Smartwatch

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.

Casio has unveiled a new addition to the MT-G line of G-SHOCKs. It has Bluetooth connectivity so as to maintain accurate time via a dedicated phone app. This new 'bright red' MT-G is rated for 200M water- and shock- resistance, as well as its maker's 'tough' solar technology to stay charged.

A user-friendly jailbreak for the Apple Watch could soon be available thanks to efforts of developer @ethanpepro. The jailbreak is currently being developed for watchOS 5.1.2 and is not available for public download yet. The new jailbreak is in contrast to the previous one that was available last year, which was more targeted at developers than end users.

Google Wallet has reportedly gained access to a number of Google accounts over the last few days. That would be fine and all - if the official iteration of this app still existed. It was discontinued and absorbed into Google Pay some time ago, meaning that this name may now be used by scammers to steal user payment details or funds.

Huawei launched sales of the P30 and P30 Pro in China yesterday (April 11, 2019). It now asserts that it took only 10 seconds for it to run out of stock of the new flagships during this event. The OEM reportedly earned 200 million yuan (about US$29.8 million) in this process.

Apple has convinced its main manufacturing partners, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Foxconn, to makes its parts and/or devices using green energy by 2020. This achievement is a big part of the OEM's current drive towards making its business as sustainable as possible.

The new firmware for the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is based on Tizen 4.0.0.3, the same version that came with this smartwatch at launch. The update has less than 14 MB in size and is currently rolling out in the US. It brings several minor improvements and lacks any new features.

Introduced to the world at the MWC trade show back in February, the Nubia Alpha "wearable phone" will go on sale tomorrow. This smart wearable is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 chipset and runs a custom Android build. Sadly, it looks like only China will get it this week and the rest of the world will have to wait.

Unveiled back in February, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is now official in Vietnam, where sales will kick off on April 10. US customers can place their orders on Samsung's website already, but shipments are expected to begin in the last week of the month. In Vietnam, this smart wearable is priced around the equivalent of US$237.

MiLi is a company that integrates its Furniture Mate wireless-charging pad into any table-top. It aims this product at those in the service industry and also to those who want decor that can charge an increasing number of phones at home. MiLi also makes the Table Mate, a similar pad that can be attached to nearly any table.

Qualcomm has announced that George Davis, an executive who had served as the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the past 6 years, has left the firm. His immediate successor is David Wise, who also acts as senior vice-president and treasurer for the chipmaking giant. However, Qualcomm is also looking for a new CFO to replace him in the long term.

The Pixel Watch is still rumored to be Google's first own-brand smartwatch. The company has added fuel to the rumor-fire to this effect by filing a patent for a new kind of watch-band clasp. It could be integrated into the prospective Watch in order to make first-party straps as good a business as they have become for Apple.

Android is now coming up on 10 years of use as a mobile device OS. Google claims that 2018 was one of its most secure yet. Its report on this subject attributes decreasing rates of potentially harmful apps to the implementation of Play Protect.

Lyft has successfully completed its IPO in the US, and is trading on the Nasdaq platform as of today (March 29, 2019). It had been estimated to start at US$72 per share; however, this value is now closer to $88. This, then, is the most successful tech offering since Snap - but Uber is hot on its heels.

The new golf watch from Garmin features a 1.2-inch touchscreen, a GPS tracker along with golfing features like AutoShot and Green View with which you can manually position your pin and check distances or obstacles.

DigiTimes has cited sources at a components supplier in a new report that alleges the AirPower accessory is finally going to be released soon. This article also asserts that the long-awaited wireless charging pad will work with at least one generation of the Apple Watch.

LumiCharge made a good impression among tech correspondents with its first-gen desk lamp. This product had an LED clock, not to mention ways to charge iOS and Android smartphones with built-in wired connections. Now, the company is back on Indiegogo with the LumiCharge II, which adds wireless charging to this set-up.

Already available in China, the Xiaomi Mi Pay mobile payments service has been tested in India in the second half of 2018. In the meantime, the Chinese company obtained the approval of the Reserve Bank of India, and Mi Pay is now ready to take on PayU, WhatsApp Pay, and the other similar services.

If smartwatches have one problem, it is their restricted battery capacities. The company Togvu has announced its "battery case" that may solve this problem for Apple Watch users. It is a strap for these devices that integrates wireless charging and a 600mAh battery.

Huawei looks to be the latest wearable maker to give Google’s WearOS a miss in favor of an in-house alternative. According to Winfuture, the next Huawei GT watches will run the company’s LiteOS as it looks to differentiate itself from its competition.

According to a fresh report by IDC, Apple shipped more than 46 million wearables in 2018 out of a total of 172.2 million such devices sold worldwide. Smartwatches accounted for almost 30 percent of the entire wearable market and Apple's growth is expected to continue thanks to the Watch Series 4 smartwatch.

Apple’s smart watches may be able to recognize arrhythmic heart rates using its ECG function but they may have slept late another neat feature: sleep tracking. The manufacturer based in Cupertino is currently working on making improvements in this area. However, apple watch customers will have to practice patience till 2020 for this new function.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is already letting us in on the details of the upcoming Apple Watch Series 5. Apparently, an expansion of the ECG support feature to include more countries and a return of the ceramic casing is in the cards.

RAVPower, the well-known accessory-maker, has a stand at MWC this year. It showcases a new PD charger, an ultra-thin (14mm) 'wall wart' based on gallium nitride (GaN) technology. RAVPower also has a new wireless charging stand that is also a power bank.

There is a new alternative to the foldable phone already. Nubia has unveiled the Alpha, a device with a screen that curves along a wide watch-like form factor. This display is 4 inches long, and operates using the Snapdragon 2100 wearables processor.

The Swiss watchmaker group Swatch has filed a complaint with US legal authorities to the effect that Samsung has impinged on its trademarks. This is connected to the design of some downloadable watchfaces for Gear-line smartwatches. The company will look for hundreds of millions of US dollars in compensation for this breach.

Jim Harris, an author and speaker on disruptive innovations, has released a new report on consumer tech ahead of MWC 2019. In it, he claims that 59% of all the money spent in the same market in 2018 was expended on smartphones. Harris also asserts that Android is now the most popular software platform.

Huawei maintains a number of physical stores for its devices in China. Reuters has reported that it now plans to open its first international bricks-and-mortar establishment in Vienna. This outlet will reportedly be open by summer 2019.

Samsung has released three new types of wearable to go with the Galaxy S10 series in 2019. They are the Galaxy Buds, a possibly improved set of earbuds, the Galaxy Fit, a new activiy tracker, and the Galaxy Watch Active, a new sports-focused smartwatch. All three can charge wirelessly, including off S10 devices.

PlusUs has introduced its Xpad, a charging pad that measures only 2.2 millimeters in depth. This spec leads the start-up to assert that it is the thinnest product of its kind worldwide. It is available as a reward as part of an Indiegogo campaign, which aims to raise US$20,000.