Smartwatch

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.

MyDrivers has reported that Xiaomi intends to announce a crowdfunding project for a new product: a smart sports watch. This device will apparently support real-time GPS tracking, so that a user can generate and maintain maps of their fitness-related activities (e.g. runing routes and so on).

A report from CNET mentions that TCL Corporation could be busy working on up to five different foldable devices. It seems two of the devices are tablets, two are smartphones, and one appears to be a combination of a smartphone, smartwatch, and bracelet. The Chinese company is apparently planning to release a foldable device in 2020.

A new report from the NBD Group shows that smartwatch sales in the US increased by 51% from November 2017 to November 2018. Wear OS only accounted for a maximum of 12% of all of these wearables sold. The rest of the sales were those from the top 3 in this market: Apple, Fitbit and Samsung.

Released a few months ago, the LiteOS-driven Huawei Watch GT is now finally available for purchase in the US. Listed by Amazon for a regular price of US$199.99, this smart wearable will start shipping on February 19. Its specs and features include continuous heart rate monitoring, built-in GPS, sleep tracking, and more.

Codenamed Pulse, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active's successor will hit the market as the Galaxy Watch Active. The upcoming smart wearable allegedly features a 1.1-inch AMOLED display with 360 x 360 pixels and has no bezel ring, so everyone will be forced to use only touch interactions — or move to a device that still has a bezel ring, of course.

Google might be working on building its own brand of wearables. A job posting looking for a VP of Hardware Engineering for Wearables was recently announced that could mean that the Mountain View is looking to expand its hardware offerings into next generation wearables. A posting for a Wearables Design Manager is also in the offing.

The Samsung Gear Sport may get a successor soon, which is likely to be called the Galaxy Sport. This smartwatch will be the first product to feature Bixby Reminders. A new leak allegedly associated with this wearable shows that it may ditch the rotating bezel that has become a hallmark of Tizen devices.

TechnoBuffalo has posted a range of images showing a device with Fitbit design language, but in colors previously unknown to this brand. They are apparently called Cyan Blue, Silver, Rose Pink and Purple. The renders have led to speculation that they are for the Fitbit Versa 2, but are more likely to simply be new color options for the pre-existing Versa.

A post on Reddit allegedly contains a screenshot of a Gmail app interface that integrates many features taken from Inbox. They include a pinned-only toggle, per-subject bundling and Assistant-esque reminders. They may have been picked for preservation by Google before Inbox shuts down for good.

A new report by ResearchandMarkets.com has indicated that the mobile wallet market value could reach as much as US$9,352.15 billion by 2026. This is particularly impressive as it was worth about $880 billion in 2017. This growth may be driven by factors such as improved awareness of these products, and improvements in the services they provide.

Facebook has just announced an initiative in which messages from its own Messenger, as well as from its acquisitions Instagram and WhatsApp, will be integrated using a singular infrastructure. This contravenes an earlier commitment on the part of the parent company that these 3 services would remain independent. This plan has also raised alarm among privacy experts and WhatsApp staff.

Codenamed Pulse, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Sport smartwatch is expected to feature Bixby support and Bixby Reminders. Since it has just received its FCC certification, it would not be surprising to see the new Tizen-driven smart wearable being unveiled alongside the Galaxy S10 lineup on February 20.

Mobvoi's latest second-generation fitness wearables come similar specs, as both use the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC, and only the design sets them apart. Powered by Google's Wear OS, the TicWatch S2 and E2 can be acquired by US-based customers directly from Mobvoi or via Amazon for US$179.99 and US$159.99.

The latest software update for the Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch pushes the Tizen version up to 4.0.0.2, weighs around 300 MB, and comes with sleep stages info support for the Health widget, more indoor workouts and back-to-back workout for Samsung Health, improved Quick Panel UI, and more. Sadly, it is only available in the US for now.

A new report on the worldwide wearable device market by Allied Market Research indicates that its value could grow to US$31 billion in the next 6 years. This is likely to be driven by the increasing uptake of its products in the healthcare and educational sectors. Apple had the greatest share of the smartwatch-specific market in 2017

Ren Zhengfei, the CEO of Huawei, has written an email warning his colleagues of the possibility of "hard times" in the future. They may include reductions in the size of the company's various regional subsidiaries. These comments may be related to Huawei's recent loss of business in the 5G infrastructure area.

Alphabet-owned company Verily has received FDA certification for its Study Watch. As one of Alphabet's many companies, which includes Google, it gives us a pretty good idea of the capabilities of Google's rumored Pixel Watch.

The worldwide market for wireless charging products was worth just over US$2 billion in 2017. However, this figure is projected to grow by about $19 billion in the next 4 years. The market research group BIS Research concludes that this is due to the increased uptake of global standards (e.g. Qi) and the integration of wireless chargers into everyday objects such as cars.

Fossil Group has issued a press release to announce a US$40 million deal with Google. The search engine giant will be purchasing intellectual property (IP) from the well-known American designer label in regard to smartwatch technology. There has been speculation that Google is preparing to mount a challenge to Apple’s current dominance of the smartwatch market.

Fresh from issuing a rare warning to investors about significantly worse than expected sales of its new iPhones, Apple is said to be in talks with Medicare providers about potential subsidies for its Apple Watch. The plan would target potentially millions of Americans over the age of 65 and could help to boost sales of the Watch and could help to make its potentially life-saving technology more widely available.

Apple has been teasing the release of the AirPower since 2017. However, the company has let numerous subsequent relevant launches go by without mentioning it again. Nevertheless, a credible source now claims that a known supplier to the OEM has started to manufacture these products.

The currently crowdfunded Matrix PowerWatch 2 is expected to have almost unlimited battery life and comes with both an LCD display and a GPS module. The device is currently comparatively affordable too.

Although the TicWatch E2 was unveiled a few months ago, it still has to reach the market. However, Mobvoi is showing it off at CES next to the TicWatch S2, and both should become available for purchase in the future. Sadly, there are no official launch dates or prices to talk about yet.

The Snapdragon Wear 3100 release event included announcements that Louis Vuitton would be one of the first OEMs to launch a smartwatch including this next-gen processor. It seems the fashion house has finally delivered with a new version of its Tambour Horizon device. This model may have improved battery life and ambient mode features.

The IP68-rated Mobvoi TicWatch C2 is now available for purchase in the US for US$199.99. Powered by Google's Wear OS and the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, this smart wearable features NFC connectivity and has a built-in GPS, as well as heart rate monitoring capabilities.

Scott Johnson, the Google manager in charge of the app Hangouts, has taken to Twitter in order to refute a report that the same app is to shut down shortly. Instead, Johnson asserts, its functions are to be split across two new services: Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meets. Those who still use "Hangouts Classic" will be "upgraded" to these new apps as they roll out.

Google has filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) that depicts motion sensors built into a smartwatch. They expand the wearable's range of user interface feedback to the device's immediate surroundings. In practice, this means the watch can turn part of the user's arm into a 'mousepad' to select letters while typing and for other similar actions.

With 2019 looking like it will be the year of the foldable smartphones, you might be wondering what’s next. A new patent from Sony might give us a clue. How does a foldable smartphone with a transparent display sound like to you?

Huawei, in partnership with the New Zealand telecommunications company Spark, has had its proposal to provide 5G hardware for the country blocked. This action was taken by the NZ Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). The body stresses that this decision was not specifically related to any possible connection between Huawei and the Chinese government.

[Update: Cyber Monday deals now live.] If you're comfortable with spending $200 on a lesser-known smartphone instead of $500 or more on a name brand, then these Chinese smartphone deals may be of interest. The UMIDIGI UMI Z2 and Leagoo S9 can be had for just $210 and $160, respectively, for this weekend only.

The Gameband, formerly known as the Atari Gameband, looked like a promising gaming-focused smartwatch during its successful Kickstarter campaign last year. Despite raising a total of $500,000 between Kickstarter backers and other investors, the Gameband has officially been killed. Worst of all, backers may never receive a refund

Lei Jun, Xiaomi's CEO, announced at a press conference that 43.9% of the company's revenues in the third quarter of 2018 had come from international markets. These overseas earnings had increased by over 100% compared to last year. This may be attributed to Xiaomi's by-now solid standing in Europe as an electronics provider.

Wear OS is getting a new update. Known as "H", it adds a new battery-saving mode to Android-powered watches. The new update also overhauls how a watch reboots or shuts down, as well as how it resumes apps and handles the switch to sleep mode.

The Fossil Sport smartwatch is now available for order as of today (November 8, 2018). This is the first smartwatch from this brand with the Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset. The Fossil Sport also comes with 6 colors of interchangeable silicone strap.

Download links for a Spotify app for iOS have appeared on its community website. In addition, a Redditor also claims that there is also a WatchOS variant of the same in beta. However, the app is still in beta and does not much more beside the control of playback using the streaming service.