While the Xiaomi Mi Band has been selling like hot-cakes, the Chinese smartphone maker is gearing up to push out its successor, the Mi Band 1s.

How do you improve a cost-effective health tracking device? Well, as the leaked images reveal, you add a heart rate monitor to it.

The images have not leaked out per se. This is because they appeared in a listing from the Taiwanese National Communications Commission, and someone managed to source them from there.

None of the details are official yet, but the new smartband (tagged as the Mi Band 1s) shows off its heart rate sensor located on the bottom part of the unit with the sensor sticking to your wrist. While we are not sure about whether users will have to swing the band around to the area where one often checks for a pulse, to measure heart rate, Xiaomi must have figured a work-a-round.

A heart-rate monitor is indeed a brilliant idea. While Samsung usually allots heart-rate monitors only to its premium devices, Xiaomi seems to be all geared up to break that myth.

Placing a heart rate monitor in a device that costs just about Rs 1000 is indeed a brilliant idea; and those who have recently purchased a Mi Band may think of upgrading.

Source

TAGS: wearable, Smartband, Xiaomi Mi Band, Xiaomi

Chinese company has unveiled its Honor Band Zero smartwatch and Honor Whistle Bluetooth headset along with its much awaited Honor 7.

It is worth noting that both the products have been just unveiled while the Band Zero is expected to be launched in China in August.

Speaking about the devices, the Honor Band Zero features a circular touch display with brushed metal bezel running around it and IP68 certification for dust and water resistance.

The smartwatch interestingly comes with no physical buttons and is said to be showing message notifications and display incoming calls.

The Band Zero is also expected to come with pedometer and sleep tracker along with a textured rubber strap available in Black, Beige and White color options.

The Honor Whistle Bluetooth Headset is said to sport a brushed metal look and with a circular button on the back.

However, no further details have been shared by company and we expect more details to arrive soon.

SOURCE 1 | SOURCE 2

TAGS: Huawei, Accessories

With many companies looking at launching medical-grade fitness tracking wristbands, the online giant Google too has unveiled its similar move.

Yes, Google has recently announced that fitness tracking wristband is in the works which is expected to measure vitals like heart rate, pulse and skin temperature continuously.

It is worth noting that the search giant's experimental group known as Google X is responsible for the wristband.

However, adding more in to this, the same experimental group is responsible for projects like Google Glass, its driverless cars and Project Loon.

Unlike many company bringing out wristbands like Fitbit and Xiaomi, Google seems to be aiming at clinics and labs where the wristband can be used in trials and also prescribed to medical patients.

While this definitely looks an unusual move by Google, it does help doctors tackle the problem of reliably tracking the health of their patients away from the hospital.

However, while the company is aim at typical usage of the device, we expect it to offer the medical-grade accuracy which the other wristbands may fail to deliver at some point of time.

To recall, the search giant had also announced last year that it was working on a contact lens that can monitor diabetes patients' glucose levels.

In case if you didn't know, the same project was also being undertaken by the same Google X experimental group.

TAGS: wearable, Google

Fitbit which recently announced to enter in to India next month, has already started taking pre-orders for a range of its fitness wearables and activity trackers on Amazon India website.

The products which are now available for you to pre-order via Amazon India website are Zip Activity tracker (Rs 3,990), One Wireless Activity and Sleep tracker (Rs 6,999), Flex Wireless Activity Tracker and Sleep Wristband (Rs 6,999), Charge Wireless Activity Tracker and Sleep Wristband (Rs 9,999), Charge HR Heart Rate and Activity Wristband (Rs 12,999) and Surge Ultimate Fitness Super Watch (Rs 19,990).

In addition to these fitness wearables, Fitbit has also launched Aria WiFi Smart Scale at Rs 9,999.

It is also worth noting that all the above mentioned Fitbit products will be available in stock starting July 3 and these wearables are expected to stir up the Indian market which is slowly seeing its sun shine.

Also, the world's top wearable seller Fitbit's entry on to the Indian land seems to create a pretty tough situation for Xiaomi's Mi Band which was brought to India recently.

It is worth reminding that the company is looking forward to set up its office in Delhi and is expected to expand its sales through offline retail stores as well.

TAGS: FitBit, wearable

Everybody loves them, and so far in the smartwatch market, Google seems to have accumulated the maximum. We are talking about Android Wear watch faces and Google has announced that it has put out 17 new ones for you to download for your smartwatch.

The 17 new Android wear watch faces that are now available in the Play Store come from across the world. Fashion brands, game characters, cartoons, artists, and even from brands like Bang and Olufsen to movies like Terminator:Genesis seems to have cashed in on the opportunity.

Every watch face is unique in its own way in the sense that it refreshes the way in which the watch tells time.

Indeed, Google seems to be going cross-culture here as even Hello Kitty and Moomin seem to be available.

The best part is that 15 out of the 17 new watch faces are actually free so you can go ahead and download as many as you like.

Source, Download

TAGS: wearable, Android Wear, Google, smartwatch

As we know, the Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi recently brought its Mi Band in to the Indian market at just Re 1 as part of the introductory offer.

Now, the Mi Band is available on the popular e-commerce website Flipkart at a price of Rs 999 and the best part is, the device is available without any registration.

This sale is said to be part of the Flipkart's Big App Shopping promotion until June 24.

Speaking about the technical specs of the Mi Band, it comes with a fitness tracker along with a 30 days battery life and IP 67 certification which means that the Mi Band is both water and dust proof.

While the device is compatible with both Android and iPhones via Bluetooth 4.0, it comes with a set of sensors that monitor your fitness and sleep.

Along with this, the Mi Band send users missed call alerts via vibrations and also acts as a proximity unlocker for your Xiaomi smartphones.

It is also worth reminding that the Mi Band has been the world's second most shipped wearable and the best news is that it is now available without any flash sale!

TAGS: wearable, Xiaomi, Xiaomi Mi Band

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2015 is in full swing. Developers are taking stage to showcase exciting next-gen games. In this mad rush, one thing that has really managed to stand out is Microsoft's on stage demonstration of Minecraft. With Hololens, the software giant has managed to merge the video game with the real world. Showing off fancy promo videos is one thing, while on-stage is a different ball game, and that's exactly what Microsoft has managed to pull off.

Microsoft has definitely been planning this from a long time. It could be the reason why the Redmond-based company bought Minecraft-maker Mojang last year. While unveiling the Hololens, Microsoft did tease about a special version of Minecraft, made for Holelens. For demonstration, the company chose the biggest gaming event E3. Watch the live Hololens demo video embedded below.

As you can see in the videos, Hololens seems like a cross between Oculus Rift and Google Glass. What sets it apart from other wearables is the fact that it fuses richly textured 3D holographs in the 'real' world around you. It's impressive how virtual objects sit on real table without a hint of stutter. Let's not forget that the user in this video is constantly moving, so the gadget is actually adjusting object panes in space real time.

This is quite a feat considering that Hololens is a standalone device. All the complex 3D elements are rendered using the built-in HPU (Holographic Processing Unit). To seamlessly merge and morph computer generated images on real world visuals, the SoC (System on Chip) handles terabytes of data from the sensors in real time. The wearable runs Windows 10, and is compatible with Windows universal apps. You can operate Hololens with simple hand gestures.

Going by the video, Hololens will surely change the way we play videos games. Minecraft will surely be the killer app for Hololens. However, for the long term success, Microsoft is going to need more plenty of titles specially made for the device. And of course, Hololens' pricing is going to be crucial.

Tags : Gaming, E3, Microsoft

The Verge today has managed to pull out something astonishing indeed. The fact is to do with a smartwatch that Nokia was readying with all its enthusiasm before Microsoft took over and cancelled the project altogether. The results? An insignificant, tasteless but expensive Microsoft Band.

Everyone knows that Microsoft was indeed good with software. Hardware (especially mobile devices) was not their forte, which is why the Nokia acquisition took place. Still then, the Nokia-made Microsoft Moonraker smartwatch was one of those devices that managed to slip out even though it was demoed (in private) and saw interest at the Mobile World Congress just last year.

Yes, Nokia was this close to putting out a smartwatch (that really looks like something you would want to buy) when the Microsoft acquisition team shuttered it.

Famed leaker Evan Blass has helped reveal what the smartwatch looked like (or at least what it was supposed to) by leaking out these artworks (above and below) which he came across on Tumblr.

This is not just any Tumblr account, but one that is run by Microsoft design employee Pei-Chi Hsieh. The page has since discovery been pulled down (by Microsoft we are guessing).

The Verge tells us that Microsoft canned the project simply because it was ready to push out its own Band wearable accessory.

While the Nokia-made Moonraker looked good, it was a bit limited in terms of software. It was designed keeping in mind its new owner’s Windows Phone platform at least when it came to the UI. But Microsoft’s Band somehow seems to have had more functionality and was the reason why Microsoft decided to shut the program down at the very end.

Source 1, Source 2, Source 3

TAGS: wearable, smartwatch, Smartband, Microsoft, Nokia

Apple Watch has been the hottest wearable of the season. With the announcement of WatchOS 2, the watch is said to run a lot faster. That's because developers can now build apps that run on the Apple Watch. There are plenty of aesthetic changes. And of course, existing features have been improved with new capabilities. Let's have a look at some of them:

The Watch OS 2 brings watch faces. Apart from pictures, there's now a selection of timelapse videos.

Apple has finally added the email reply option to the watchOS 2. How convenient that's going to be, remains to be seen.

The new iteration of software adds Transit to maps on Apple Watch. Initially, the feature will be available in select cities.

With watchOS 2, Siri has become more understanding. With voice commands, you can look up a word in the dictionary or do simple maths.

Tags : wearable, smartwatch, Apple, Apple Watch

Apple has announced the arrival of the latest version of the WatchOS, the operating system that powers the Apple Watch at the WWDC 2015.

Dubbed as the WatchOS 2, the new version is said to include support for native apps, third-party complications, communications improvements, better health and fitness performance, new Siri capabilities and other new features.

It is also being said that the new WatchOS 2 will make it possible for the developers to build apps that run entirely on the Apple Watch.

While the developer beta version has been made available during the conference, the official full-version release is expected to come during this fall.

Below is a small list of features which the new update brings with it:

• New watch faces including Photo Album face and Time-Lapse face, a 24 hour time lapse of iconic locales.
• App developers can now make their own Complications.
• The Watch will show a nightstand mode which displays charge, time and alarm.
• Multiple screens for friends — and adding new people via your Apple Watch (instead of having to go into the iPhone Apple Watch app).
• FaceTime Audio.
• Replying to email from your watch.
• Fitness app can now run natively. Siri can start / stop workouts. There are new achievements, too, in case you're some kind of athletic beast that's collected them all already.
• Apple Pay will support store and loyalty cards, just like the new iOS 9.
• Maps on the Watch just got way more useful. It now supports transit directions, and Siri can get you mass transit directions.
• Speaking of Siri, it can now show you glances — "Hey Siri, show me the Instagram glances" — apparently even if it's not installed.
• Custom watch faces! The WWDC crowd is applauding for wallpaper. This is the future.

To conclude, while Apple has the best smartphone ecosystem, the Watch apps have so far been fairly limited. But, now, with this latest Watch Operating System update, we expect to see some better native apps support.

TAGS: Apple, WWDC 2015, Apple Watch OS

No wonder that Xiaomi is called the Apple of China with close to 2.8 million units of Mi band being sold during the first quarter of 2015.

With this whopping number of sales, the Chinese gadget maker has become the world's second largest seller of wearables, according to a latest finding.

According to IDC, Xiaomi's market share in 2015 Q1 seems to be 24.50 per cent while Fitbit has been placed at Number 1 with 34.50 per cent share.

Other companies like Garmin, Samsung, Jawbone and others seem to have lost somewhere with very few market share.

However, it is worth noting here that Xiaomi Mi Band is not truly a Xiaomi product. It has been made by Huami Technologies, a separate company with its own independent management. In addition to the Mi Band, Huami also makes Xiaomi’s smart scale.

Adding more in to this, it is good to know that, except for its routers, smart TVs and mobile handsets, all other products Xiaomi sells are made by third parties. Xiaomi typically invests in these third party companies, providing them with extra resources and heading straight to the selling part.

To conclude, the smart band by Xiaomi hit the market last August in mainland China, and since then since then has spread to India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

TAGS: Xiaomi Mi Band

After launching ZenWatch a few months ago, Asus has launched its successor, the ZenWatch 2 at Computex, Asia's foremost tech exhibition.

The smartwatch is powered by the latest version of Android Wear which means that the gear works based on the popular Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

Built upon the original ZenWatch, the smartwatch offers more refined design and improvised user experience and also comes with a metal watch crown unlike the original ZenWatch.

Coming to the sizes of the smartwatches, while one (ZenWatch 2 WI501Q) comes with 22 mm straps like before, the other (ZenWatch 2 WI502Q) has a smaller 18 mm straps. However, the larger one comes with an optional "Chargeback" power pack.

Like before, both versions of the ZenWatch 2 come with an AMOLED screen with a piece of 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 3 on top and with a qualcomm processor.

Meanwhile, apps like the remote camera viewfinder allow ZenWatch 2 users with ASUS phones to see a preview of their photos on-screen before shooting.

Having said these, the ZenWatch 2 comes with a wide-range of straps in a variety of materials and colors for further personalization.

While the rubber strap comes in Blue, Orange, Red and Taupe, the premium leather strap is available in Khaki, Brown, Gray, Blue and Orange colors. Along with this, the ZenWatch 2 also comes with a stainless-steel link bracelet in Silver, Gunmetal and Rose color variant.

It is also being said that there seems to improvements in the charging times and the battery life of the device.

However, there still seems to be no details available regarding the price and availability of the ZenWatch 2.

SOURCE

TAGS: ASUS ZenWatch

It looks like Apple has finally brought in smiles on many faces after a long wait!

This weekend was definitely one of the best for many of those customers who had ordered for Apple Watch Gold Edition which was on sale over a month ago.

Many of those first customers who had ordered for the gold smartwatch are said to have received notification emails of pending delivery along with the charges on their credit cards indicating that their orders had shipped.

Apple, as part of a brilliant gesture has even allowed users to select specific time they would like their order to be delivered to them.

People are required to inform the company by either a reply to the email they receive from the company or by call.

However, to add in more, users are said to have been receiving mails from "[email protected]", an account clearly meant to only handle communication with purchasers of the Apple Watch Edition.

TAGS: Apple Watch Gold Edition

Virtual reality has intrigued a lot of innovators over years. In 90s, Nintendo tried to make VR mainstream with its Virtual Boy gaming system. However, due to the technological limitations, the product didn't live up to the expectations. After that many came and went, but nothing got people excited like Oculus Rift in 2013. Little wonder then, the product gets a first mention in our list.

Oculus Rift
Oculus VR showed the world how immersive virtual reality (VR) headset can get. Gauging its potential, Facebook acquired Oculus VR in 2014. Currently, popular games such as Left 4 Dead, Skyrim, Portal 2, Half-Life 2, and BioShock can be played on the test hardware. The consumer version of the headset is set to launch in 2016.

Microsoft HoloLens
Those looking for a VR gadget for creation rather than just content consumption Microsoft's HoloLens might be your thing. The Windows 10 powered VT headset fuses the richly textured 3D holographs in the real world around you. Going by the promo video, the product seem to be useful in the field of architecture and conceptualisation. Gamers need not worry, as there will be plenty of games by the time HoloLens hits the retail stores.

HTC Vive
Developed in conjunction with Valve, HTC's Vive VR headset has got hardcore gamers excited. If you haven't heard of Valve, it is the company that gave us unforgettable games such as Half Life and Portal. Valve is also responsible for keeping the PC gaming alive with its Steam content distribution service. The initial reactions to the prototype has been very positive, which gets most of us looking forward to Vive's release in the Q4 2015.

Sony Project Morpheus
Coming from the PlayStation company, the Project Morpheus is VR headset where gamers need not worry about titles. When completed, Project Morpheus (name might change) will wirelessly connect to the PS4. It also features 3D audio technology that re-creates stereoscopic sounds that fine-tunes in real-time depending on your head orientation.

Razer OSVR
Razer, known for its gaming hardware partnered with Sensics to developer the OSVR (Open Source Virtual Reality) platform. It is backed by over 20 hardware companies. We expect that the first consumer product based on this platform will be produced by Razer. There's no launch date as of yet, but 2016 seems to be my best guess.

Tags : virtual reality, Gaming, Microsoft, Oculus VR, HTC, Sony, Razer

Apple’s first firmware update for its Watch is finally out. The update tagged as Watch OS 1.0.1 brings a host of improvements and some new features as well. Still then, it is not the big, feature-packed update that we are expecting at Apple’s WWDC in June.

In terms of new features we have new a new emoji set that was recently updated on both iOS and OSX. Apple Watch now also understands a lot more languages including Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, Thai and Turkish; all of which could be the next wave of markets for the Apple Watch launch.

As for the improvements, Siri has grown smarter and faster, and the same can be said about the stand activity measurement and calorie burn calculations along with support for third-party apps.

After all of the above, come the bug-fixes, which seems to have improved the overall performance of the smartwatch.

The Apple Watch has not arrived in India yet, but we could expect this to happen soon, as Apple has finally managed to polish out the problems and brought production up to speed.

Via

TAGS: Software, wearable, smartwatch, Apple Watch OS, Apple Watch, Apple

Even though the Apple Watch currently seems to be available only in a handful of countries, the device seems to be a success (for now) as demand has clearly exceeded supply. So it is obvious that Apple is aware of the problem and is taking user feedback seriously.

Today, there’s news coming from 9to5mac about a some more features that the Cupertino giant is apparently working on. Those that are related to security, health and fitness tracking, ones that it may incorporate in the near future.

We say ‘may’, because there are a number of hurdles like new hardware and approval from medical institutions that may lead to culling them even before they see the light of day.

One of these interesting features is ‘Find my Watch’. This would be similar to the Find my iPhone app that is available on iPhones, one that will let you lock, wipe and track the location of the same.

Along with ‘Find my Watch’ is a new feature (not new to the Android world) called ‘Smart Leashing’. Smart Leashing will reportedly alert you when you leave your iPhone behind. This however requires newer hardware, so it may in all probability make an appearance with the next version of the Apple Watch.

Next up, is a feature that is a bit controversial and helpful all the same. An update to the heart rate sensor in the Apple Watch will actually work overtime to sense and deliver notifications about irregular heartbeat in order to avoid what follows. Clearly, this would require the approval of the medical associations, which will not be easy due to the level of accuracy that medical devices deliver.

Lastly, we have a new widget-like UI called ‘complications’ (not the same as in traditional horology) that would appear over the watch face. One that would enable users to glance though information directly from the watch face. Obviously this will allow for third-party intervention, meaning you will soon see a number of interesting designs and ‘complications’ show up.

All of the above is clearly reserved for the next big update, which should be announced at the upcoming WWDC, which takes off on the 8th of June.

Source

TAGS: wearable, Software, Apple Watch, smartwatch

After Meizu it is now LG that is making headlines today as it's most exclusive smartwatch to date, the LG Watch Urbane is now available on Amazon.in.

It has been a really long wait since its announcement before the MWC and the smartwatch is finally available for purchase at a low offer price of Rs 29,990. While this may not seem all that low, its the actual retail price of Rs 35,000 that really surprised us.

LG indeed seems to be going in for exclusivity out here by marketing the smartwatch as the most exclusive Android Wear-powered device to date.

Come to think of it, it is actually priced a lot higher than the Apple Watch Sport (base model) itself which is expected to retail at Rs 22,200 (approx.). The mid-priced Apple Watch that comes with a stainless steel casing comes on par with the LG Watch Urbane at an expected Rs 35,000.

Now that the pricing seems justified, let's delve into the specs, which pretty much seems to be the standard stuff :

• We get a 1.3-inch P-OLED Display (320 x 320, 245ppi)
• Inside hides the same old 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB of internal memory
• The smartwatch includes all your usual sensors including Gyro, Accelerometer, Compass, Barometer and a PPG (Heart Rate Sensor)
• As usual it is powered by a 410 mAh battery unit and runs Android Wear inside; all encased in a metal construction making it look like a classic timepiece

Clearly, LG has priced its Watch Urbane to be on par with the Apple Watch that should hopefully see a launch in India soon.

LG’s Watch Urbane is currently available in both gold and silver options on Amazon.in.

Source

TAGS: wearable, smartwatch, LG Watch Urbane, LG, Android Wear

Indeed, its now come to a point that Microsoft seems to be doing more for other platforms than for itself (Windows 10 is still far away). After updating most of its apps to support the Apple Watch, we now have added features for the OneNote for iPad app, along with additional note-taking support on Apple Watch for the same.

Today’s OneNote update adds a pretty useful feature, and is currently available for the iPad and on Windows 8.1 devices only. The iPad app seems to have got a revamp and allows for easier sorting for all your notes as well.

More importantly, iPad and Windows 8.1 users can now even search through handwritten notes thanks to Microsoft’s OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tech.

The feature is truly impressive but there is a catch. Microsoft will allow only the newly jotted notes to be available in search, which gets processed in a matter of minutes. Older handwritten notes in your app will be made searchable in coming weeks.

Next up is OneNote support for the Apple Watch. The new update will allow you to take down notes directly from your smartwatch by simply pressing down on the plus button. It accomplishes the same via voice recognition.

Source

TAGS: Tablets, wearable, smartwatch, Software, Apps, OneNote, Microsoft, Apple Watch, Apple

Google has recently launched a News and Weather app for Apple Watch which has left many people unimpressed.

It may sound a little weird reading that a Google app leaves users unimpressed. But, the app seems to be not showing any kind of information on weather.

Also, coming to the news, Apple Watch users are able to read only the headlines and not the whole content as of now.

According to a report on The Verge, tapping on the story headlines has no results and Force Touch lets you add the item to Safari's reading list.

With such downfalls that users can feel with the app, it is pretty obvious that many turn towards the much better NYT Now, CNN, Circa, etc which are quite popular now.

However, this app does show us that Google isn't ignoring the Apple Watch entirely while giving more concentration on its very own Android Wear.

Hopefully the company's next few apps can do a bit more than this one.

TAGS: Google News and Weather App

It was just a month ago that Samsung made the existence of its round smartwatch, tagged as the Orbis official with the announcement of its SDK. Samsung wanted developers to build apps for its new Gear device now tagged as “the Next Gear”.

Now that the SDK is out, devs have helped uncover a number of features including the smartwatch’s heavy dependence on the rotating bezel.

Sifting through the code, SamMobile seems to have found a ton of data and even an image of what could be the actual smartwatch. Samsung currently, in its SDK refers to the device as “the Next Gear”.

Coming back to the rotating bezel, the SDK reveals that it will be the highlight of the whole experience, similar to the Digital Crown of the Apple Watch.

This may be what the Orbis looks like.

As for the little hardware details available, they are as follows:

• A 1.65 inch 360 x 360 round touchscreen display sporting a pixel density of 305 ppi
• Connectivity options include cellular data connection, Wi-Fi, GPS, as well as Bluetooth
• There are tone of sensors available even though Samsung seems to have cut down on a few
• (accelerometer, gyro, heartbeat sensor, pressure sensor, magnetic sensor)

Some of the images from the SDK also show off how the bezel that will be used to scroll through lists, and options in the settings menu. Also visible were images showing actions like zooming into an image or scrolling through the contacts directory with the rotation of the bezel.

Still then, there are gestures that are based on touch as well. But so far they seem to be minimal and limited to the homescreen and selection.

All-in-all the Orbis does appear to be an interesting smartwatch. Let’s just hope that Samsung manages to get its app bank ready in time because this something that will matter as visible from Apple’s rush to get its store ready for launch day.

Source

TAGS: wearable, smartwatch, Software, Hardware, Samsung

As expected, the Mi Band's ist special preview sale on Xiaomi India's official website went out of stock in 7 seconds on May 5.

Surprisingly, the special sale of the Mi Band just had 1000 units in stock and at a special price of Re 1. Mi India also tweeted about the success of their Mi Band's 1st special preview sale.

Thank you! #MiBand's 1st special preview sale on http://t.co/osSEXTVk0K went out of stock in 7 secs. pic.twitter.com/BlmjEQXg0y

— Mi India (@MiIndiaOfficial) May 5, 2015

To add in more on this, the flash was held on May 5 at 2 PM on mi.com/in which was reportedly flooded by Mi fans. And, it's also true that the first 1000 registrants have got the band at just Re 1.

Adding more to the whole flash sale, many users also tweeted about the same.

True. It got over in lesser than 7 seconds I think #MiBand sale https://t.co/aBYkOvgH6o

— Kirti Punia (@kirtipunia) May 5, 2015

Looks like #MiBand got sold with 0.01sec :/

— Shintu Dhang (@Shin2_D) May 5, 2015

Speaking about the Mi Band, the company recently launched the wearable in India last month alongside its Mi 4i.

While Mi Band looks like a simple device, it does have some interesting features like tracking user movements, sleeping patterns and also the ability to unlock a device. However, the key USP of the Mi Band is its battery life which the company claims to offer up to 30 days of standby time.

To add more, the band is also water resistant so that you don't have to worry about little drizzles or liquid spills.

It is also worth noting that the company had posted a buying guide on how to grab a Mi Band on its official Facebook page.

The Re 1 promotional offer to introduce the product by the company did surely go viral among various social media handles. However, there is no further information as to when and at how much price will the device available.

TAGS: Xiaomi Mi Band

Not many of us know about Reserve Strap, the accessory that is still in the R & D process will soon become an Apple Watch owners answer to the less than sufficient battery life.

The company did mention at its announcement back in March that the design has not been finalized. One that it would provide up to 125% more battery life than the built-in battery of the Watch.

Now, we have a new design that has shown up on its website. One that exposes the 6-pin port that lay hidden inside the connectors of the strap. While we did know thanks to the iFixit team that there was a something hidden inside the door related to servicing and diagnostics, we now know that it is capable of much more.

The Reserve Strap’s new design utilizes that 6-pin port that will help the accessory connect directly to the hardware inside without interfering with the functionality of the Watch.

The company states that owners of the strap will also receive a special tool to pop open that door. Still then, it remains to be seen whether this affects the water-proof capabilities of the smartwatch.

Source, Via

TAGS: wearable, smartwatch, Apple Watch

Indeed the Taptic Engine is a tiny little piece of innovation, but it is important. The WSJ today reports that the component that debuted with Apple’s smartwatch has failed during testing, resulting in limited availability and slow shipping of its Apple Watch.

The Taptic Engine is basically a linear actuator (a rod with motor) that moves to create a vibration. While this nothing new with mobile devices, it is all about the way in which Apple uses it in its smartwatch that makes it vital to the Watch experience.

While the mass production of the Apple Watch began back in February, the component began breaking down during testing, which lead to Apple changing its supplier for the same.

The WSJ reports that Apple has actually asked manufacturing facilities to slow down production. This is really odd since the Apple Watch inventory is clearly insufficient at best.

[Also Read: Apple Watch App Store Goes Live With Over 3000 Apps]

All of this has resulted in Apple Watch shipments being immediately moved to June, which is quite a disappointment for those who have place their orders. On the other hand Apple is ready to push out shipments to its second wave of countries which is a bit strange.

Hopefully, the Cupertino giant gets it right and things move on smoothly as this is indeed Apple’s new product in years, especially the first one under the supervision of Tim Cook.

Source

TAGS: wearable, smartwatch, Apple Watch, Apple

Samsung has now made it official that its round Orbis smartwatch actually exists and will be announced soon. The company did this by announcing the release of its software development kit (SDK) for its round smartwatch much before the launch of the wearable itself.

Clearly, Samsung like Apple is looking out for developers to develop apps for its smartwatch tagged as the Orbis.

Apple as we know just took its Watch App Store live today and certainly did not have a problem with over 3000 apps in its app bank at launch.

Since the Orbis will come with LTE bands (from what we know through leaks) we cannot expect Android Wear in there. This poses a big app gap for the Korean electronics giant, the one that it is trying to bridge by releasing the SDK before the launch.

We are pretty sure Samsung has already managed to pool in a number of big names in the industry to build apps for its upcoming smartwatch. This is visible from the little we can see at the bottom part of the registration website with prominent names such as CNN, yelp, Baidu, FidMe and more.

[Also Read: Samsung’s Round Orbis Smartwatch Features Leak Out]

Getting third-party developers to build apps for a custom OS; that is unique only to one smartwatch and nothing else is tough. Android Wear adoption would have been a simpler move.

Still then, it will be hard for Samsung to come up to speed with the Apple Watch unless it has something really innovative to talk about; something that even developers would be interested in supporting to get noticed.

Source

TAGS: smartwatch, wearable, Samsung

While Google Keep is not the closest alternative to Evernote, it makes for a great quick note-taking app that every Android smartphone owner can make use of.

But with a new update, Google extends its app support to the Android Wear platform as well, by introducing a handy app that works in sync with your smartphone.

The new app update that comes from the Play Store and adds support for Android Wear smartwatches.

All you have to do to open the app is to simply say “Ok Google, open keep” and your notes show up on your smartwatch. Want to do more? Well, you can even take notes with the new app by saying “Ok Google, take a note” meaning that you can now even create notes from your Android Wear-powered smartwatch.

A very handy addition indeed, and all of this comes after Google Keep’s previous update that allowed for adding labels to categorise notes.

Source

TAGS: Apps, Software, Android, Android Wear, Google

The App Store for Apple’s newest gadget has gone live. When you head to the Apple Watch app on your updated iPhone, you will no longer see a “coming soon” message, but the plethora of apps that Apple has managed to squeeze out from developers.

And there are plenty of them. Almost every major app or platform has an app that has been designed to work in sync with your Apple iPhone.

Moreover, if you now head to iTunes (both in the App Store on your phone or the desktop app) you will be treated to a “Works on Apple Watch with an iPhone” message for supported apps. This will be followed by screenshots of those tiny little Apple Watch apps below those of the iPhone and the iPad.

Apple Watch App Store

It is indeed impressive how Apple managed to pull off such large app bank in a short span of time; although we do know that plenty of developers were pushed to pull off the same. Compare this to Android Wear or any other smartwatch platform and you can tell that the Cupertino giant is pretty confident about its new product.

Apple Watch Apps in the App Store. Notice the "Offers Apple Watch App" message

What we also noticed was that there were plenty of apps that were developed in India that now also support the Apple Watch. So our guesses point to the smartwatch getting launched in India pretty soon.

Apple also seems to be rolling out its latest software update to owners who have just received their Apple Watch. Apple Watch OS 8.2 as it is called, makes restores possible.

TAGS: Apps, smartwatch, wearable, Apple Watch, Apple, Software

LG has finally announced the availability of its Watch Urbane, which is powered by Google’s Android Wear. The Watch Urbane was announced back in February this year and now it seems that LG is ready for show time.

The Korean electronics giant made the news official via a press release stating that the smartwatch will be available for the Indian market (and worldwide) as soon as this month.

The release also states that the premium looking smartwatch will be exclusive to the Google Play Store for now.

Sadly though, like always there was no mention of the price tag.

Considering that LG is selling the smartwatch as a premium wearable, one can expect the prices to be high. But then again this not made out of precious metals but just comes coated with them.

The two options include rose gold and silver, both of which have stainless steel as the base metal. The display also looks bigger now that the bezels have been trimmed down.

When it comes to the hardware specifications, nothing has changed since the G Watch R. In terms of software, we have the latest version of the Android Wear software:

• We get a 1.3-inch P-OLED Display (320 x 320, 245ppi)
• Inside hides the same old 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB of internal memory
• The smartwatch includes all your usual sensors including Gyro, Accelerometer, Compass, Barometer and a PPG (Heart Rate Sensor)
• As usual it is powered by a 410 mAh battery unit and runs Android Wear inside; all encased in a metal construction making it look like a classic timepiece

LG will announce the smartwatch’s pricing only once it becomes available.

Source

TAGS: wearable, smartwatch, LG Watch Urbane, LG, Android Wear

It had been quite sometime since we heard about the updates for Android Wear.

But, now, Google is rolling out a huge update adding in some of the great features its users had been waiting for ever since they bought the device.

The new update brings with it WiFi support which means that the Android Wear has an additional data connection.

So, this means that, as long as your watch is connected to a WiFi network and your phone has a data connection, you will be able to receive notifications, send messages and use all your favourite apps.

[Also Read: Android Wear Update Brings GPS And Music Playback Support]

To add more, we know that almost all Android Wear devices come with an always-on screen to see time whenever required. And now, the update expands the same always-on screen option to apps, so that they can stay visible as long as you need them.

Also, the update allows users to draw hundreds of different emojis directly on the watch screen which is quite a relief for those who are fond of using smileys and emoticons very often in their messages.

[Also Read: Android Wear’s Lollipop Update To Bring New Watch Faces And UX Improvements]

This update also supports many gestures for scrolling through notifications with the twist of your wrist, easier access to apps and contacts.

[Also Read: Google Rolls Out Update For Inbox Adding Support For Android Wear]

However, users may have to wait a little as it may take a few weeks for Google to roll out this update to almost every Android smartwatch.

But, the official Google Blog has in that the LG Watch Urbane would likely be the first watch to receive the update.

We believe this update would likely give a pretty tough competition for the Apple Watch.

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TAGS: Android Wear

While we have yet to get a glance at the complete list of Apple Watch apps out there, Microsoft with its latest update has also decided to add support for its PowerPoint iOS app.

Apple Watch support for its OneDrive service was only the beginning so it seems. The updated PowerPoint (v1.8) for iOS now supports the Apple Watch in a pretty rudimentary manner.

The update simply turns your Apple Watch into a detailed remote for presenting your PowerPoint presentations.

So you can now leave your iPhone aside, and control your presentation from your Apple Watch. And there are plenty of details as per the changelog as well.

You have the basic controls like Start, Pause, Next slide and for the Previous slide, but you also get details about the elapsed time, the current slide number and the total number of slides as well.

All-in-all a pretty handy addition if you happen to own the most talked about smartwatch that is currently not available in the Indian market.

Still then, it is good to see Microsoft innovating for platforms other than its own.

The company already has the best Office viewing and editing apps on any mobile device built specially for the iPad and iPhone (even better than the Windows Phone ones, until Windows 10 that is).

Oh how we wished Google felt the same way about the Windows Phone platform.

Source

TAGS: wearable, smartwatch, Apple Watch, Apple, Microsoft, Office

Popular instant messaging and Voice Over IP app Viber has finally come up with an update supporting the Android Wear devices.

The latest version 5.3 has got some new features to improve the user's experience.

Through the Android smartwatch, users can receive text messages and reply using speech-to-text option, available in all languages that Google supports for speech-to-text feature.

Also, the company is boasting about the stickers, photos and doodles that come resized to fit the small device screen.

However, as of now, incoming calls cannot be answered through Android Wear devices, but we can surely expect feature pretty soon.

Also, the latest version provides names and photos of the user who is interacting even if he/she is not saved in the contact list.

The latest update for Android also has some animated stickers and allows users to browse through celebrity conversations and go behind the scenes with music, film, fashion, sports or whatever else they like.

SOURCE

TAGS: Viber, Google, Android Wear