Smartwatch

Apple has issued a recall of its second- and third-generation Watches in order to address a screen fault that may develop in these devices. The company is, therefore, offering a free replacement for this component. A customer can avail of it by bringing or sending an applicable Watch to Apple, or to one of its official service providers.

Garmin has refreshed its premium Fēnix smartwatch series, with the aptly named Fēnix 6. The series is available in three sizes and two material variants. There is a solar-powered version of the Fēnix 6X too.

Xiaomi's sister company Huami has released a new smartwatch that packs plenty of features while remaining affordable at under US$150. Oh, and it is a blatant rip-off of the Apple Watch too.

Amazfit has just launched 2 new wearables, the GTS and Sports Watch 3. They are a follow-up to the Bip (in which this update results in extremely Apple-esque looks) and a round watch with a new type of JDI display respectively. However, the star of this launch was the X, a concept device that is to have a 2-inch curved display.

In a new research note written for TF International Securities, the tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that he now believes that Apple will switch to micro-LED for its sixth-generation Watch. In the meantime, the Series 5 will stick with OLED screens, albeit those from a new supplier. These devices may be launched alongside the iPhone "11" line later this season.

Available for just US$199.99 — down from a full retail price of US$279.99 — for a limited period, the brand-new Misfit Vapor X is an excellent deal. This Wear OS-driven smart wearable is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset and features a standalone GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, advanced fitness tracking capabilities, and more.

Huawei and Honor have gone to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) to register an impressive number of new wireless products. These certifications, which have all been granted today (August 15, 2019) cover obvious candidates such as phones, but also include others that may be the brands' next generations of headsets, earphones and speakers.

Fitbit has been linked to a second generation of its popular Versa smartwatch for some time now. Recently, rumors about it have started up again in light of new leaks. They claim to show the wearable's official packaging, as well as an image from its manual hinting at new smart assistant features.

After Huawei presented EMUI 10 at its Developer Conference last week, more details about features and innovations have appeared online. A teaser video for the upcoming Android Q-based OS and promotional pictures offer an insight into the redesign, with Huawei having announced the commencement of its beta program too and which smartphones are included.

AR-assisted navigation is one of the most interesting - and possibly useful - aspects of the Google Maps app to be unveiled in recent years. Unfortunately, it was also introduced as a Pixel exclusive. Now, however, it may be available on a wider varieity of phones soon.

The market for accessories such as screen protectors, cases and power banks in the US is now projected to attain a value of US$74.43 billion in 7 years. Headphones took the biggest piece (nearly 25%) of this space last year, and may maintain this share until 2026. However, the VR/AR headset sector is thought to be capable of the greatest growth into the next decade.

Many people have gotten used to summoning a ride in a paid driver's car from their phone. A new analysis of this market indicates that such services (known collectively as "shared mobility") now challenge the traditional industries behind vehicle use and ownership. It also suggest that autonomous cars may be the way forward for the ride-hailing business of the future.

Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active 2 smartwatch is powered by the Exynos 9110 SoC and comes in two sizes — 40 and 44 mm — both with a Super AMOLED display with 360 x 360 pixels. Available in LTE and non-LTE versions, this new smart wearable has a wide range of features and it even allows its users to watch YouTube videos.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 powered smartwatches both feature 44 mm faces, 8 GB of storage and 1 GB of RAM. The touchscreen Gen 5 smartwatches are rated for up to 36 hours usage or 1 week in clock mode and are available to order now for US$295.

If the latest renders that surfaced online turn out to be the real thing, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 will be available in silver, black, and rose gold. This smart wearable will be Samsung's first one to feature Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity and is expected to arrive next week.

A study conducted by Consumers International, in conjunction with the Internet Society has reportedly found that most individuals surveyed find connected devices (mostly IoT or "smart home" products) "creepy". In addition, 53% of this group said that they do not trust these devices with their privacy. Concerns such as these put 28% of a sub-group without these devices off buying one.

An upcoming Samsung smartwatch with the model number SM-R830 has been approved by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This registration shows that the watch has a 40mm variant, and will come in stainless steel or aluminium casings. It also confirms that this device will not have the adjustable crown seen in earlier watches of this series.

T-Mobile and Sprint have been granted the license to amalgamate into 1 company. This move by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) is effectively the final hurdle to the carriers' long-planned merger. They do so under the condition that both parties divest themselves of certain aspects of their respective businesss to a 3rd company, Dish.

The hitherto unknown Movado Connect 2.0 has been discovered in a recent FCC listing. The Wear OS smartwatch comes with 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage and will be powered by either a Snapdragon Wear 2100 or a Wear 3100.

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.

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.

Thanks to its dual-NPU design, the i700 SoC provides 5X increased A.I. acceleration when compared to the already available i500 chip. It also features eight ARM Cortex cores, a PowerVR GM 9446 GPU and supports up to 8 GB of LPDDR4x-1866 RAM. The chip is targeted at smart IoT devices, fitness and entertainment devices that enable AR experiences and warehouse autonomous vehicles.

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.

The smartwatch features 8 display segments, 7 of which are stacked inside the case underneath the main display. Users can transform the smartwatch into a smartphone that utilizes 4 display segments, or a tablet that utilizes all 8 segments.

Mobvoi has released a YouTube video offering hints of its next product release. It appears to be a new smartwatch, most likely of the Ticwatch line. The OEM claims that it can "boost your daily efficiency" and has an improved heart rate monitor.

The latest report from SensorTower shows that app purchases generated a revenue of US$39.7 billion in the 1st 6 months of 2019. This impressive figure also represents a 15% year-on-year increase in the same kind of spending. The Apple App Store accounted for 64% of these takings.

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.

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.

The US and Chinese presidents have met at the latest G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. As a result, a ceasefire in the trade war between the two nations has been called. Accordingly, it has been agreed that Huawei can conduct certain amounts of business with US companies again.

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.

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.

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.

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.

At the time that Huawei was placed on the US government's Entity List last week, Huawei is thought to have built enough supplied of key components to last up to 12 months. The report comes via the Nikkei Asian Review that says Huawei told suppliers that it wanted to build up a year's worth of inventory to help cushion the impact of the US-China trade war.

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.

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.

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.

Micro- and mini-LEDs may make up the next generation of high-end displays after AMOLED. At present, however, they are more of a niche-application product. However, new research indicates that their market will grow to be worth US$6 million in 2024.

In changes to be announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple looks set to increase the number of its own Apps available on the App Store, directly challenging Google and Amazon. Changes look likely to increase existing tensions between the Cupertino company and third-party developers.

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.

The Nubia Alpha is an innovative device that may pioneer a trend of wrap-around displays on wrist-worm devices. Its latest trick is to have appeared on the JerryRigEverything channel for durability testing. Can this much really be expected of a wearable with a flexible screen?

The Financial Times claims that its sources have told it that the EU will indeed probe Apple's potential anti-competition business practices. The decision follows 'surveys' of interested parties such as Spotify, who claim that the Cupertino company rigs music consumption on the iOS platform in its own favor.

Counterpoint Research's latest data on the smartwatch market indicates that 48% more of these products were shipped in 2019's first quarter (1Q2019) compared to that of 2018. Apple still has a considerable majority in these terms. This may have something to do with the ECG functionality of its fourth-gen Watch.

Are you a fan of open source? Do you like making things? If so, then the SmarchWatch, a homebrew smartwatch, could be the ideal project for you. You will need a 3D printer and plenty of patience though.

Some users of Android smartwatches have complained that Google Maps fails to show any information following its newest updates. This issue was originally thought to affect Ticwatch devices only, but has also been reported on watches from other OEMs. To date, it appears that uninstalling updates is the only valid fix.

An XDA contributor has noticed that Google Maps has gained the ability to scan a mobile device's clipboard for addresses. This enables it to suggest an address that has been copied from, say, Chrome, in its search bar without the need for a button or option to paste it. It is not clear when this new feature of Maps arose.