Tag: Wearables

One Thing That Needs To Be Done With eHealth Data

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: Forbes

A recent survey by Practice Fusion, an e-health data company, revealed a huge gap between the “quantified self” movement, which is supported by the use of fitness trackers, and the health data that is being incorporated into the healthcare system. Only 15% out of the 353 doctors that responded to the survey said they had been asked about incorporating wearable-generated health data into their health records. Connecting individuals’ health data to the existing healthcare infrastructure will be the crucial next step for the ehealth industry.

Things We Learned About Apple Watch From The WatchKit

Posted on by Lab Team

Source: WatchKit – Apple Developer

Yesterday Apple officially released the SDK for Apple Watch to developers, and as a result, some new details of Apple’s first wearable device have emerged:

  • Dependence On iPhones: In Apple’s own words, Watch apps serve to extend iOS ones, partly because Watch apps’ processing power is all coming from the iPhone. That means for now, Apple Watch will require an iPhone at almost all times, save for basics like timer and alarm, in order to function. Native apps are reportedly scheduled for development later next year.
  • Two Screen Sizes: The resolution for The WatchKit revealed Apple Watch will have two screen sizes of the same 4:5 resolution ratio, with the smaller model being 272 x 340 pixels and the larger one 312 x 390 pixels. Reportedly , there could be more Watch sizes coming as well.
  • Touch-free Notifications: There are two types of Apple Watch notifications. The “Short Look”, which features “glanceable” information, is only seen when users raise their wrist. After a while, the notification will automatically change to a “Long Look” mode, which provides more information and is more customizable.
  • Some Limitations: Besides the aforementioned dependency on mobile devices, the WatchKit also revealed several other limitations of Apple Watch, including the lack of support for custom touch gestures and video playbacks. The Map on the wrist will be static and non-interactive, at least for now.

Are Wearables The Next Tool For News Gathering?

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: The Drum

The Guardian is reportedly exploring ways to use wearable technology as a news-gathering tool as well as a new consumption platform. Sources claimed The Guardian was experimenting with a variety of wearable devices such as smartwatches and Google Glass, adding that it was also considering how wearables could be used to create news, such as using unobtrusive audio or video recording.

Event Recap: AdWeek – Proximity Marketing and Its Future

Posted on by Richard Yao

Continuing our coverage of New York Ad Week, today the Lab attended “Proximity Marketing, Wearables, and the Art of the Possible”, focusing on disruptive technologies and their impact on customer experience marketing. Led by Moderator Andrea Fishman from PwC, the panelists consisted of Fishman’s colleague David Clarke; Andrew Markowitz, Global Digital Strategy Director, GE; Mark Donovan, Chief Operating Officer, Thinaire; and Jordan Grossman, US Head of Sales at Waze.

Contextualization

Fishman started the discussion with the claim that “NFC and beacon-enabled proximity marketing is already happening—and not just in retail and consumer space, but globally in B2B and enterprises too”. Grossman concurred with her comment while also pointing out that “today’s marketing is about relevancy and proximity—it’s about offering people what they want in the right context to engage with them”.

The Value In Data

“NFC and RFID chips could be easily embedded and thus turn any daily item into a wearable,” Donovan noted, “and that means a lot of consumer data to be generated”. As Clarke pointed out, however, many companies are still “trying to figure out what to do with the data that proximity and wearable tech generated”. In order to realize the aforementioned contextualization in consumer marketing, we will need figure out how to leverage data into consumer insights.

Future of Marketing

Changing consumer behaviors led by new technologies indicates that “the future of marketing lies in where physical, digital and mobile spheres all converge into one total experience”, concluded Clarke. Markowitz also shared his vision that “the next marketing revolution will be internal, starting within the industry” and the only way to survive such disruption is to “trust and collaborate with your partners”.

On Trend: The Convergence of Tech and Fashion

Posted on by Richard Yao

The flirtation between tech and fashion has long been on our radar, and with the introduction of the Apple Watch earlier this week, the convergence of wearable tech and designer fashion has officially become a full-blown affair.

The trend started because both industries need each other. For tech companies, collaborating with the fashion industry helps to push out the new products with that extra sheen. This is especially true for the wearables, frequently dubbed “ugly” and “un-wearable” for their often bulky and unpolished designs. And the tech industry is realizing that making their wearables “fashionable” is a pre-requisite for mass adoption. For instance, Fitbit gave its fitness tracker a makeover by teaming up with Tory Burch, while Samsung is collaborating with Swarovski to offer bedazzled straps for its new Gear S.

On the other hand, many fashion brands are embracing technology in order to stay ahead. For the younger generations, technology is quickly replacing fashion, as many members of Gen Y and Z cite the newest handset as a higher purchase priority than the fashion fad of the season. In order to keep fashion “in fashion”, the industry is more than happy to incorporate the newest tech into the new looks. The “smart” accessories are being prominently featured on the runways of New York Fashion Week. And earlier last month, Ralph Lauren has also embraced new technology and developed its first item of smart sportswear.

Now with Apple unveiling their first wearable product, this trend is going stronger than ever. The Cupertino company geared up for its Apple Watch reveal by first poaching several executives from luxury fashion brands, and inviting key fashion influencers to the launch event. And it worked, receiving mostly positive reactions from the fashion world for its polished design, multitude of styles, and plenty of customization options. In the foreseeable future, this trend will most certainly continue, as such integration helps normalizing the otherwise “geeky” new tech products, especially the wearables, in a way that is mutually beneficial for both industries.

3 Implications Of Apple’s New Health Apps

Posted on by Richard Yao

Part dev kit and part health app, the HealthKit announced back in June marked Apple’s official foray into the field of health care. But today the company fully revealed its grand plan with two separate health-centric apps—Activity and Workout. These new developments will affect consumers in three key areas:

1. They will boost the wearable fitness trend

Since constant data gathering is crucial to the HealthKit’s success, it makes sense that Apple is releasing the Apple Watch. As the phones get bigger, it’s especially important to have an unobtrusive device assisting the health monitoring.

2. They will usher in a new era of the “quantified self 

Apple’s push for self-monitoring will certainly further the current trend towards “quantified self”, in which people use technology to collect data in order to improve their own lives.  We’ve seen a number of wearables and apps measure fitness, sleep, and more, but Apple’s ecosystem will undoubtedly make the biggest splash.

3. They will help Apple to become the hub for health data

Apple was reportedly in serious talks with major healthcare providers to convince them to adopt HealthKit, which would in turn make Apple a central “hub of health data”. Judging by Apple’s wording today, it seems like they are still in deep negotiation with the health care industry for further infiltration. Just as the iPod revolutionized the music industry a decade ago, there is little doubt that that Apple is looking to repeat its success in the healthcare field.

 

What You Need To Know About The New Apple Watch

Posted on by Richard Yao

One smartwatch to rule them all? Thanks to its innovative “digital crown” UI, biometric data capturing abilities, embedded NFC chip, and integration with other Apple devices, the Apple Watch could just be the one product to bring wearable tech into mainstream.

Product Specs 

Apple geared up for the Apple Watch launch by hiring several fashion executives, and it shows. As sleek and chic as any other Apple product, all three collections of the Apple Watch—Watch, Sport, and Edition—feature a beautiful “flexible” screen protected by sapphire glass. By using designer fashion for elevated product design, Apple clearly intends to capture the high-end of the nascent wearable market.

From a technical perspective, battery life is still a challenge, but the Apple Watch does offer a cool inductive charging feature. Starbucks started installing Powermat’s wireless charging stations at its coffee stores earlier this year, and we suspect this is hardly a coincidence.

Key Benefits

  • Health and Fitness: With its advanced sensors and wearable attachment, the Apple Watch is the focal device for health monitoring and data acquisition. Combined with new Fitness App and Workout apps, the Watch is truly a comprehensive health and fitness device.
  • Extension of the iPhone: With wireless phone call, iMessages and the support of a myriad of Apps, the Apple Watch works well as an extension of Apple’s handsets.
  • Seamless integration: Handoff, a new iOS feature that allows users to push content between their iPhones, ensures data sync-up across devices.
  • Supports Apple Pay: Thanks to its embedded NFC chip, the Watch will support Apple Pay, making it even easier to use Apple’s mobile payment system.

“Hearable” Is The New Wearable

Posted on by Richard Yao

When it comes to smartwatches or fitness bands, the wrist is the focus of the current wave of wearable technology. But wireless smart-earbuds, also fashionably dubbed “hearables”, might just be the piece that truly mainstreams wearables. From Samsung’s necklace-like Gear Circle to Motorola’s new micro-headset The Hint, more and more tech companies are coming out with their own hearables that sit in your ears, freeing up your hands and eyes.

The prerequisite technology for mature hearables—voice command, wireless connection, and cloud processing—already exist, while obstacles like including battery life, connectivity, and faster cloud processing are being tackle by industry leaders. Intel has plans to develop a voice recognition that uses offline possessing for faster responses. Google, meanwhile, has been working on its voice control for years as part of its Google Now interface, and is allegedly grooming it to be featured on its wearbles.

By utilizing the oft-ignored auditory sense and eliminating screens that require constant visual attention, hearables are convenient, unobtrusive, and most importantly, intuitive—all invaluable qualities that make them easily adoptable. With the worth of hearables market predicted at over $5 billion by 2018, these smart-earbuds are set to take over as a key part of wearable tech.

Four Tech Trends Spotted At Samsung’s IFA Event

Posted on by Richard Yao

Earlier today at the IFA trade show in Berlin, Samsung announced four new products coming this fall. Besides Galaxy Note 4, the expected update of its popular “phablet” series, the South Korean tech giant also unveiled Galaxy Note Edge, the new Gear S smartwatch, and the Gear VR, a virtual reality headset. Throughout the event, four major industry trends stood out with each of Samsung’s new offerings:

The screens are getting bigger

With Apple rumored to introduce iPhones with bigger screens next week, it came as no surprise that Samsung doubled down its “phablet” offering with Note 4 and Note Edge, along with a smartwatch that features a 2-inch screen. But the screens aren’t just getting bigger; they are also getting curvy. The futuristic Galaxy Note Edge features a display that curves around one side of the phone and a special OS that makes good use of the warped screen. Plus, the new Gear S also has a curved screen that fits on your wrist naturally

The smartwatch is coming into its own

Having released five smartwatches since the initial introduction of its Samsung Gear last year, Samsung stepped up its wearable game by introducing a vastly improved Gear S. Thanks to its nano-SIM card support, the Gear S can make calls, receive emails and texts, and generally operate semi-independently. It does not completely operate as a standalone, but it does point to a future where smartwatches might become less of an accessory and more of an independently functional device.

Tech continues to collaborate with fashion brands

The trend of consumer tech teaming up with fashion brands continues as Samsung collaborates with Swarovski to offer crystal-studded phone cases for Note 4 and similarly bedazzled straps for Gear S. The collaboration follows a successful partnership between the two brands at the recent NY Fashion Week. This trend will most certainly continue, as such integration helps normalizing the otherwise “geeky” new tech products in a way that is mutually beneficial for both industries.

Virtual reality is on the rise

Samsung is pushing in on the virtual reality trend with a headset. Built in partnership with Oculus, the Samsung Gear VR allows users to wirelessly mount the new Galaxy Note 4 in front of their eyes and use the device for gaming and watching movies. Samsung is also teaming up with major media companies to produce entertainment content specifically made for immersive virtual reality experiences.