wearables

Microsoft’s New Band Looks Much More Wearable

Microsoft’s super huge, Oct. 6 hardware event is quickly approaching, and while Windows enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting new Lumia smartphones and an upgrade to the apparently successful Surface Pro lineup, Microsoft’s black sheep, the Band, could bring with it a few surprises of its own. Technology is filled with all kinds of rumors and speculation…

Google’s Project Aura Will Raise Glass From the Dead

Google Glass, the company’s head-mounted wearable device could make a return as the company has put together a new group, dubbed ‘Project Aura’ to oversee the device and other wearable technologies. According to Business Insider the business unit will remain inside the core Google company, rather than as a separate company underneath Google’s new Alphabetcorporate…

This Chameleon-Like Material Could Let Robots Camouflage Themselves In Real Time

A new chameleon-inspired “e-skin” that changes color the longer and harder you press on it could help engineers design wearables, prosthetics, and robots that are better at sensing pressure and temperature—just like human skin can. Published last month in the journal Nature Communications, the Stanford University research paper describes the stretchy, colorful polymer. Aside from…

A Lego Split-Seconds Chronograph Is a Cheap Start to a DIY Swiss Watch

It turns out there’s no reason to drop $20,000 on an expensive Swiss watch if you happen to have a box full of Technics lying about, because someone has built a working split-seconds chronograph using nothing but Lego. A split-seconds chronograph functions like an analog stopwatch, except with an additional seconds hand that can be…

A $28,500 Watch For Obscenely Well-Funded Star Wars Fans

So how much money did you spend on Star Wars toys on Force Friday? A couple hundred bucks? It might seem like a small fortune when your credit card bill finally arrives, but it’s nothing compared to Devon’s new Empire-themed timepiece. If you’re unfamiliar with Devon, the watchmaker has made a name for itself with…

Jawbone’s new fitness trackers aren’t the ones we’d recommend, but they’re getting a little better. The Up2, Up3, and Up4 can now automatically track your sleep with a free over-the-air update. The Up3 and Up4 also get passive heart rate tracking. [Jawbone]

LG’s Watch Urbane Luxe Is 23-Karat Gold Bonkers

Android Wear watches are cool and all, but none of them are especially fancy. (Even the new Moto 360, with its flat tire screen.) Until now, at least. An alligator leather wristband, 23-karat gold plating, and a $1000-plus price tag mean the LG Watch Urbane Luxe is a particularly niche geek accessory. The only chance…

Moto 360 (2015) Hands On: Design First, Tech Second

The Moto 360 was one of the first wearables that got us thinking, “Yeah, this whole smartwatch thing just might work.” It had some flaws, sure, but it was a functioning computer on your wrist and it wasn’t completely terrible. Now, Motorola is taking another stab at with the new Moto 360—cleaning up the design…

Hate Spiders? Then This Is the Last Clock You’ll Want Hanging on Your Wall

In the electronics world, Sony has made a name for itself with the occasional off-the-wall design. But in the watchmaking world, it’s a company called MB&F who’s responsible for some of the craziest clocks you’ve ever seen. And its latest creation will give arachnophobics the creeps. The MB&F Arachnophobia isn’t pretending to be anything other…

New Leaks Show Off the Moto 360’s New “Sport” Edition

Reliable leaker Upleaks posted three images today of Motorola’s new Moto 360 Android Wear lineup, including the newest addition to the family: the Sport. In the image itself, the Sport watch appears to be tracking time, distance, pace and beats per minute. The older generation could also keep track of heart rate, but now —…

It’s Easier To Tell Time Than do Math on This Slide Rule Watch

We now live in a time where kids think of calculators as just another app. But before they were even standalone electronic devices, mathematicians and engineers had to suffice with a confusing mechanical device called the slide rule. But don’t worry, this watch is much easier to use. In the right hands a Slide Rule…

The Android Wear Smartwatch Is About To Become a Personal Translator

Slowly but surely, smartwatches are becoming more useful. And this might be one of the most useful feature for a smartwatch yet: Google just announced it’s bringing Google Translate to Android Wear watches, letting you carry on a bilingual converation with a literal flick of the wrist. It’s part of a new Android Wear update,…

Sony Takes Another Shot at Activity Trackers With the SmartBand 2

This is Sony’s SmartBand 2. And guess what? It still doesn’t tell time. But other than its lack of screen and a new heart rate monitor, there aren’t many surprises on Sony’s official page for the new wearable—since info about its specs were accidentally published on the Play Store in June. Much like the old…

Samsung’s Mysterious Gear S2 Smartwatch Looks Downright Wearable

Samsung showed us two jumbo phones today that were, you know, more or less what we were expecting—and frankly not all that interesting. At the end of the show, though, Samsung teased the Gear S2 smartwatch, set to be announced on September 3rd at IFA in Berlin. Now that’s what I’m talking about! We know…

Garmin’s New GPS Watch Looks Like a Classic Digital Casio

If there’s one product the miniaturization of electronics has benefitted, it’s watches. Garmin’s new Forerunner 25 manages to squeeze GPS, fitness tracking, and even basic notifications into a wearable device that reminds us of Casio’s classic digital watches that could only tell time. But don’t expect the Forerunner 25 to help you navigate through the…

The Hustler Origins of Wearable Computers 

Be healthier! Be less distracted! Be more efficient! The wearable tech market is gripped by the idea of quantifying positive change. Fitbits and Apple Watches are shilled as objects that will make us the best versions of ourselves. But the original wearable devices weren’t so cloaked in sanctimony about the quantified life: They were created…

The Cheapest Fitness Tracker Yet

There’s no screen to display your burned calories, no flashing LEDs to keep you motivated, and no way to strap it to your wrist. But Misfit’s new Flash Link fitness tracker has a killer feature that others to date do not: a cheap $20 price tag. Available now on Misfit’s online store, the Flash Link…

Polar Takes Another Shot At Activity Trackers With the Loop 2

Back in 2013, Polar released the Loop. The company is the old guard when it comes to heart rate monitors and fitness tracking, and we had high hopes—which were unfortunately dashed once we actually tried it. Now, Polar is taking another shot with the Loop 2. At first glance, it seems like Polar addressed a…

The Fitness Wearable So Dangerous It Was Supposed to Be Destroyed

One of the first-ever fitness wearables was so dangerous it was banned by the US government for causing miscarriages and hernias. The line between “convenient exercise device” and “ornate torture tool” was thinner back in the 1950s. Before it was outed as medically horrifying, the Relax-A-Cizor was marketed as an easy way to get thin…

Stand Out in the Corporate World With This Geeky Tetris Watch

Following up on its Pac-Man and Space Invaders watches, Romain Jerome has just revealed a stylish new timepiece that manages to incorporate Tetris elements without looking like something you got for free with a video game pre-order. But with just 84 pieces being produced, the Tetris-DNA watch is simply not something you’re going to find…