Wearable technology

Seven 'Wearable technology' stories July 2013 - April 2015

Apple details the technology and functionality behind Apple Watch’s heart rate monitor

Sarah Guarino Apr 20 2015 - 7:28 am PT

Ahead of the Apple Watch making its way onto the wrists of consumers, Apple has published a new support page detailing the device’s heart rate monitor. As we know, the Apple Watch includes a heart rate reader to measure a person’s intensity during workouts.

With knowledge of this intensity data, the Watch is able to more accurately measure the amount of calories a person burns per day. Additionally, a user can check their heart rate at any time using a feature known as the Heart Rate Glance. But beyond these two user functions, this new support document details the technologies behind the hardware as well as some little known software features.

According to the document, the Apple Watch will silently measure your heart rate every 10 minutes. This data will be stored in the iOS 8 Health application for later viewing and integration with third-party health tracking applications and hardware.

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Holiday Gift Guide: Health gadgets — get a healthy start for 2015

Sarah Guarino Dec 12 2014 - 10:00 am PT

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Holiday Gift Guide 2 When the new year rolls around, a lot of us have New Year’s resolutions to become a healthier person and plan to exercise more. Last year I set my New Year’s resolution to do just that. However, last year was the first year I really used technology and wearables to help me with my journey, and I successfully lost sixty pounds. These gadgets helped me with my weight loss journey. They can keep you focused, inspire you, motivate you, and carry your gear.

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Review: Jawbone UP 24, a smart fitness band that gets you up 24/7

Sarah Guarino Nov 21 2014 - 6:29 pm PT

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The Jawbone UP bracelet has been on the market for three years receiving improvements every year. The Jawbone UP 24 received a major update: Bluetooth LE. Initially to sync the data onto the phone, the user had to plug the band into the phone’s headphone jack and wait, typically about fifteen seconds, for the data to sync into the app.

Now, since the UP 24 has Bluetooth LE capabilities, it is compatible with the iPhone 4S and later, the fifth generation iPod Touch, the third generation iPad and newer as well as the iPad Minis. Jawbone has made the UP 24 to be compatible with Android phones. Bluetooth LE allows the band to automatically connect with the Jawbone UP app.

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Q Design introduces QBracelet, a fashion accessory that charges your mobile devices

Sarah Guarino Aug 21 2014 - 6:00 am PT

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New startup Q Designs seeks to help solve a problem that many people have: we sometimes need to power our mobile electronic devices, but we don’t want to carry external battery packs or bulky charging cases. Q Designs’ solution, the QBracelet, looks like an ordinary bracelet, but it is actually a high-tech charger that can juice up your electronic device discreetly.

The QBracelet will work with iOS and Android devices at launch. No cord is needed, since inside the bracelet’s clasp there is a lightning adapter for Apple products and a micro-USB port for Android devices.

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Ringly introduces new iPhone-connected smart ring

Sarah Guarino Jun 10 2014 - 9:00 am PT

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New startup Ringly seeks to help solve a problem that many busy women have: missing important phone calls, texts or notifications because they cannot hear their phone go off in their purse, or find the phone quickly enough to get to it. Personally, I’ve run into this problem several times.

Ringly’s solution looks like an ordinary fashionable ring, but is actually a high-tech smart ring that can notify users of incoming messages, notifications, phone calls, and more.

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Review: Nike+ FuelBand SE, a smart fitness band that encourages you to get active

Sarah Guarino Dec 21 2013 - 12:00 pm PT

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Nike’s fitness band, the FuelBand came out in February of 2012. The Nike+ FuelBand SE, the newest model of the fitness device, was released last month. Since it relies on Bluetooth LE, the Nike+ FuelBand SE is compatible with the iPhone 4S and later, as well as the fifth generation iPod Touch. Bluetooth LE allows the band to automatically connect with the Nike+ FuelBand App. The new FuelBand has been designed to be more accurate and more water-resistant.

I have been using the Nike+ FuelBand SE for a little over a month, going through two defective units (one with a broken clasp, and one with a faulty battery and accelerometer) and finally stuck with the third band (which had a sticky button) for the purpose of this review.

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The Scanadu Scout could give hints to iWatch biometric sensor capabilities

Ben Lovejoy Jul 3 2013 - 8:17 am PT

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In a roundup on health-related smartphone accessories, AllThingsD drew our attention to the Scanadu Scout, which it described as a kind of real-life Tricorder.

Created by a Silicon Valley startup, the Scanadu Scout is a small puck that you place on your forehead for 10 seconds, and the sensors inside measure your heart rate, skin/body temperature, oxygen saturation levels, respiratory rate, blood pressure, ECG and emotional stress.

All of this data is then sent to the smartphone app (iOS or Android) via Bluetooth, where you can analyze and track the information.

That reminded me of what Apple CEO Tim Cook – who sits on the Nike board and famously wears a Nike+ Fuel Band – said back in May when ATD asked him about his interest in wearables …

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