Wearables
As part of a broad collaborative agreement with Google, Qualcomm this week said that that it will be adopting the RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA) for a future Snapdragon Wear platform. Working together, the two companies will be bootstrapping a RISC-V ecosystem for Wear OS devices, with Qualcomm providing the hardware while Google expands its wearables OS and associated ecosystem of tools to support the new processor architecture. Qualcomm's Wear processors have been the de facto chip of choice for Wear OS devices since the launch of Google's wearables platform almost a decade ago, with Qualcomm employing multiple generations of Arm CPU designs. This makes Qualcomm's decision to develop a RISC-V wearables SoC especially significant, as it not only represents one of the highest profile...
Understanding Smartwatch Design
Although I mentioned this in passing in the Apple Watch review, I’ve increasingly realized that it is difficult for both manufacturers and consumers to really understand what makes a...
35 by Joshua Ho on 8/26/2015
Sony Unveils The SmartBand 2
Today Sony announced their second generation SmartBand wearable, the SmartBand 2. Like its predecessor, the SmartBand 2 is a fitness wristband that incorporates an accelerometer to track your movement...
11 by Brandon Chester on 8/20/2015
The Apple Watch Review
Prior to the launch of the Apple Watch, there had been rumors that Apple would make a watch for quite some time. In a broader sense, the wearables industry...
270 by Joshua Ho & Brandon Chester on 7/20/2015
Apple Announces watchOS 2
In addition to OS X El Capitan and iOS 9, Apple has announced an upcoming update to the watchOS operating system that powers the Apple Watch. This will be...
7 by Brandon Chester on 6/8/2015
ASUS Shows Off The ZenWatch 2 At Computex
Today ASUS updated their Android Wear smartwatch offering. It wasn't long ago that we saw the original ASUS ZenWatch at IFA, but it's now being superseded by the ZenWatch...
6 by Brandon Chester on 6/1/2015
ARM Announcements: New IoT Subsystem for TSMC 55ULP and ARM Cordio Radio IP
Today at Computex ARM is announcing a new 'IoT Subsystem' for developers: ARM Cortex-M with ARM Cordio radio IP (see below) with full integration with mBed OS. The principle...
4 by Ian Cutress on 5/31/2015
Understanding Project Soli and Jacquard: Wearable Control Breakthroughs
Today at Google IO, Google’s Advanced Technologies and Products (ATAP) group went over some of the things that they’ve worked on in the year since the previous IO. There...
12 by Joshua Ho on 5/30/2015
Microsoft Health and Band Updates Bring New Cycling App Integrations, Insights and Features
Today Microsoft launched a new update to their fitness wearable, Microsoft Band, and also to their health platform and smartphone app, Microsoft Health. These updates broaden the capabilities of...
7 by Stephen Barrett on 4/23/2015
Android Wear Updates: Wi-Fi, Always-On Apps and Usability
This week Google announced the latest update to their smart watch focused operating system, Android Wear. Google did not specify the exact version number, but the previous version was...
10 by Stephen Barrett on 4/23/2015
Imagination Launches New Low Power Wireless IP: Ensigma Whisper
Today Imagination is launching a new set of licensable wireless intellectual property (IP) called 'Ensigma Whisper' to complement its portfolio of other SoC IPs. This announcement gives Imagination a...
9 by Stephen Barrett on 4/15/2015
Motorola Launches Moto Maker for the Moto 360
In August of 2013, Motorola launched an innovative web portal, Moto Maker, enabling personalization of the original Moto X immediately prior to purchase. Almost two years later, Moto Maker...
9 by Stephen Barrett on 3/10/2015
Apple Watch Hands-On
By far the highlight of Apple’s Spring Forward event was the Apple Watch. Though announced back in September, Apple has not allowed any hands-on time with the device until...
66 by Ryan Smith on 3/9/2015
Apple Reveals Apple Watch Details And Availability
Apple's Spring Forward event saw the launch of a new MacBook that greatly departs from the typical image of a notebook, the launch of iOS 8.2, and most importantly...
38 by Brandon Chester on 3/9/2015
Apple Releases iOS 8.2 With Apple Watch Support
Today at their Spring Forward event Apple made a number of announcements. One smaller but still important update to come from the event was the release of iOS 8.2...
16 by Brandon Chester on 3/9/2015
HTC Announces VIVE, a Valve VR Headset, and Grip, a Fitness Band
In addition to the HTC One M9, HTC is also launching the VIVE, a VR headset. While it may seem a bit strange that HTC is doing this, it...
4 by Joshua Ho on 3/1/2015
LG Replaces Android Wear: Adds LTE, GPS and NFC to the Watch Urbane
Today LG pre-announced significant additions to their high-end wearable, the LG Watch Urbane, via a new edition called the LG Watch Urbane LTE. Both devices will officially launch at...
34 by Stephen Barrett on 2/26/2015
Pebble Announces the Pebble Time
The original Pebble watch was arguably the first device in what is now a rapidly growing smartwatch segment of the wearables market. Since its release, the software of the...
19 by Brandon Chester on 2/24/2015
Microsoft Band and Microsoft Health Updated
This week Microsoft announced several updates for their wearable and health products: Microsoft Band and Microsoft Health. Microsoft stated that overall feedback has been positive, but as with any...
15 by Stephen Barrett on 2/24/2015
LG Announces The LG Watch Urbane
LG doesn't seem intent on waiting for large industry events to announce their wearable products. Last year the company announced their LG G3 Stylus and the LG Watch R...
18 by Brandon Chester on 2/15/2015
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