Wearable

Samsung is now thought to have a successor for the Galaxy Watch Active in the works. The latest leaks on the subject claims that one variant of this putative wearable will be produced in collaboration with the sportswear company Under Armour. It may come with an exclusive band and 6 months' worth of free MapMyRun access.

Smart glasses are useful in many contexts, most of them enterprise-related. However, it is also possible to replicate the smartphone experience to some degree using some of these devices, Vuzix-brand ones included. This company claims that a new development will bring peer-to-peer video calling to its Blade devices.

Taiwan's DigiTimes reports that Apple has killed its plans for an AR headset citing supply chain sources. Samsung, however, seems to be ploughing on with its AR headset efforts filing a new patent for a foldable headset.

The Snapdragon Wear 3100 is the latest platform for Google-powered wearables. New leaks suggest that a successor for this SoC is already in the works. It is rumored to be called the Snapdragon Wear 2700, and to be a derivative of the 429, another Qualcomm chipset for low-end mobile devices.

Qualcomm and Ericsson has announced that their technology has passed an important milestone in the roll-out of 5G across a country the size of the US on the same band. This 600-megahertz (MHz) frequency, one of the lowest to be associated with the new data standard, is also in use at T-Mobile to establish its own next-gen network.

Huami, not to be confused with Huawei, produces wearables not only for Xiaomi but also has its own line of smartwatches and fitness trackers. The company recently released the Amazfit Verge 2 smartwatch with EKG functionality and is set to present the Amazfit GTR, a Grand Tour Racing model, on July 16.

The latest market analysis indicates that the volume of eSIM-enabled device shipments reached 384 million last year. The resulting projections suggest that this figure will grow to about 2 billion over the next 6 years. Smartphones will account for the vast majority of the units in question.

Mobvoi has unveiled a new, LTE-enabled version of the Ticwatch Pro. This wearable has most of the specs of its original variant, including its innovative battery-saving dual display. On the other hand, the LTE model is enhanced with Corning Gorilla Glass and double the RAM.

Fitness enthusiasts will likely recognize the name Runtopia from the Runtopia run and walk app, as well as from the smart running shoes Runtopia Reach. Now, the fitness brand is launching its first smartwatch Runtopia S1 as a GPS watch.

Samsung's SmartThings app has been found to contain diagrams of heretofore-unreleased pairs of headphones and wireless earbuds. The latter have AKG branding, whereas the former have these 3 letters as part of their model number. It is now thought that they may be products that could be unveiled at the next Galaxy Unpacked event.

UMIDIGI's latest smartwatch, the Uwatch2, boasts a fully metallic unibody, an IP67 rating and a 1.33-inch 240x240 display. The OEM claims that it offers 25 days' worth of standby time and 7 to 10 days of active use. It is sold at US$33.32, although this comes down to $24 with an upcoming promotion.

Sony has launched its latest truly wireless in-ear buds. The new WF-1000XM3 aims to deliver a light-weight alternative to Sony's hugely successful WH-1000XM3 wireless and noise cancelling over-ear headphones.

Wearables are currently projected to influence the way personal electronics are used more and more in the future. This technology now covers both devices that can double as accessories and as clothing. Their market is estimated to be worth up to US$51.6 billion in the next 3 years.

Wireless charging is already appreciably popular today. Its market is thought to be capable of attaining a US$27 billion value over the next 6 years, according to the latest research. Its results show the most prominent application of this technology is in (surprise surprise) smartphones.

Vuzix has filed a new patent with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). It will inform future smart glasses made by this OEM, particularly regarding their use in augmented reality (AR) applications. Vuzix also claims that it will help the company use the latest materials in the spectacle-making industry, as well as the most up-to-date AR sensors.

Google may be working on a new way to send files between devices without necessarily relying on the internet. This new feature, called Fast Share, may be intended to compete with Apple's AirDrop. Unlike Android Beam, it involves the instigation of Bluetooth connections.

In a major blow to the Apple its fabled Chief Design Officer Jony Ive has announced he is leaving the company. As the hand behind Apple’s most iconic designs, the news immediately triggered a negative reaction on Wall Street stripping US$9 from the value of its shares in after-market trading.

The Indian Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEIT) is reportedly setting up a Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR). It is to be composed of the IMEIs of all mobile devices in the country. This initiative has been planned in order to help prevent the theft of these items in the country.

The Huawei Watch GT is the OEM's latest smartwatch, which runs on LiteOS rather than the Wear OS of its predecessors. The company has reported that it has shipped more than 2 million of these devices since their launch in 2018. It also claims to have new data on the performance of its wearable business in general from the first quarter of 2019.

According to a source familiar with the inner workings of the South Korean tech giant, Samsung is planning to revive the Galaxy Watch lineup on August 7. The codename of the Galaxy Watch 2 is "Renaissance" but there is no information about its specs and features. However, we can safely assume that a digital bezel is present.

The Nucleus Profile Plus is a freshly-approved hearing aid from Cochlear that can connect to an Android phone using Google's new, improved ASHA protocol for this purpose. It allows those with aural impairments to control, stream from and interact with their phone. Unlike others before it with the same, the Profile Plus is an actual implant, and one that can withstand certain MRI scans at that.

After applying the latest Wear OS update, those using compatible smart wearables will be able to manage the tiles from the connected smartphones, as well as from the smartwatches themselves. The list of tiles that can be added includes Google News Headlines, Google Fit Goals, Google Calendar Next event, and so on.

A micro-display is a panel that may be made of conventional materials such as OLED or LCD, yet are 2 inches at most on the diagonal. They are incorporated into everyday devices such as digital cameras, and in emerging categories such as heads-up or head-mounted displays. The latest research suggests that their market will be worth US$3.42 billion in the next 6 years.

Xiaomi has released the Mi Band 4 and it seems likely that the device will not disappoint. The Chinese company has created three variants of the fitness tracker, which is brimming with features that appear to contradict its considerably low price. Xiaomi has the basic model of the Mi Band 4 retailing for just 169 yuan, which is about US$24.

Google Maps is reportedly rolling out a new feature intended to benefit users taking taxis or ride-shares in unfamiliar locations. It starts to send alerts if the vehicle in question starts to deviate from a given route by 500 meters or more. This new setting has only been observed in the Indian market so far, however.

Dr. Guy Leschziner, a prominent neurologist and consultant in London's sleep-medicine arena, has recently indicated his belief that sleep-tracking apps and similar technology may backfire on the user. This is apparently due to a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to sleep metrics employed by these apps.

Aukey is already a familiar name in the affordable personal audio game. Now, it has released a new line of earphones called the Key Series with a higher-end appeal. It comprises the EP-T10 true wireless earbuds and EP-B80 wireless earphones, as well as the more sporty wireless EP-B60 set and the EP-B33 neckbuds.

A new teaser confirms that Xiaomi will officially launch the Mi Band 4, its upcoming fitness band, on June 11. The successor to the popular Mi Band 3 will have a larger battery than its predecessor along with a larger, and OLED, display. The Mi Band 4 is expected to be considerably more expensive than the Mi Band 3 too.

Actual real-life pictures of Xiaomi’s Mi Band 4 fitness wearable have been leaked. The images show that the display part of the Mi Band 4 is very similar to the renders that were leaked last month. The Mi Band 4 gets a considerable upgrade over its predecessor by sporting a color display instead of a monochrome OLED.

Bose has launched an all-new range of premium noise cancelling headphones. The first to hit the market is the new Headphones 700 that packs in 11 levels of noise cancellation.

Qualcomm is at the Augmented World Expo (AWE) to launch its new Snapdragon Smart Viewer Reference Design. It is a reference VR headset based on the XR1 Platform. This device has a DJI display, up-to-date controllers, interfaces and a Standalone Mode.

The Sprint TREBL with Magic Box is a small cell solution that also integrates Amazon Alexa voice-assistance and Harman Kardon sound quality. This combination makes it unique in its product category. Perhaps this is how it has won the Small Cell Forum's Judges' Choice Award for this year.

GoPro has a history of allowing its customers to trade their existing cameras in for something off the cost of a new model of this brand. However, this offer has never been available in the European Union's (EU) member-states before. This has now changed: customers in these 28 countries can now "trade-up" their cameras for €100 (about US$112) off a Fusion or Hero7 Black's price.

Casio has released the WSD-F30RG, its newest smartwatch from the PRO TREK line. It has an OLED display, but also has individual monochrome and color overlays. The OEM also asserts that it has an improved resolution for detailed legibility on its screen.

Google has announced the next generation Google Glass - called the Glass Enterprise 2. The improvements show the evolution of the device from the Original Glass through to the Glass Enterprise launched in 2017. Changes to the device improve its usability for firms while a reduced price looks set to expand its user base.

The Quest is Oculus' first all-in-one virtual reality (VR) headset. It is available for sale from today (May 21, 2019). It is also a truly wireless VR set, and uses the company's imaging and touch-sensor technology to deliver this. The Quest starts at US$399 for a model with 64GB of on-board memory.

The super-pricey style house Louis Vuitton has unveiled a new range called "Canvas of the Future". This, appropriately enough, means bags that incorporate flexible displays from the OEM Royole. These displays can make the side of the bag show nearly anything, and can also be controlled by the owner.

The latest software update for the Galaxy Watch, Gear S3, and Gear Sport is now rolling out over-the-air. The new One UI firmware comes with improved sleep and workout tracking, an updated settings menu, the ability to turn on and off the sleeping mode, as well as various minor tweaks and fixes.

MediaTek will design AI-centric SoCs specifically for home security, screened devices, and voice-activated appliances. The goal is to get a head start in the fast-growing smart home market where big competitors like Intel, Samsung, Qualcomm, and Huawei have yet to focus on.

Nura the company behind the critically acclaimed NuraPhone learning headphones has launched its first Bluetooth earphones. The like NuraPhone, the NuraLoop learns and adapts to the way a listener’s ears respond to audio tones to create a customized listening experience.

WeChat claims to have over 1.1 billion users per month, 800 million of who also use WeChat Pay. Now, the company intends to make the use of this aspect of the service easier to use abroad. This involves improving on its existing payments systems in Europe.

The OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro were recently released alongside some new features for their Android skin, OxygenOS. They include new camera modes, including a second-generation NightScape for low-light shots. However, the OEM has indicated that older flagships may not be in line for the same.

DJI has officially launched its Osmo Action camera. The new device has been targeted squarely at Go Pro’s action cameras but offers a slightly different take by including a screen on both the front and the rear of the device for selfies.

Some renders of Xiaomi’s Mi Band 4 fitness tracker have been leaked online. The wearable now appears to have a color screen, which will be a new feature in the Mi Band series. It looks slightly refined in comparison to its predecessor, and it is expected to be released within the next few months.

Xiaomi India’s managing director, Manu Kumar Jain, has announced a new initiative by the OEM: a vending machine for its devices and accessories. It is located in Manyata Technological Park, Bengaluru. The innovative "Mi Express Kiosk" accepts a wide range of payment types to dispense phones, power banks and more.

Google's head and director of its Android and Chrome division took part in a media outlet's podcast during the I/O event this year. In the course of the interview in question, the two executives confirmed openly for the first time that Fuchsia OS does in fact exist. However, it was also subsequently dismissed as an 'experiment'.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has reportedly launched a full-scale probe into Google's business practices. It is doing so based on allegations of anti-trust behaviors on the part of the Mountain View giant. Should the CCI find a basis for these complaints, the target could be liable for potentially sizable penalties.

Earphones and headphone sales drive a healthy market in the United States. The market analysis firm ReportBuyer estimates that it will grow at a compound rate of over 12% until it is worth approximately US$9 billion in 2024. The products in question are mostly used in fitness, entertainment and gaming pursuits.

The popular audio company Skullcandy has unveiled Indy, a pair of truly wireless earbuds aimed at those wishing to get into this product category at a decent price. They offer IP55 ingress protection, Bluetooth 5.0 and a combined battery life of 16 hours for US$79.99.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered the recall of a wireless charging pad sold by the company Imagine Nation Books due to a burn hazard. This order affects about 64,000 of these products circulating in the country. Those who have bought them are advised to return them for a refund without delay.