Tag: wearable technology

This wearable technology saw its debut at the Rio 2016 Olympics and was worn by athletes there.

The NFC Ring has been attracting interest since its original crowdfunding by way of Kickstarter. It has finally made its debut, which occurred at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Olympic athletes wore the wearables enabled with near field communication technology. This made it possible for them to pay for their purchases using their Visa accounts.

Now, these wearable technology devices are available for the rest of the public to pre-order.

The NFC Ring works through near field communication technology. This means that it can be tapped against NFC readers in-store to pay for purchases. The tech is now available for pre-order and has a price tag of about $53. The user must choose his or her ring size in order to make sure it will fit his or her hand. The first wave of shipments are expected to begin in December. That said, while it is equipped with the technology for mobile payments it’s important to note that the relationship with Visa was limited to the test with the Olympians.

The NFC Ring payments technology is getting ready for widespread use.

NFC technology is a much shorter range of wireless communication than Bluetooth or WiFi. This means that a mobile payments transaction can’t be completed unless the wearables are waved immediately over the reader or are tapped together.

Many of the largest mobile wallets use this technology. This includes Apple Pay, Android Pay and many others launched by credit card companies and even retailers. The new wearable technology is among the first to provide a device other than a smartphone or smartwatch for mobile payments.

This specific project began with Kickstarter around three years ago. It has been carefully watched by the tech community and consumers alike. This marks its first release for public purchase. It is sold in black and white ceramic color options. The design is such that it appears to be a regular ring instead of some form of technology.

Aside from mobile payments, the NFC Ring can also be used with near field communication enabled smartphones and tablets to unlock them without the need for a password or passcode.

* Correction – this article was altered on August 27, 2016. It had previously inaccurately implied that the relationship between Visa and the NFC Ring extended beyond the test among the Olympians in Rio 2016.

As the fast food chain scrambles for a more healthful image, its wearable tech effort flops.

For a very short time, kids were finding McDonald’s fitness tracker devices in their Happy Meals. This wearable technology gadget was taking the place of the traditional toy the company ads to its kids’ meals.

Shortly after rolling out the Step It wearable technology, kids started complaining of skin irritations.

The McDonald’s fitness tracker made headlines and drummed up a lot of attention for the Happy Meals. However, shortly after its August 9 roll out in the United States and Canada, it was removed. The removal of the wearables was voluntary by the fast food chain. It was in response to several complaints of wrist irritation from wearing the Step It activity bands.

A spokesperson from the company released a statement. It said “We have taken this swift and voluntary step after receiving limited reports of potential skin irritations that may be associated from wearing the band.”

The McDonald’s fitness tracker is under investigation to determine the source of the skin issue.

The spokesperson underscored that the safety of their customers is of their highest priority. They are conducting a thorough investigation into the problem with the wearable technology band. In the meanwhile, an alternative Happy Meal toy is being distributed to children.

The Step It activity tracker was essentially a pedometer that was worn on a child’s wrist. It was a very basic device meant to promote activity. It provided blinking lights to encourage kids to keep up the good work when they were moving around.

The wearable tech device was designed with four buttons. The first was a power button. The other three let the child identify his or her activity. Activities included: walking, jumping rope and general sports. This allowed the device to more accurately track the type of motion it was sensing.

The McDonald’s fitness tracker isn’t the first wearable technology to have been taken down from skin irritations. The current ruler of the activity band market, Fitbit, once suffered similar struggles. Its own first wearable had to be recalled in 2014 and in 2015. The Fitbit Surge has also received some complaints regarding skin irritations.