, Motorola and others, Sony has launch two wearable devices – Sony Smartwatch 3 and SmartBand Talk.

Unlike earlier versions, Sony Smartwatch 3 is based on the Google’s Android Wear. The device sports 1.6-inch 320 x 320 LCD display. It runs on 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and 420mAh battery. And also, following the Sony’s waterproof obsession he SmartWatch 3 comes with IP68 waterproof and dustproof certification.

The company didn’t revealed any pricing details, however, it is expected to be priced around $300 ith an additional watchband priced at $30 per band.

The company announced another wearable, called SmartBand Talk. The company described it as a “powerful lifelogging wearable, with intuitive features” that will cost $200 later this year. The device can run 3 day on a single charge and have built in microphone and loud speaker.

The device lets users record various fitness and health-related activities, while also supporting voice calls when paired with a smartphone. The SmartBand Talk has a 1.4-inch e-ink display, 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 processor, 2MB of internal flash memory, a 70mAh battery, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 LE and microUSB support. The device is also IP68 certified, and is supposed to work with Android devices running KitKat or later courtesy the special Lifelog Android application.

September 3, 2014
Android Wear Updates to Make Smartwatches More Independent

The biggest factor blamed for the slow adoption of smartwatches is their need to be connected with smartphones. This made them more of an accessory than an actual fully-functional device. Now the companies have sensed the need to detach the Smartwatch from the smartphone while keeping its smartness intact. Google plans to do the same with its Android Wear Operating system.

Google in talks with CNET said that the company plans to bring several updates for the Android Wear ecosystem. These updates will add additional features to the devices as well as cut the umbilical cord that feeds the wearables their features through the smartphones.

These updates will help decouple the Smartwatch from the Smartphone

The updates are essential to providing independent features to these devices. Updates such as Bluetooth headsets support will let you hold your playlist on your watch itself so that you don’t need to lug around your huge smartphone when you go out for a run. In a GPS-enabled smartwatch, the GPS support will map your jog for you.

The updates will be rolled out on a regular basis and will roll out from next week. The first update is expected to advance the voice and navigation features of the smartwatches. One update that the customers will really look forward to is the one that will provide custom watch faces. This will offer the option to have customized watch faces that the users can select according to their liking.

There is still a lot of promise in this burgeoning tech segment. Smart wearables are where the companies are putting their money right now. If Google succeeds in bringing a standardized operating system that is appreciated by the people at large, it will be a big boost to the smartwatch category. Not only would there be a recognizable UI throughout, it will also help easily interconnect with the wide Android ecosystem.

It’s time Apple opened its cards on the long rumoured iWatch. The world is waiting to see if Apple can stop Android’s victory march midway.

September 3, 2014