Nike working with Apple to develop new ‘Stealth’ and ‘Stylish’ wearables

Although Nike has abandoned FuelBand, its fitness tracking bracelet, it is not out of the wearables arena. The company has teamed up with Apple to work on a new wearable device that will be less obtrusive, more ‘stealth’ and ‘stylish’ and will work with existing devices, according to Mark Parker, CEO of Nike.

Nike’s partnership with Apple in wearable technology goes a long way. It first partnered with Apple in 2006 for its Nike+ running sensors that connected to the iPod wirelessly. Nike abandoned its FuelBand in April last year and shut down the team involved. Consequently, two of its engineers moved over to Apple for working on its Apple Watch. But Mike Parker still thinks wearable technology is a key factor in the future of Nike.

As Parker said to Bloomberg TV in an interview:

“I think it’s going to be a big part of the future, absolutely. I think the form it takes is critical. You can go from the very geeky kind of wearables today – we’ve all seen some of those – to what I think you’ll see in the future, things that are more stealth, more integrated, more stylish and more functional, yes.”

Parker stated that having Apple’s CEO Tim Cook on Nike’s board was a big advantage because Nike has worked well with Apple earlier and Parker had personally worked with Apple’s founder Steve Jobs.

“Technologically we can do things together that we couldn’t do independently,” said Parker. “So yeah, that’s part of our plan, to expand the whole digital frontier in terms of wearables, and go from what we say is tens of millions of users – right now there’s 25 million Nike+ users – to hundreds of millions.”

Nike axed its 70-member dedicated FuelBand team just a few months after its 2nd generation fitness band was released, which though didn’t come as a complete surprise, was somewhat sudden. Apple’s entry into the wearable’s segment might have been one of the reasons. Nike said that it wanted to focus back on its existing business of fitness devices in shoes and on the Nike+ software.

It is not yet known what wearable technology Nike is developing in collaboration with Apple. Nike+ app will probably be on the Apple Watch. However, Parker’s comments suggest it will be much more than a mere smartwatch app.

 

Via The Guardian

Nike working with Apple to develop new ‘Stealth’ and ‘Stylish’ wearables

Hands-on with Lenovo’s Smartwatch VIBE Band VB10 with E Ink at CES 2015

Almost all smartphone companies seem to be jumping on the wearables bandwagon with their fitness bands, health trackers and smartwatches. Lenovo doesn’t want to lag behind. Along with several laptops and PCs, the Chinese tech giant has also introduced a new wearable device, the Lenovo VIBE Band VB10 at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Lenovo’s VIBE Band is quite different than other smartwatches in many ways. The first difference is its design. It is neither traditional round nor standard square in shape but is rather longish rectangular with the display almost covering your wrist. It is a 1.43-inch 296 x 128 pixels E Ink display. This makes the screen easy to read even in hash lighting conditions like sunlight and allows a long battery life of up to one week. The VB10 has a plastic front cover made to look like metal and smooth rubber straps. There are a few watch-faces you can choose from.

The VIBE Band can be integrated with your smartphone and is a fitness and activity tracker. You get various modes by pressing the button located on the side of the VIBE Band. You get data such as steps taken, distance travelled and calories burned with date and time. It also offers you features like SMS notifications (text message up to 150 characters), ignoring calls, silencing the phone’s ring and alerting you when you go too far away from your phone. However, the E Ink display keeps refreshing every time you change the menu. The band has a regular USB port on the side for battery charging.

The VIBE Band is waterproof with IPx7 certification which means it can be immersed in 3 ft. deep water for 30 minutes. So you can wear it while showering, swimming or playing water sports. The Band connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone running Android 4.4 or above. The VIBE Band offers all this functionality for just $89 and is supposed to hit the shelves internationally in April this year, but there are no plans yet for a US release.

Via PhoneArena

Hands-on with Lenovo’s Smartwatch VIBE Band VB10 with E Ink at CES 2015

Activite Pop Analog Clock At $150 launched by Withings

If you do not use any fitness tracking devices and watches, you have not heard of Withings. Withings is a well known brand for watches especially for the fitness sector.

Activite Pop is the new analog clock by the brand with a built-in tracker for the users. The tracker provides information of your sleep, steps and swimming by tracking them. Moreover, it can connect with your smartphone to show you the information via Bluetooth 4.0.

Withings has another expensive model that will cost you $450. The expensive wearable of Withings will provide leather straps and offers pedometer.

The new $150 Activite Pop is available in three different colors including Bright Blue, Sand and Dark Gray. Moreover, the straps are made of same color silicone.

Withings Activite Pop is a fashionable wear with a normal analog watch. Therefore, you can wear this at any time that also shows percentage of your goal. Use the smartphone app and set the settings of the Withings watch comfortably.

Each of the Withings wearable has 8 month battery life and also offers morning alarm to the users. Withings announces that the wearables will be available from the next month in the market.

Activite Pop Analog Clock At $150 launched by Withings

Ear-o-Smart – First Ever Earring Fitness Tracker!

Behold for the first ever smart earring! Yes, thanks to the initiative of the Canadian company, BioSensitive Technologies, fitness trackers might be just as fashionable as an ordinary jewelry in the coming days. The Ear-o-Smart is a subject of kickstarter crowdfunding campaign and if all goes well, the first earring fitness tracker will hit the market by June 2015.

 

This innovation was founded by the belief that wearable electronics should be unified with one’s lifestyle. It looks like an ordinary earring from outside perspective but it is able to record heart rate, calories and activity level. It is also able to provide live data once connected via Bluetooth 4.0 iOS and Android smartphones.

The earring will primarily be shipped with a standard white design, but it will also be available in DIY kit, which would certainly make women want this wearable technology.

Right now the top fitness trackers are Garmin Vivosmart, Basis Peak, Microsoft Band, Moov, Jawbone Up24, TomTom Runner Cardio, Samsung Gear Fit, Jawbone Up Move and a lot more. All these have one thing in common, they all come in the shape of a band or watch. The competition is a little tight on top and Biosensitive Technologies certainly did find a way a shortcut to the top. Although it might be a struggle that the product targets women exclusively. Along with that, the running out of electronic materials that would fit into a small accessory is also a major difficulty.

Ear-o-Smart – First Ever Earring Fitness Tracker!