Wearable

Apple's next-generation iPhone and Watch have been leaked in press renders. Said to be called the iPhone XS, the new iPhone is depicted in Gold while the new Apple Watch Series 4 confirms rumors it would pick up a larger display.

Ticwatch is the increasingly familiar smartwatch-related brand of Mobvoi. Its latest model is the Ticwatch Pro, a watch with premium materials. In addition, it has both LCD and AMOLED displays. The company claims that this will help the Pro's battery last longer.

Skagen has released its second-generation smartwatch. The new Skagen Falster 2 maintains the style of the original, but adds more functionality so that it can compete with the best on the market.

The new WSD-F30 is a rugged outdoor smartwatch from Casio. The WSD-F30 is about 4 mm thinner than Casio's other rugged smartwatches but manages to run for longer, thanks in part to a new "Extend Mode" setting that shuts off some wireless radios. Casio has yet to announce pricing or a release date.

The Garmin vivofit jr. 2 is a fitness tracker for kids that comes with Disney Princess-themed bands and a mobile app capable of offering an interactive experience which includes popular characters such as Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Mulan, and Rapunzel. This smart wearable is already available for US$79.99.

Revealed alongside the Galaxy Note 9 earlier this month, the Samsung Galaxy Watch LTE is now available for pre-order. Priced at US$379.99 (42 mm in Rose Gold or Midnight Black) and US$399.99 (Silver), this smartwatch is designed for T-Mobile and will begin shipping in the first week of September.

A number of variations on the same device are specified in a newly-secured approval from the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC). The document's repeated references to "watchOS 5" increase the probability that the certification is for the upcoming Apple Watch refresh.

Apple has filed a patent that may contribute to the voice assistant Siri's functionality in the future. It may impart the ability to recognize different voices and attribute them to corresponding users on new versions of the software. This could give the assistant software a much-needed boost in its relevant marketplaces.

The event that provided the Galaxy Note 9 with its debut also introduced the Galaxy Watch, Samsung's new smartwatch. This device, like the latest Note, uses Bixby as a virtual assistant. The new Galaxy Home smart speaker also runs Bixby.

Although the recent official teasers have not revealed what is this all about, insiders familiar with the matter revealed that Qualcomm will launch a new mobile chip on September 10. As its alleged name suggests, the upcoming Snapdragon Wear 3100 is the successor of the Snapdragon Wear 2100, which was released two years ago.

A tech website claims to have found an invitation sent to content creators in Canada relating to the Pixel 3. If this leak is genuine, the new Android device's release will take place in October. However, the leak's contents fail to mention the other products rumored to also be included in the next Pixel line.

Fitbit seems to be preparing the launch of a new smart wearable that is supposedly going to debut at IFA 2018 as the Fitbit Charge 3. The leaked images reveal a few interesting details, such as the replacement of the physical button with a touch area that could bring in the tap actions currently available for the Alta and Alta HR.

The processor supplier MediaTek have posted an increase in second-quarter profits; however, its sales may have been unchanged compared to last quarter. Accordingly, the company's CEO has predicted a slight downturn in MediaTek's main market for the rest of 2018.

Huawei is set to release the latest version of its TalkBand. The TalkBand 5 can be worn as a watch, but also features a pop out ear piece for taking and making calls on the move.

The innovative stacked display design developed by Mobvoi for the upcoming TicWatch Pro should provide a substantial battery life boost. While in standard mode, the battery may last around 2 days, but there is also an Essential mode that completely disconnects the OLED screen and turns off the Wear OS, leaving only the black/white LCD active.

A new paper compiled by LG and Google researchers stipulates that the human eye has a resolution of about 9600 x 9000 pixels with a FOV of 160 x 150 degrees. The new LG OLED VR screen is not there yet, but i certainly seems to be the best on the market right now, with its 4800 x 3840 resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, and a 120 x 96 degrees FOV.

The Relay secure smartphone for kids by Republic Wireless is so secure that it does not feature a display. This accessory can be considered a basic phone with tracking capabilities for kids, as it features nationwide 4G LTE connectivity, as well as WiFi, Bluetooth, integrated GPS, NFC contact sharing, and even a smart assistant.

AsteroidOS, best described as an open source alternative to watchOS and Wear OS, launched its first stable release yesterday. Designed by a small group of developers and open to the public, the OS can run on a few Wear OS-compatible smartwatches, including devices from LG, Asus, and Sony.

A patent has been granted to Apple for an “electronic device having display with curved edges.” The patent was filed in January 2016 and features a number of images that could easily be described as potential smartwatch displays. Producing a circular smartwatch would be something of a design departure for the Cupertino-based company.

More than one year since the arrival of Google Assistant to smart wearables thanks to Google Wear 2.0, Wear OS receives a whole new set of features for smartwatch users. The highlights of this update include Google Assistant smart suggestions, spoken replies to queries, as well as more than one million actions.

Sony's futuristic Xperia Ear Duo headphones are now up for pre-order in the US. The headphones allow listeners to hear both music or voice overs at the same time as being able to hear ambient sounds around them.

The Oculus Go standalone VR headset has officially been launched and is available for immediate purchase. The Facebook-owned company is shipping the headset to 23 countries starting today, from US$199 for the 32 GB model.

According to an exclusive report that recently surfaced online, the LG Watch Timepiece runs Wear OS and combines a quartz movement watch with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100-powered smart module that features a circular 1.2-inch LCD display with a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels. This wearable could be announced this week and might hit the market in June.

The second-generation Spectacles camera glasses by Snapchat no longer feature a yellow ring that alerts people and can also shoot images, not just video. Capable of shooting underwater, this new accessory also comes with faster syncing, a slimmer frame and charging case, prescription options, and a price of US$149.99.

According to a report, Intel is planning on closing down its New Devices Group. This particular division of the chip-making giant was involved in developing wearable projects. One of these projects was called “Superlight” but was better known to the outside world as the Vaunt smart glasses. It seems the state of the smart-glasses market prompted Intel’s withdrawal.

Fitbit’s Versa smartwatch is available for pre-order and offers an interesting alternative to the market-dominating Apple Watch. For a start, there is the price: The Fitbit Versa costs US$199.95 and the Apple Watch Series 3 has prices starting at US$329 (from the Apple Store). Fitbit claims the Versa has a battery life of over four days, which certainly beats out the 18 hours that Apple advertises for its Series 3 (GPS) wearable.

Samsung’s wearable, the Gear S2, has received a new software upgrade from the South Korean manufacturer. The user interface has been overhauled, the Samsung Health widget has been enhanced, and the watch can be used in conjunction with the Gear VR headset and PowerPoint presentations. The update can be accessed through the Samsung Gear app.

The Mondaine Helvetica Regular has just been unveiled in Basel and will hit the market by the end of the month for a price of around US$640. Compared to its predecessor, it features a smaller case and can receive notifications. Since it is not a regular smartwatch and has a limited set of features, the battery lasts for about two years.

Having received the "Best Mobile Innovation for Payment" award at the annual Global Mobile Awards (GLOMO Awards) earlier this year, Samsung Pay has just reached Italy. This mobile payment service works with quite a few Samsung devices, including the new Galaxy S9/S9+ flagships.

Since Vladimir Putin will be in charge for a few more years, it looks like Telegram might end up being blocked in Russia. A set of laws introduced back in 2016 required Telegram to give the government a way to decrypt all user conversations, and they received a fine of US$14,000 for failing to do so. Now, Telegram users in Russia should prepare for the worst.

Estimated to begin reaching its first owners in about a month, the US$749.99 Garmin tactix Charlie is a premium GPS watch that features a 1.2-inch sunlight-readable display with domed sapphire lens, GPS with GLONASS support, as well a rugged design. Its battery can provide up to 12 days of autonomy in smartwatch mode, 20 hours in GPS mode, and 35 hours in UltraTrac battery saving mode.

Oculus Rift virtual reality headset owners have been struggling to operate their devices today due to an issue with the Oculus Runtime Service. Users who have tried to open the app have faced an error message stating “Can’t Reach Oculus Runtime Service.” Technicians at the tech company are currently investigating the problem, which is possibly down to an expired security certificate.

It seems Apple is now ready to dominate the global wearables market after the company claimed top spot in market share for the fourth quarter in 2017. According to data analysts IDC, Apple also led in market share and shipment volumes for the year, improving on figures for 2016. Fitbit and Xiaomi also managed considerable shares of the worldwide wearables market.

Fitbit has announced a special Adidas Edition of its recently released Ionic smartwatch. This is the first result of a collaboration between both companies. The Ionic Adidas Edition features a watch face designed by Adidas, a unique band, and a built-in Adidas Train application.

A report from Bloomberg has stated that Apple is working on some upgrades for its popular AirPods product. The original wireless Bluetooth earbuds were released in 2016 and have contributed significantly to Apple’s successful “Others” division (which includes the Apple Watch). It is rumored an upgrade of the AirPods with a new custom-designed chip will be released later this year, with a water-resistant upgrade being developed for next year.

Apple Inc. has been enjoying tremendous success in the global watch market according to analysts. Shipment data suggests the Cupertino-based company is now beating out famous brand watchmakers such as Swatch and Rolex with its series of smartwatches.

Huawei's upcoming smartwatches could be able to detect writing movements performed in mid-air using fingers. This new gesture control method has been described in a patent dated July 2016, so it might become reality pretty soon.

While disabling "OK, Google" detection on Android Wear devices was a workaround that severely limited their capabilities, a new software update finally takes care of the annoying lag issue that has been around for about a month.

The latest developers beta for Apple's WatchOS 4.3 brings back Apple Music integration, improved fitness information in the Siri watch face, and a new portrait charging mode. Apple's WatchOS holds a 57 percent share of the smartwatch market.

Fitbit, which acquired the Pebble brand in 2016, has announced that they will support the Pebble smartwatch line until June 20th, 2018. In other words, support for Pebble services and devices will end on June 30th of this year, marking the end of an era.

A few days after images showing an updated smartwatch surfaced on Reddit, Google confirmed the release of Android Wear 2.8, highlighting the fact that this is an update for the smartphone app and not the same as the OTA for some wearables.

Nintendo's latest innovation is something completely out of left field: cardboard toys and accessories for their highly successful Switch console. Dubbed "Nintendo Labo," the new project allows Switch users to build things like a fishing pole, a piano, and even a robot suit to enjoy new gaming experiences (and maybe learn a bit about engineering and coding).

The new Garmin Forerunner 645 Music is a GPS running watch with Garmin Pay support that features an integrated music player for enjoying their favorite songs without having to carry a smartphone.

Although it lacks some advanced features, the Garmin Vivofit 4 activity tracker comes for less than 80 bucks and promises to deliver more than a year of autonomy on two SR43 replaceable batteries.

The Huami AmazFit Smart Sports Watch 2 is only available in China for the moment, but Xiaomi plans to launch it for the Western markets under the AmazFit Pace 2 name later on. The successor of the popular Amazfit Pace comes with a more sturdy body and upgraded processing power, along with a new Watch 2.0 version. There is a premium US$200 version that adds a leather strap, while the standard version costs US$140.

Google has revealed the list of Android Wear devices that will be getting an update to Android Oreo. The upgrade looks more about bringing the Wear base OS inline with the Android smartphone OS, rather than bringing major new features.

DJI is getting serious about drone racing. The latest version of its Goggles is targeted at the burgeoning drone racing market and offers a number of feature upgrades over its standard model.

Children's smartwatches have been found to have glaring security holes, some of which can present a serious threat to the safety of the children that wear them. These security issues, along with privacy concerns, have led German officials to ban the sale of children's smartwatches.

Google Clips is a small wearable action camera that automatically takes pictures of what it judges to be special moments. It learns who the important people in your life are via machine learning, and it may pose a serious privacy concern.