Tag: wearable tech

Wearable technology is the “Next Big Opportunity”, says 49ers CEO

| March 12, 2015

Jed York has stepped well beyond simply being curious about this tech and is prepared to broaden its use.

CEO of the San Francisco 49ers, Jed York, has said that wearable technology is a great deal more than simply being intriguing, and he is now prepared to use it as a more important part of his strategy for the players.

York has expressed that the data collected through wearables can be invaluable for several goals.

He stated that wearable technology may be great for helping to enhance the performance of athletes, but that this is only the beginning of its potential. He also believes that these gadgets can help to lengthen the careers of the players. Wearables are already being widely used by players as a tool to assist them in the preparations for their NFL careers, but it is York’s belief that adopting these devices for safety purposes and to help to prevent injuries are the areas in which there is the most to gain.

York is hoping to be able to use wearable technology to keep players off the injured list and in the game.

Wearable Technology - San Francisco 49ersWhen speaking, recently, he asked “How do you get a guy to play 18 years in the league?… Or keep someone healthy for 16 games or an entire basketball season? I think you’re going to see analytics work for health and safety more so than calling better plays or drafting better players.”

The NFL has been placing an ever growing focus on player safety, to the point that it is now considered to be an extremely important issue. When taking into consideration the fact that the average NFL player’s career will last only just over three seasons, it doesn’t take long to figure out why this has been taken very seriously. Moreover, it is also becoming widely known that retired players are regularly having to cope with major health issues later on in their lives. League-wide changes to the rules have had to take place as a result of the prevalence of concussions in the game.

Many companies, such as Under Armour and Nike, are now pouring millions of dollars into the development of wearable technology devices that will help to keep players from becoming injured through techniques such as tracking the frequency and severity of hits, particularly when they involve the head.

New wearable technology and smartphone unveiled at HTC

| March 9, 2015

The announcement of these new mobile devices was made in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress.

HTC has now announced that it will be releasing a new version of its HTC One flagship smartphone, in addition to revealing that it will be entering into two brand new categories, which are wearable technology and virtual reality.

The company had been rumored to be developing wearables for the past few years, and now the news is official.

The first wearable technology from HTC will be wrist worn. It is meant to be a fitness tracker that is geared specifically toward serious athletes and not necessarily the average person with a lifestyle that is only slightly more active than being sedentary. These wearables will be called the HTC Grip, and it will be possible to sync them with both Android based smartphones and iOS devices.

The HTC Grip took more time to bring the company into wearable technology than had been anticipated.

The reason, according to officials from the company, was that it did not feel that it had adequate in-house expertise for creating the software, infrastructure, and app for health and fitness wearables. Therefore, it partnered up with Under Armour in January, in order to be able to come up with a line of gadgets that would function with the UA Record fitness mobile app from that company.

While the Grip is the first piece of wearable tech that is being launched by the company, it was also made clear that this would not be the last. It is going to become available to consumers this spring, and it will have a price tag of $199. It will contain a GPS tracker, which is unlike most other fitness tracker devices, but it will make it an appealing option for cyclists and runners who would prefer not to have to bring their smartphones with them when they work out.

This wearable technology is also water resistant, so that it can withstand rain and sweat (and even showering), though the company does not recommend that it be worn while going swimming, when it would actually be submerged in water.