Tag: smartwatch

Smartwatch from Apple to launch in the fall

| June 11, 2014

According to a recent report, the so-called iWatch will finally throw the tech giant into the wearables market.

According to a report in the Japanese newspaper “Nikkei”, Apple is getting ready to take its first steps into the smartwatch marketplace with a wearable technology device that will feature an OLED curved screen and will start to ship in October.

The report stated that this device will have features that will allow the wearer to monitor and track health status.

The Nikkei report, which cited anonymous sources, said that Apple intends to manufacture between 3 and 5 million of these smartwatch wearable devices every month. This would represent more than the total global sales of wristwatch-like smart devices in 2013. This wearable device, which has been called the iWatch by those who have been waiting for its unveiling – though whether or not that will actually be its name or not is unknown – will have a range of different mhealth, tracking, and smartphone related functions.

The smartwatch will provide the wearer with health stats while connecting to an iPhone.

wearable smartwatch iwatchSo far, the Nikkei source said that the touchscreen will feature a curved organic light-emitting diode (OLED), and will collect certain types of health and fitness data such as sleep activity, calorie burning, and blood oxygen and glucose levels. It will also allow messages sent over smartphones to be accessed through the wearable technology.

This report was issued just as Apple was bringing its 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference, a week-long event – to a close. During that conference, the company placed the spotlight on its newly debuted iOS 8 next generation of mobile operating system. It also brought out the OS X Yosemite for PCs.

The event indirectly brought wearable technology and the expected smartwatch into the headlines through the inclusion of the programming interfaces into iOS 8, which include the HealthKit. That would allow health and fitness applications to be able to communicate with each other, provided that the user grants permission. This type of feature would be exceptionally practical in a wearable device that could monitor and track biofeedback. Though this could be quite the coincidence, it is much more likely that this is part of the company’s build toward the wearables launch.

Microsoft smartwatch is on its way

| June 9, 2014

The software giant is now setting up to create and launch its own wearable technology device.

According to a recent report from Forbes, a Microsoft smartwatch may be one of the next entrants into the wearable technology marketplace, and this device will likely be able to sync will a range of different devices, including those based on Windows Phone (of course), as well as those based on Android and iOS.

The launch of these wearables could be released as soon as this summer, said the report.

The initial reports and rumors on the Microsoft smartwatch suggest that it will include a number of fitness tracking functions, such as being able to monitor the wearer’s heart rate. The Forbes report indicated that this information came from “multiple sources with knowledge of the company’s plans.” While it does appear that a summer release is planned, the specific date has not yet been revealed.

It has been speculated that the physical appearance of the Microsoft smartwatch may resemble the Gear Fit.

The look of the new wearable mobile device could be similar to the Samsung competition in that it would offer a touch screen in full color that would be worn on the inside of the wrist. The battery is expected to last two days on a full charge, which is also comparable to the Gear Fit. This device should be able to monitor heart rate throughout the length of the day, said Forbes’ sources.Wearable Technology - Microsoft Smartwatch

That said the Forbes report also stated that an official spokesperson from Microsoft stated that the company did not have any information to share at this time. Other media outlets were also told that the software giant was not prepared to make any immediate comment on the matter.

Should the report’s information actually be accurate, then it would mean that the Microsoft smartwatch would be only the latest in a rapidly growing range of large tech players who are working their way into the wearables space. Sony and Samsung have already released more than one generation of their devices, smaller participants such as Pebble have managed to lead the way with their own versions of the technology, and others like Motorola and LG have revealed that theirs are on the way. The iWatch from Apple remains a highly anticipated rumor.