… Wearables with LTE connectivity aren’t new, but the feature is new to the Apple Watch. So the move still marks a huge update to an Apple device that’s been around for less than three years. And it’s a big gamble for Apple considering other wearable manufacturers have tried (and largely failed) to make a good cellular wearable experience.
The Apple Watch Series 3 ultimately comes in two types of models: with LTE and without LTE. Those who opt for the $399 LTE models expect the ability to make and take phone calls, respond to text messages, and check alerts even when their iPhones are miles away. I’ve spent just about a week with a Series 3 with LTE, and I have gotten glimpses of what it feels like to be successfully free of my iPhone. However, there were some problems for those of us who first tested the device, so I’m also quite familiar with what it feels like to be completely alone when wearable LTE fails.
… After a week using the Apple Watch as a fitness tracker, I’ve done a full 180. I haven’t worn an Apple Watch regularly since late 2015, but now I’m addicted to it. It turns out that ignoring a lot of the extra stuff like third-party apps, phone calls, and Siri queries makes the Apple Watch a much more focused and useful gadget. It’s how Apple should’ve started things with the Apple Watch instead of packing in so many features in an effort to make the device everything to everyone.
(A quick side note: The Apple Watch Series 3 has a new non-fitness feature worth mentioning. It’s the first Apple Watch with a cellular connection, so you can use it without your phone. Unlike some early testers, I found the cellular connection worked fine, and I was able to receive calls, texts, notifications, and use Siri. But I don’t think most people will need the cellular version unless they have a desire to go phone-free a lot. Maybe runners will like it? I don’t know. It’s not for me. Plus, your carrier will charge you an extra $10 per month.)
From Samsung’s Gear Fit 2 Pro and Gear Sport to the Fitbit Ionic, and of course the Apple Watch Series 3, it seems like every major tech company is coming out with a new fitness tracker or smartwatch these days.
But while the use of fitness trackers is on the rise, certain characteristics—like age and income—determine how likely a person is to purchase and wear one in the first place. People who pick up fitness trackers are likely to use them for at least six months, but those people are also most likely to be young and have higher incomes, according to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania.
In other words: People who use fitness trackers often, and who continue to use them, tend to be fit already. On the other hand, people who could actually benefit the most from fitness trackers often opt not to use them at all.
Motivating adults to work out is one thing. Motivating kids is a whole other beast. However, Garmin is trying to tackle that beast by partnering with Disney and creating the vívofit jr. 2 activity tracker for kids.
Bands featuring designs with popular kid characters such as Minnie Mouse, BB-8 and Captain America will correspond with a mobile app adventure where children can compete missions to get to the next level and unlock new character step icons by completing at least 60 minutes of activity every day.
Kids can also challenge their friends through the Toe-to-Toe step challenge, which allows for kinds to initiate timed step competitions with their friends who also have vívofit jr. 2 devices.
University of Pennsylvania, Penn Medicine News from
Use of activity trackers, such as wearable devices and smartphone apps, is on the rise, and a new study shows that 80 percent of users stuck with the device for at least six months. Though the gadgets may help motivate users to increase exercise, the populations that could benefit most may not be using the technologies. In the first national study of a large, diverse population, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues, found that 1.2 percent of the study population engaged with devices, and that most of the individuals who started using an activity tracker were younger and had higher-incomes than people who opted not to use the devices. Overwhelmingly, participants used FitBit trackers (76 percent), with Apple devices being the second most common (9 percent).
The authors say game design elements – such as points, levels, and badges – and financial incentives may have contributed to the sustained use of the devices, but the results provide valuable insights for wellness programs, insurance companies, and other program designers who should consider testing new and more targeted engagement strategies to motivate older and lower-income populations. The results of the study are published online today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Rising per capita income is leading to strong growth of the pet wearable market a new research report says.
Sales of such devices are booming thanks to consumers who want to improve their pets’ lives with devices similar to what they themselves are using. This includes anything from pet cameras, activity monitors, GPS trackers, pet emotion sensors to pet-to-human translators.
… the Motiv succeeds in its task by stripping fitness tracking down to its essentials. If you’ve been seriously eying the Apple Watch or new Fitbit, this isn’t the watch for you. The ring has two sensors: an accelerometer and a heart rate monitor — and honestly, it’s pretty impressive that they were able to cram that second one into such a small product.
The era of always-on monitoring when bio-sensing apparel can keep tabs of your bio-signals in real-time is coming, Frederic Chanay, cofounder and CEO of the Canadian startup OMsignal said in his keynote speech at the 2017 Textile International Forum.
Chanay pointed out that bio-signals such as a person’s heart rate, body temperature, calories, breathing pattern and sleep analysis, etc. are the most valuable data in the always-on digital world. However, bio-signals are most useful when they are medical grade, which many current wearable devices are not available to provide. Bio-sensing apparel is the best source of rich, medical grade bio-signals, he said.
… The addition of new capabilities is creating a new category of devices that go beyond simple audio that has come to be called Hearables. Some of the more popular new capabilities included in these devices are:
Biometrics – you can now measure heart rate and other biometrics with many new hearables on the market today, including products from Sony, Samsung, Bose, Jabra, and many others.
Sound isolation/augmentation – hearing augmentation is no longer just for the hard of hearing. New innovations in sound isolation and augmentation are driving new products to market with the ability to tune out sound you don’t want to hear and focus on those you do. For example, these devices can turn down ambient sound from a noisy coffee shop and focus on the voice of the person across the table from you. A few examples here include Nuheara IQBuds and Doppler Labs Here One.
Voice UX – we discussed this at length in a previous post, but it’s fair to say the growth in voice as a user interface is a big factor in the growth and interest in hearables today.
Passthrough – headphones have the tendency to isolate the user from their surroundings, particularly the over-the-ear headphones with active noise cancellation. This is highly desired in some cases, but Hearables makers have also recognized the need for users to be able to hear what’s going on around them. You are seeing new hearables come to market with the ability to “passthrough” surrounding sound to mimic hearing as if the user was not wearing anything in their ears.
“When I first was listening to our team’s desire to make a chip, I felt a bit of anxiety, like, are we getting a bit ahead of ourselves? This might be beyond what our capabilities are,” Nick Woodman, GoPro founder and CEO, told me in a rare break from his boyish bombast.
His anxiety stems from a narrative in the media over the past year or two that GoPro can’t seem to shake. Share prices slid sharply in 2015, divisions closed and staff were let go. Since then, the message has been clear: GoPro is in trouble. Except apparently Woodman didn’t get that memo. Either that or he knew what his company has been working on over the past three years: a custom image processor called the GP1. It’s a chip that makes the Hero 6 the first GoPro built to the company’s own specification, and it could change everything.
Building hardware is fun but tough. We worked on Pebble for a full four years before we launched on Kickstarter in 2012. We went on to sell over $230 million worth of Pebbles, or just over 2 million watches. While it wasn’t our top goal to sell to Fitbit last year, I’m grateful that they’re continuing to work on low-power, fun, hackable smartwatches.
Startups in general are like roller coasters; adding hardware to the mix just makes them even more stomach-churning. But if it’s so hard, why do it? The most rewarding feeling in the world is seeing someone out in public using a product that you helped make. If you’re working on hardware, especially consumer electronics, I hope you’ll get a chance to feel it. It makes it all worth it.
In my new role at Y Combinator, I’ve started mentoring and helping all kinds of startups. Naturally I get to chat with a lot of hardware companies. While each one’s situation is unique, I’ve noticed that some anecdotes about my experience at Pebble have been quite useful for 95% of hardware related projects.
Cyclists should gear up for improved rides with smart helmets. From those with lights built in, to those with heart-rate monitoring capabilities and everything in between. Unlike other wearable fitness gadgets, smart helmets set themselves apart with their ability to work in rain or shine, cold or hot weather and always remaining comfortable.
… When a runner’s foot hits the ground, it transfers energy which compresses the shoe’s cushioning. When the foot rises again, the cushioning re-expands, sending some of that energy back to the runner. A shoe with superior energy return creates a bouncy, springy feeling that, as many runners will attest, can make the jaunt feel easier. The latest sneaker from veteran shoe maker Brooks Running is called Levitate, and it’s designed for enthusiasts and beginning runners, rather than top-level athletes. It promises a 72 percent energy return, which is the company’s best result so far and, according to testing done at the running company’s headquarters, it’s higher than other leading performance shoes in its category. In order to achieve that high rate of efficiency, Brooks partnered with chemical company BASF to formulate a new material for the shoe’s midsole.