Wearables

China-based smart device maker Xiaomi just released a "Xiaomi Mi Watch" that looks a whole lot like the Apple Watch. It has a very, very similar size and shape... and home screens (watch faces). See if you can tell which of these watches (at the head of this article) are from Xiaomi, and which are from Apple. There are some simple giveaways, but really - there's no getting around the idea that there's some MAJOR design inspiration going on here - to put it kindly.

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Last week, rumors of a potential Google acquisition of Fitbit started making the rounds. Google and Fitbit wasted little time in confirming those rumors, announcing today that an agreement for a merger has been reached. Assuming Fitbit's shareholders and the appropriate government regulators approve the deal, Google will purchase Fitbit for a total of $2.1 billion ($7.35 per share in cash).

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Official Apple earnings sheets released today show iPhone sales numbers down, while all other categories in Apple's earnings breakdown went up. Apple's Financial Year 2019 Forth Quarter Results showed both the three months period ending in September of 2019 and the full 12-month period ending in September 2019. Of course, even falling iPhone sales numbers are sales numbers that dwarf every other category, per usual.

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Today we're looking at Xiaomi's latest released clues about their next smartwatch, the Mi Watch. This is a watch that looks a WHOLE LOT like an Apple Watch - but sorta like if Apple decided to do an "SE" version of said device. Not that they'd ever do such a thing, but still - here's what Xiaomi's got. The Xiaomi Mi Watch will have a rounded-corner rectangular display and a digital crown on its right side for controlling its UI.

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The Huawei Watch GT 2 is a smartwatch that runs the company's own mobile operating system Lite OS. It does not run Google's Wear OS, and it's not exactly like what Samsung has with their smartwatches running Tizen. This watch looks a lot like most smartwatches released over the past several years, with a few watch faces built-in, a few sensors under its hood, and a decent display. But here's the kicker: It's got the battery life of your average tablet.

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Apple has released watchOS 6.1, adding support for the new AirPods Pro, and delivering some excellent news for the earliest-adopters of the smartwatch. Pushed out today, this new version brings watchOS 6 to Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2 owners, an impressive feat given that now means almost all generations of the wearable are compatible with the latest software.

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Raise your hand if you thought the Moto 360 would make a comeback? One of the earliest Android Wear smartwatches, the Moto 360 carved out a place in many Android users' hearts with its circular display and near-analog styling. Now, it's being brought back from the crypt, but as with any resurrection there's some small print.

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It seems that the wearable market suddenly got a little bit more interesting. At least if you're coming from the Wear OS side of things. Google is rumored to be buying wearable giant Fitbit which could give Wear OS smartwatches a new edge. Now another new edge is coming via Qualcomm based on new code for the Linux kernel. Apparently, a new Snapdragon Wear 3300 might be in the works and it could give smartwatches a much-needed performance upgrade.

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Though Google has dipped its toe into the realm of health and fitness tracking through Google Fit and Wear OS, it hasn't yet any kind of fitness tracker or smartwatch of its own. With the Apple Watch in particular drawing in a healthy amount of sales, Google might be looking to make a deal that would instantly turn it into a competitor in the fitness tracking space. New reports today are saying that Google's parent company Alphabet has made an offer to purchase Fitbit, though whether or not such an acquisition will actually happen is another matter entirely.

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Today the folks at Xiaomi decided to tease a new device that'll be revealed on November 5th, 2019. Previous code leaks suggest that Xiaomi's likely set to reveal a "Mi Watch" that's also been referred to with the name "Mi Wear". Xiaomi uses the name "Mi" quite a bit, and previously had (and still has) an app called Mi Fit for their "Mi Band" devices. Now they may be stepping up a bit in the world.

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There is no shortage of Wear OS smartwatches in the market. In fact, some might say there are too many of them. Almost all of them are now made by fashion brands like Fossil and few if not no tech company has remained in that market for long. The exception is, of course, Mobvoi wit it's rather interesting TicWatch Pro. That smartwatch has just become even more interesting with the addition of sleep tracking which comes via a simple app, no new purchases required.

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The Catholic Church is targeting younger generations with the launch of its own wearable device: the 'Click to Pray eRosary.' Yes, that's its full and proper title. This smart wearable, as the Vatican calls it, combines a connected bracelet with an app to help the faithful pray for world peace. The wearable is designed to look like a beaded bracelet with a cross in the middle.

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