Tag: wearable tech

The Swiss watchmaker has made a splash with its wearable technology…and the fight it picked with Apple.

Instead of making a smooth entry into wearable technology with its newly developed smartwatch, luxury watchmaker, Montblanc, has decided to dive in head-first and make a massive splash by taking a shot at the lifespan of the Apple Watch.

The watchmaker has taken the unique route of attempting to create device with a much more timeless appeal.

The design of the wearable technology involve an electronic wristband that attaches to classic luxury watches. This smartwatch has the ability to function as a pedometer, take selfies, and access email. According to the managing director for watches at Montblanc, Alexander Schmiedt, they, unlike Apple, have focused on providing a product that would last.

Schmiedt stated that “Our products should have very long life cycles,” and added that “That is not to say the Apple Watch is not a great product. I predict it will do very well, but I don’t think that customers are going to be ecstatic to throw away watches in one to two years when the technology is obsolete.”

The smartwatch from Montblanc comes with a price tag ranging from $349 to $17,000, depending on the model.

This actually represents price points that are not that far off the range being offered by the newly launched first generation of the Apple Watch. That said, according to Zuercher Kantonalbank analyst, Patrik Schwendimann, in the case of the Montblanc wearable technology, this remains a very appropriate, because “If it turns out to be just a fad, at least the consumer still has a nice, normal watch they can continue to wear.”

The idea is that the design of the wearables is elegant enough that regardless of whether or not smartwatches continue to be a hot form of technology, the Montblanc version of these mobile gadgets will make it possible to keep the watch and enjoy its function and elegance.

The Montblanc smartphone functions through a wireless connection with a smartphone and also allows the wearer to take advantage of activity tracking features, select from among songs and playlists that are playing and take images as close as photos or farther away for group shots. The device is compatible with a range of different types of smartphone, including those from Samsung and Apple.

China has now forbidden the members of its armed forces from using smartwatches and other wearables.

Recently, China put a new regulation into place that has banned the members of its armed forces from being able to use wearable technology in the form of any connected device that can be worn on the body.

This, according to several reports that have been made by official sources in the country.

For example, the official military newspaper in China, the People’s Liberation Army Daily (PLA Daily), explained that after one military recruit received a birthday gift that consisted of a smartwatch, there have been concerns that have been steadily voiced about the security issues that could be linked to the use of this type of wearable technology. Now NBC has reported that its own sources have confirmed that a ban has been created and that it has now been put into place.

The PLA Daily story pointed out that the wearable technology had been used to take pictures, which raised alarm.

The military recruit who received the smartwach for his birthday apparently snapped some pictures of his comrades through the use of his wearable tech while he was stationed in Nanjing, a city in the east of the country. Military leaders were alerted about the incident and decided that the restriction on the devices was the appropriate next move. This decision aligns well with the restrictions that have already been in place among the majority of armies when it comes to smartphones and other mobile devices.

In the PLA Daily report, the Chinese national agency responsible for the protection of state secrets also produced a statement about the incident and decreed the following: “The use of wearables with internet access, location information, and voice-calling functions should be considered a violation of confidential regulations when used by military personnel.”

PLA Daily has also reported that the military has already produced teaching materials as well as lists of warning signs that are circulating among military personnel to ensure that they know what they’re looking for in order to spot the use of wearable technology, and what the regulations are in terms of complying with the ban.