Pebble’s Time Steel smartwatch ships to backers at month’s end
While Pebble Time on its way to backers and available for pre-order, the company’s metal-clad smartwatch is also scheduled to arrive soon. Via Kickstarter update, Pebble announced that production of the Time Steel is set to begin this week with the goal of shipping the gadgets to backers at the end of the month. It’ll take some time to send out all of the units, but even the folks at the end of the line should receive tracking info by the end of August. However, due to limited availability, some backers may receive their metal bands in a separate shipment, rather than both a leather and metal band bundled with the watch itself. What’s more, when the Time Steel hits retail, the metal bands will be separate purchase, so plan accordingly.
Filed under: Wearables
Via: Android Central
Source: Pebble (Kickstarter)
Withings’ fitness watches automatically track your swimming
Most activity trackers and smartwatches won’t monitor your swimming, and those that do usually require that you kick in a swimming mode before you dive in. Withings doesn’t think you should have to switch things up just because you’ve left dry land, though. The health tech firm has added automatic swim detection to its Activité and Activité Pop watches, so you only need to start that breast stroke for it to register as a workout. You probably won’t want to take your tracker on a deep scuba dive (both wearables are resistant down to 164 feet), but this could be very helpful if you’d rather hit the beach this summer than roast during a run.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile
Via: Withings (Twitter)
Source: Withings
Casio preparing to enter the smartwatch field
The smartwatch industry has a new player ready to enter, this time coming from the world of watchmakers hoping to add some “smarts” to its devices instead of a tech company looking to cram smarts into a watch form factor. Casio has revealed plans to produce a smartwatch for release in 2016. With the company’s history, the move to finally get into the market should probably not be a surprise.
In the past Casio has managed to tack on all sorts of technology and gadgets on its watches. These have ranged from the now seemingly mundane calculator to heart-rate monitors, digital cameras, and even portable gaming systems. Casio’s new president, Kazuhiro Kashio, admits that, “at times we just showed off with quirky features and then pulled those products when they didn’t sell well.”
Despite the success and failure of past devices from Casio, the company does have a solid history of understanding consumers in the watch marketplace and their desire for something easy to use, durable, and a pleasure to wear.
Kashio, who recently took over leadership at Casio from his father, has been leading a team for the past four years working on the smartwatch device. He says he has already rejected a variety of prototypes as not meeting his requirements. Whatever eventually hits the market, currently scheduled for March 2016, Kashio expects it to be priced in the $400 range.
Kashio says the initial sales target will be around $80 million from smartwatch devices. Overall watch sales for Casio totaled $1.2 billion for the year ended March 2015 and accounted for about half of the company’s sales.
source: Wall Street Journal
Come comment on this article: Casio preparing to enter the smartwatch field
Surprise, surprise: Casio is making a smartwatch
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Casio have some of the most iconic looking watches ever – almost everyone will have a memory of owning or remembering a Casio watch at some point in their life. With timepiece makers all over the world joining the smartwatch race, it’s no surprise to see Casio jump on the bandwagon too. Unlike other big name watch makers like Tag Heuer, Fossil and Swatch, however, Casio actually has a pedigree in making watches that do more than just tell time – the scientific calculator watches of old immediately come to mind.
Casio says that they’ve actually be working on a smartwatch for a few years already and that it will be ready to ship in March, for the price of around $400. This is surprising to me seeing as other watchmakers only made their announcements earlier this year and are planning to launch this year as well – what Casio is doing that takes so long is unknown, but we’re willing to believe it’s going to be something that sets them apart. At least, that’s what we hope.
What do you think about Casio making a smartwatch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: The Wall Street Journal via engadget
Originally published on WatchFaceADay.com where I am the founder
The post Surprise, surprise: Casio is making a smartwatch appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Huawei unveils its latest smartwatch, the Huawei Honor Band Zero
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Huawei‘s first Android Wear device, the Huawei Watch, was a breathtaking device, and although we’ve yet to see more of it, we’ve been interested to see if Huawei was going to use those design cues in its other devices. After Huawei unveiled its new smartwatch, the Huawei Honor Band Zero, today, it would appear the answer is no. Unlike the Watch which featured excesses in metal and a very traditional appearance for watches, the Honor Band Zero looks most similar to a Misfit wearable, except with a screen. That’s certainly not a bad thing, but it is a surprising direction for Huawei to take its latest wearable.
#Honor‘s smart wearable device that embodies a minamalistic design, that’s #HonorBandZero. #HuaweiFacts pic.twitter.com/94oStPXMnP
— Huawei Device (@HuaweiDevice) June 30, 2015
Because Huawei announced the device on its Twitter account, there’s not much we can say about the device right now, not even what operating system it’s going to run – Android Wear would be the logical answer, but it’s hard to tell at this point. We assume more details are going to trickle out in the near future, hopefully including its price and availability.
What do you think about the Huawei Honor Band Zero? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Twitter via Phone Arena
The post Huawei unveils its latest smartwatch, the Huawei Honor Band Zero appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
LG’s hexagonal battery promises longer-lasting smartwatches
Quite a few smartwatches are round, so why are they still using rectangular batteries? LG Chem certainly doesn’t think that makes sense. It just started shipping a hexagonal battery that should deliver 25 percent more capacity in circular watches, where a lot of space normally goes to waste. You’re theoretically getting another four hours of juice, or enough to make it through a long night without resorting to a low-power mode. The company isn’t naming customers, but it’s safe to say that LG’s next wave of rounded wristwear will last that much longer. And that’s just the start — LG is planning more unusually-shaped batteries that will extend the running time of gadgets without dictating their look and feel.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, LG
Via: 9to5Google
Source: Korea Times
LG hexagonal battery aims to further wearable battery life
By the way LG continues to pump out smartwatches (three models within a year), it can be said that they are highly invested in the wearable movement. The news we’ve received today backs that up, as we get a glimpse on the LG’s R&D effort to make the most out of smartwatch battery capacity.
As reported on Korean tech news site, etnews, LG Chem has developed a coin-sized Hexagon Battery, intended to most efficiently utilize the space within circular smartwatches.
It is said that the shape and degree of freedom in the hexagonal design can increase battery capacity up to 25% (estimated at 4 more hours of use). LG Chem refers to the battery assembling technology as ‘Free Form Battery’. It uses a ‘Stack & Folding’ technique that allows it to be constructed in any shape or form.
It’s great to see someone recognizing that slapping on a square battery on a circular smartwatch isn’t the best solution, especially when battery life in smartwatches hasn’t been anything to brag about. LG Chem plans to have the Hexagon Battery in mass-production by the end of the year.
The post LG hexagonal battery aims to further wearable battery life appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Watch patent would have you sharing files with a handshake
Wondering how you’d exchange info between smartwatches when their displays are so small? Apple thinks it has an easy answer: make the same gestures you already use to greet your friends. The tech firm has applied for a patent on a system that exchanges data between wearables (presumably Apple Watches) whenever both people make a similar greeting gesture, such as a handshake, bow or fist bump. The watches would only need to use their motion sensors and short-range wireless to tell that you’re getting cozy — you wouldn’t need to tap the screen at all. Devices could also swap different kinds of data depending on the exact gesture and how well you know the other person, so you’d only share contact info if you’re grabbing hands for the first time. There’s no guarantee that Apple will roll this feature into the Watch any time soon, but it strikes us as a very logical (and, dare we say it, handy) upgrade.
Photo by Will Lipman.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, Apple
Via: Patently Apple, SlashGear
Source: WIPO
5 tips to get more battery life out of your Android Wear smartwatch
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Smartwatches are still a relatively new technology in the tech industry, and as many other new wireless technologies do, smartwatches are struggling with battery life. While manufacturers and other clever people work this out, we’re left to find out novel ways of saving battery life on our first generation smartwatches. So if you’re using an Android Wear smartwatch, here are 5 tips to get more battery life out of your Android Wear smartwatch.
1. Adjust the brightness on your display
On-screen time is the biggest killer of battery life on any smart device, be it a smartwatch, smartphone or any tablets. So it stands to reason that the brightness of your display is going to influence how much on-screen time you’re going to get. Some Android Wear smartwatches will have an ambient light sensor which gives you an ‘Auto’ setting, adjusting the brightness depending on the surrounding light situation – for the most part, this works well, however if you’re not getting the battery life you want, you can always just set it to the lowest brightness and see how you go.
For the smartwatches without ambient light sensors, you’ll again want to try and see how you survive on the lowest brightness setting, but the earlier Android Wear devices are known to struggle with readability in full sunlight on that setting.
2. Turn off always-on/ambient display
For some, a smartwatch that has a blank screen when not being used doesn’t make sense, which is where the always-on setting comes in. As its name suggests, it allows your watch face to be ‘always-on’ in a manner of speaking – rather than stay active in full colour, the watch face will become a black and white silhouette, letting you still see the watch face while the watch isn’t active.
Admittedly, this doesn’t use a huge amount of battery (at least compared to how much brightness affects it), however, if you’re scrounging for an hour or two of battery life to get through the day, you may want to ensure that this setting is set to ‘Off’.
3. Switch to no notifications
As I mentioned earlier, on-screen time is the real killer here, so any strategy for saving battery life needs to reduce the amount of time that the screen remains on. Android Wear devices have three notifications profiles: “All”, “Priority” and “None”. As the names suggest, “All” gives you all notifications, “Priority” really only lets phone calls come through, and “None” ignores all notifications.
Since “All” turns your screen on each time you get a notification, switching to the “None” profile will get you that little bit of battery life saving since your display isn’t turning on. This might not work for everyone since you will lose track of when and what notifications are coming through, but it does make a huge difference if you get lots of notifications on a daily basis.
4. Switch to Theatre Mode
This point is basically point 3 on steroids. If switching to the “None” profile still isn’t getting you enough battery juice, then you’ll have to get drastic. There is a mode on Android Wear devices called “Theatre Mode” – as the name suggests, it is designed for the times when you don’t want to be interrupted with a bright light on your wrist, including inadvertent touches of the display and bringing your arm up to see the time.
Turning “Theatre Mode” basically makes your smartwatch ignore all random touch input as well as gyro movements and you’ll only be able to wake it either using a physical button, or if your device doesn’t have this, a double tap of the display. This could give you a little more battery life if you’re the type of person who randomly touches the screen or (God forbid) likes to check the time a lot.
5. Switch to Airplane Mode
If point 4 is somehow not working for you, then this point is your ultimatum to your smartwatch. Like smartphones, Android Wear devices have an “Airplane Mode” which switches off all external communication like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Of course, this means your Android Wear device is basically dead to the world around it and you’re not quite using it as a smartwatch, but you will definitely save on battery power. I’d recommend this as a way to save battery life at the end of the day, or on big nights out when you’re out past your normal bedtime.
And that’s my list. I hope some of you find this useful, and if you do, please leave me a comment down below and let me know if you want to more of these guides in future.
This post was originally published on WatchFaceADay.com where I am the founder.
The post 5 tips to get more battery life out of your Android Wear smartwatch appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Top 5 things you should do after getting an Android Wear smartwatch
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A lot of you will have just gotten an Android Wear smartwatch for being an awesome father (on Father’s Day), whereas some of you will have gotten them as presents or self-presents – either way, welcome to the club. In case you’re new to the smartwatch and Android Wear scene, and you’re wondering what your smartwatch is good for besides telling the time, then here are the “top 5 things you should do after getting an Android Wear smartwatch”, according to me.
1. Use voice commands
When smartwatches started to go mainstream, images of Dick Tracy’s speakerphone watch came up at every turn. While they aren’t quite speakerphones yet, Android Wear devices are very capable listeners with an assortment of voice commands that will make you feel very Dick Tracy indeed. Some that you might like to try include:
“Start a timer for 20 minutes”
“Remind me to read a book at 2pm”
“What time is it in Sydney?”
2. Use the new wrist gestures
Android 5.1.1, which should be available for all Android Wear devices, introduced wrist gestures for the first time. If you’re so include, you will be able to twist your wrist to scroll through your notifications list. It does take a bit of practice, but before long, you’ll be a wrist gesture pro.
3. Pick your fitness app
In case you weren’t aware, Android Wear smartwatches are also relatively capable fitness wearables. While they’re no Fitbit or Jawbone, if you don’t have any of those, your Android Wear smartwatch will serve you just as well in tracking your steps everyday, and if you have one with a heart rate sensor as well, it can track how active your heart is as well. Choose from options like Google Fit, UP (by Jawbone), Runkeeper, and plenty more.
4. Try a music app like Shazam or Track ID
I mentioned before that Android Wear smartwatches are great listeners, and this extends to more than just spoken voices. Download an app like Shazam or Track ID and your smartwatch will turn into a song query device as well, though you may need to get your wrist closer to the source of the music first.
5. Download new watch faces
i.e. the whole reason this site exists in the first place. Unlike those chums using an Apple Watch, Android Wear smartwatches have an almost limitless library of watch faces for you to download and use. Some are available through the Play Store, and others can be downloaded and used through third-pary apps like Facer or WatchMaker. In essence, if you can think of something to put on a watch face, there’s probably a watch face for it already, and if there isn’t, you can probably make one yourself.
So there you have it – 5 things that you should do with your Android Wear devices once you have them. If you have any other good ones to add to the list, make sure to let me know down in the comments.
Originally published on WatchFaceADay.com where I am the founder.
The post Top 5 things you should do after getting an Android Wear smartwatch appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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