wearable tech

From the moment I first looked at the Pebble Watch, it was clear that this was a device designed to be purely about apps. Unfortunately, none were really available until a week ago, when Pebble at last released an SDK, and along with it, updated firmware for the Pebble watch and a revised smartphone app.

Now, the number of user-made indie Pebble apps is steadily growing, and there are even places to go to browse them: Pebble's own watch face community message boards, and sites like My Pebble Faces.… Read more

Not satisfied with just smartphones, MP3 players, and computers anymore, the rumor mill has now tacked on "smartwatch" to the list of potential hot items that Apple will develop and manufacture. Dubbed "the iWatch," chatter about Apple producing this sort of wearable tech is timely, considering that smartwatches seem to be on the mind of a number of other companies as well.

From bendable glass to an OLED screen, we gather all the dish on Apple's iWatch. Please note that we'll continue to update this roundup periodically and feel free to let us know … Read more

Why wear a smartwatch? You might have said the same thing about carrying a smartphone before those got smart enough to be truly useful. Smartwatches are a sort of mini tech trend of the moment, but here's the brutal truth: we wouldn't recommend that our friends buy any of these, unless they're early-adopter watch fetishists. The smartwatches of today have a muddy mix of good, bad, and flat-out ugly features. At best, they're quirky and stylish. At worst, they're hobbled with short battery life or don't work at all.

None of the smartwatches we'… Read more

I have to admit that Google's Project Glass makes me cringe. It's not that it's ugly (which it is), or that it marks the slow creep of computers into our brains (which it does).

What troubles me is the idea of a population of people with streaming-video cameras dangling off their faces. How could that not create a cultural chilling effect? Even if Google disabled all the cameras -- it's just unnerving having one pointed at you.

Gah! Just thinking about it makes me want to craft my tin foil hat and move off the grid. … Read more

The world is moving very quickly.

And where it's moving very quickly to is a place where we'll all look quite ridiculous and talk seemingly to ourselves as we walk down the street.

This is the heaven envisioned by Google, with its fascinating Google Glass. Yes, the glasses that make people look like no one's idea of a dinner date on the subway.

Many questions have emerged since these glasses invaded the public gaze. "Should one ban people wearing them while driving?" was one question. "How will Newt Gingrich look when wearing them?" … Read more

China's top search engine, Baidu, is working on wearable tech similar to Google's Project Glass device, according to the Chinese media.

Unnamed sources told news site Sina.com that Baidu is testing a prototype called Baidu Eye.

The device has an LCD display, voice-controlled image recognition, and bone-sensing -- the same technology Google is deploying to allow for voice control functions on its Google Glass eyewear. Baidu Eye wearers will be able to make phone calls, search the Web, and use gestures to take and send photos, according to the report.

The device also will have an open … Read more

Does the world really need an Apple iWatch?

Probably not, but the only thing I'm sure of is that I've been consistently wrong when it comes to guessing what people will buy. I still remember when Apple launched the iPad and I was absolutely certain that the name "iPad" was a kiss of death. I also remember believing in my heart that the Microsoft Zune would eventually win people over.

If Apple does release a smartwatch this year (and the jury's still out on that one), it would have to solve a number of problems … Read more

"I am killing you."

So said the tired foot to the head.

This is just one scenario I envisage with the latest -- and perhaps most imaginative -- product coming out of Google.

Not content with suggesting that you should put on a pair of tasteless glasses in order to get Martha Stewart's latest pierogi recipe, Google yesterday unveiled an even more sensational wearable product from its magic hat.

As Engadget reports, the company peopled its Google Playground with a man holding a pair of Adidas sneakers that talked.

It makes the self-driving car seem like a … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--At MWC 2013, much of the buzz was predictably about new smartphones, tablets, and mobile operating systems. Behind the scenes though, another movement stirred. Gear that places humans and sophisticated technologies in extremely tight proximity, almost approaching the cybernetic, was everywhere.

The trend of people integrating computing technology into their daily lives has been with us for decades, but it's only within the last few years that we've really seen a groundswell of these cybertech products. A flood of smartwatches that link to smartphones via wireless Bluetooth connection, many born on Kickstarter, have begun to finally ship. … Read more