Fitbit today announced the Versa 2, and it could very well become a challenger to Apple Watch's dominance in the smartwatch space. That's because the Versa 2 comes equipped with Amazon Alexa - the first of Fitbit's smartwatch lineup to support Amazon's voice assistant. Though Alexa is the Versa 2's marquee feature, Versa 2 buyers will also get the feature set we're used to seeing out of Fitbit's smartwatches.
Smartwatches are a dime a dozen but the majority of them seem to be targeted as a specific class of users that prefer casual or classy looking timepieces. Even those designed for active users wouldn't really look out of place in a board meeting or gala. Athletes and fitness buffs, however, need more than just a handsome smartwatch. They need one that caters to their specific lifestyle and uses cases as well. Navigation expert Garmin might deliver exactly that in the upcoming Fenix 6 series of smartwatches headed to IFA next month.
If you're an Amazon Prime subscriber and you happen to have a Garmin smartwatch on your wrist, then here's some good news: Amazon Music is landing on Garmin's smartwatch lineup today. In its announcement today, Garmin boasts that it's the "first wearable company to offer Amazon Music," so if you've been looking for a way to access your library on a smartwatch, then it sounds like Garmin is the pick.
The newest smartwatch from Casio carries the same Casio Pro Trek nomenclature of the 2017 device from the same brand. This version of the watch brings updated specifications throughout the hardware, including a new heart rate monitor/optical sensor and new abilities using Google's Wear OS. This device is extremely similar to its predecessor - almost shockingly similar.
A lot of attention is naturally given to the upcoming iPhone models, especially considering the rather controversial design change on its back. Fans of Apple's wearable products, however, may have been slightly worried about the lack of rumors on the Apple Watch. Better late than never, those are finally dropping in and, if they are on the mark, this year could see yet another big change for the Apple Watch.
BLOCKS, the modular smartwatch that launched in 2014, is officially dead. Backers of the crowdfunding campaign were on the receiving end of a recent email advising that BLOCKS Wearables Ltd. is being liquidated. A backer-only update has also appeared on the product's Kickstarter campaign warning backers that the company has run out of money. The failure has been in the pipeline for more than a year.
ASICS developed the activity tracker app Runkeeper, and Runkeeper was able to faithfully connect with Wear OS devices until this week. Users were sent a message this week by the folks that develop ASICS Runkeeper. This message suggested that as of app version 9.13, ASICS Runkeeper would no longer connect with any "Wear OS by Google device" whatsoever.
Garmin is no longer just about GPS navigation in cars. It isn't even about golf watches. An almost unlikely player in the wearable market, Garmin has started making smartwatches and fitness wearables to jump on that still unstable industry. Despite the uncertainty and the number of players already in the market, Garmin is showing no hints of slowing down. In fact, it might have as many as six such wearable devices coming next week, and four of them have already been leaked.
Your options for a Wear OS smartwatch running the latest chipset just got bigger today, with the new Misfit Vapor X joining the Snapdragon Wear 3100 team. The newest smartwatch from the company runs Google's wearable platform on Qualcomm's latest-generation silicon, and includes integrated GPS as well as Spotify preloaded.
Snap today announced the third iteration of Spectacles and it seems this new pair is coming with quite a few changes. For starters, there are now two cameras on Spectacles - one beside each lens. As you might imagine, this allows you to capture 3D content and also lets you give your videos an augmented reality flair as well.
Apple is ramping up to a revolution in the way you live your life. Right now the most ironic paradox in most people's lives is the complete lack of motivation they feel for keeping their body healthy. I know I feel that way - it seems like a lot of work. I've got a hard enough time trying to act on things I know are right, I've got ADHD, now you want me to remember that going for a bike ride makes me feel good the rest of the day? Madness!
Swim company Form has launched Swim Goggles, a new wearable product that combines smart glasses tech, activity tracking, and ordinary swimming goggles to offer competitive swimmers a training edge. Though the Form Swim Goggles look like an ordinary pair of swimming goggles at first glance, they feature a tiny display that shows distance and time, among other things.