wearables

Qualcomm Has a Smartwatch Too and It’s the Anti Galaxy Gear

Happy smart watch day! Let’s have a hearty welcome for our newest party guest: Qualcomm. That’s right, the Snapdragon chipmaker will be peddling its own watch—the Toq—direct to consumers. And it’s a way different take than Samsung’s Galaxy Gear. On the spectrum of standalone to accessory, Qualcomm’s Toq skews enthusiastically toward the latter. Think “watch…

Samsung’s Smartwatch Live Blog Bonanza Starts Right Now

This afternoon, Samsung will kick off its Smartwatch Era with the introduction of the Galaxy Gear. It’s a watch but it’s smart in that it will know when someone is calling you and can take pictures with it and it will have apps. But can it love? Join our liveblog right here—and/or watch the stream…

Galaxy Gear: Everything You Need to Know About Samsung’s Smartwatch

Samsung just took the lid off its long-rumored Smartwatch. Here’s everything the Android-powered arm computer—officially known as Galaxy Gear—has to offer. Galaxy Gear is a lot like a pared down smartphone you wear on your wrist. On the home screen you’ll see the time, and shortcuts to access essential apps like the camera and your…

This Titanium Watch Can Tell You When It’s Losing Accuracy

To watch collectors and aficionados, mechanical movements are particularly desirable since they best represent the fine craftsmanship and precise engineering that has gone into watch and clock making for centuries. But ironically, even with today’s technology, mechanical movements don’t keep perfect time. They gain and lose seconds as they lose power, so Urwerk has created…

The World’s First Basketball Watch Tracks How Good Your Game Is

These days there’s a new rumor or smartwatch announcement every time you fire up the internet. But they’re all designed to work alongside a smartphone doing boring things like display caller IDs or rejecting a call. Not the Hoop Tracker. This is the first watch designed to keep track of your prowess at the rim…

This Watch’s Tiny Tweeting Bird Is a Miniature Mechanical Marvel

To celebrate the 275th anniversary of clockmaker Pierre Jaquet Droz opening his first workshop, the company that bears his name—even to this day—has created a fantastic timepiece that uses tiny piston-powered bellows to produce a realistic chirping bird sound. But watches have been doing that for years. What’s amazing about this piece is its tiny…

These 3D-Printed Titanium Watches Will Probably Outlive You

Titanium is one of those rare wonder materials that sounds like it could only exist in the movies as a fanciful plot device. It’s real, though, and stronger and lighter than steel, which makes it a little tricky to work with. That is, unless you grind it into a powder and recombobulate it into any…

Do You Love Apple’s (Stolen) Clock Design? Then Strap One To Your Wrist

Apple ran into a bit of trouble when it was discovered that the company’s design for the clock on the iPad version of iOS 6 was pretty much ripped off from the Swiss Federal Railway. Apple ended up having to pay $21 million for the gaffe, but you can get your own copy of Hans…

40 Years of Nike’s Most Iconic Shoe Designs, Visualized

Nike’s impact on both pop culture and the shoe industry is unrivaled. It’s consistently one of the most popular brands in the world and has an insane sneakerhead following. But of all the hundreds of shoes released since the 1970s, what are its most iconic designs? British designer Stephen Cheetham took it upon himself to…

This Vest Claims To Regulate Your Body Temperature

In our ongoing coverage of things that claim to regulate one’s body temperature, I present to you the Nike Aeroloft 800 Vest. It’s $180. Like the Helly Hansen H2 Flow, Nike’s Aeroloft relies on a series of laser-cut holes and strategically placed chambers of down filling that allows for the dissipation of one’s body heat…

Withings Pulse Review: Lots of Data In a Little Package

This year has produced a flood of fitness trackers and, as such, it takes more than it has in the past to stand out from the crowd. The unassuming Withings Pulse has a neat trick up its sleeve that just might do it: In addition to all the usual stuff, it can take your pulse.…

The First Smartwatch You Might Actually Want Is Designed For Kids

As if kids didn’t have it pretty awesome already, now it looks like they’ll be among the first of us to get their hands—or wrists—on a bona fide smartwatch with the Filip. But don’t get too jealous. The Filip is designed as a safety device more than anything, with Wi-Fi, cellular, and GPS capabilities designed…

Nike Free Flyknit: A Running Shoe as a “Second Skin”

If you’re a company like Nike, what happens when you slap together two of your most innovative shoe technologies? Well, in this case, you get the Free Flyknit. By combining the mid-range cushioning provided by the Free+ 5.0 midsole and form-fitting Flyknit upper, Nike thinks it’s created one of the most barefoot-like experiences. The Free…

Nike Free Hyperfeel: A Minimalist Running Shoe That Looks Like a Sock

Reminiscent of the original waffle runner that launched Nike, the Free Hyperfeel is the company’s latest minimalist runner inspired by the actual geometry of the body. Which, if you’ll recall, is something Under Armour addressed with its bra-like Speedform. In creating the Free Hyperfeel, Nike says its research lab rats used pressure-mapping tech and high-speed…

Bremont’s Codebreaker Watch Pays Homage to WWII’s Enigma Crackers

The allied victory in World War II can be as much credited to the brave men and women who fought with weapons as it can the scientists and mathematicians who successfully broke the secret codes used by the Germans, including the famous Enigma machine. And Bremont is commemorating that accomplishment with a limited edition timepiece…

Apple Hired the CEO of Yves Saint Laurent to Work On Special Projects

For some reason, Apple has hired the CEO of fashion house Yves Saint Laurent Paul Deneve to work on ‘special projects’. He’ll report directly to Tim Cook and presumably help out on future wearable technology that Apple has in store or outfit Jony Ive with tighter fitting t-shirts or something we have no idea what.…

Starting today, you can pre-order Recon Instrument’s Jet for only $499. That’s a lot cheaper than Glass! [Recon]

Inside Under Armour’s Bra Shoe

Under Armour’s Speedform is a new type of shoe that’s not only not constructed in a shoe factory but is also inspired by women’s brassieres. It doesn’t have an insole and sort of feels like you’re wearing a pair of socks. Except that those socks don’t have any seams to irritate your feet and the…

Alpinestars’ Atem Might Be the Safest Motorcycle Jacket You Can Buy

Nearly all motorcycle jackets available today have bits and pieces that are CE certified but never before has an entire garment—not just the elbows, shoulder and back armor—been CE certified for rider safety, like Alpinestars’ Atem jacket and suit. After a 12 month-long gestation period and a myriad of new testing processes, the Atem is…

The Best Boardshorts Ever Just Got An Upgrade

As if having the most comfortable and most innovative boardshorts weren’t enough, Hurley has gone and one-upped themselves with the Phantom Fuse 2. Which apparently only touch the body at the waist. Also, each pair is made from 12 recycled plastic bottles. https://gizmodo.com/these-boardshorts-are-basically-chafe-free-5994327 Details are scant and it’s not clear if the “biomimic” waistband from…