Tag: smartwatch news

Smartwatch from AT&T is on its way

The telecom is the next among many companies to jump into the wearable technology market.

At a time in which it feels like every week comes with the unveiling or the launch of a new Smartwatch, AT&T also seems to be jumping on board the wearables bandwagon and will be releasing its own version of the device later on this year.

This technology news was made when an executive from the company, Glen Lurie, made the announcement.

Lurie is the AT&T president of emerging devices. He pointed out that the company would be bringing its own smartwatch into the mix and that “I think you’ll see wide-area, high-bandwidth [smart]watches this year at some point.” The telecom has a team located in Austin, Texas, that is working on thousands of different potential prototypes for wearable devices. Moreover, it is also looking into the certification of third party devices that can be used on the company’s own network, explained Lurie.

It is AT&T’s feeling that the smartwatch will be the center of all wearable technology for the first while.

Lurie stated that “a majority of stuff” that consumers will be seeing within today’s wearables marketplace will be in the form of a wristwatch. But he also pointed that this will be the start of a sector that is still very much in its infancy. He said that if the use of those devices does become popular, “and we believe it can”, then these wearables could easily become the center of all forms of wearable technology computing.Smartwatch - Wearable Technology Future

At the moment, LTE capabilities are lacking in wearable tech, which causes them to be primarily reliant on other mobile devices – mainly smartphones – in order to be able to provide notifications and download and use apps. However, when these gadgets are developed with mobile broadband connection capabilities, then it will be possible for them to become their own “independent device,” explained Lurie.

He stated that it is quite important that wearables become their own stand-alone devices in order to make them truly practical and appealing to consumers.

His company and Filip Technologies already jointly released the Filip child tracker, which is like a wristwatch and that allows the AT&T network to be used for a parent to call a child. While that product could be improved, it is just that type of idea that the telecom is hoping to bring to market in its own smartwatch models.

Smartwatches from Motorola are coming soon

The handset maker isn’t about to be left behind in this massive wearable technology trend.

Motorola is now planning to leap right back into the wearable tech market, as it plans to launch its own smartwatches later on in 2014, according to an announcement that was made by Rick Osterloh, the company’s senior vice president.

This particular device is being designed to meet the needs that consumers have already expressed that they have.

According to Osterloh, the smartwatches that Motorola will be launching will have taken into account “consumer issues like style and battery life.” So far, those are both areas where companies have been struggling to keep up with the expectations that consumers have regarding these devices and their willingness to pay rather high price tags in order to obtain them. The announcement was made in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress, during a panel discussion.

These new smartwatches will not be the first time that Motorola has attempted to sell wearable technology.

That said, it is certain that Motorola is hoping that its future attempts with wearables will be far more successful than its previous ones. The MotoACTV was one of the last mobile devices that Motorola had launched that could be worn by the owner. It was an activity tracker that simply never caught on because of its weak battery life and its lack of visual appeal and style. Though the company had previously stepped back from this area, it is clear that it did not fail to closely examine the experience and to attempt to learn from its mistakes.Smartwatches - Wearable Tech

That said, it won’t be until the actual launch of the devices that the company will actually be able to prove whether or not it has managed to overcome the obstacles that held it back in the first place. Osterloh did not offer any additional details regarding the products themselves, nor anything that the consumer can expect from the release, such as price or the actual date that they will hit the shelves. However, he did point out that the company feels that this will be a very important area for its future.

This does not come as a surprise as wearable technology such as smartwatches is one of the hottest tech segments at the moment. In the middle of the spotlight, right now, are the Galaxy Gear devices from Samsung, as well as Pebble. That said, Apple is expected to come out with an iWatch at some point in the near future – if rumors are to be believed – and it shouldn’t be long before Google releases its own wearable that will have been manufactured by LG.