Looking for a cheap way to try out fitness tracking, or lost your Fitbit or Jawbone Up and want an affordable replacement? Moves is a free iPhone app that uses the phone’s accelerometer and location tracking to help you stay active. Read more »
As if having the caloric details of your sex life posted publicly wasn’t enough, new research has exposed additional security vulnerabilities in the popular Fitbit fitness tracking devices. Read more »
The mobile platform wars escalated once again in the first quarter of 2012 as BlackBerry finally took the wraps off its much-anticipated new operating system. Meanwhile Android continued to build on its dominance both worldwide and in the U.S., cementing a two-horse race with Apple. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A second generation of wearable computing is emerging that focuses on design and a so-called glanceable UI. Valley startup Misfit Wearables is leading the charge, and trying to create a new type of user experience. Read more »
Now that we’ve finally landed the holy grail of do-it-all, convergent smartphones, it turns out many of us are far happier with dedicated devices that do one thing well. Read more »
This is the year that wearables are breaking out into the mainstream. Whether it’s connected wrists, eyes, feet or ears, we take a look at the devices that are sitting on your body, and collecting and crunching data. Read more »
The secret to Amiigo’s intelligent fitness tracker is a collection of sensors and a reference database full of information about hundreds of activities. The more data users feed it, the smarter it gets. Read more »
Given how CES is now a barometer for such a wide array of technology segments, GigaOM Research decided to ask our readers which way the tech winds will blow over the next year based on what they saw in Las Vegas. (Subscription required) Read more »
Google Glass didn’t emerge as a sleek (but nerdy) pair of digital glasses. Google’s first prototype was a clunky Borg-looking device that required a backpack full of batteries. Read more »
A young battery startup called Imprint Energy has designed a new type of battery that uses zinc and can be screen printed. It’s innovation could enable entirely new types of wearable electronics. Read more »
The internet of things is set to be a hot topic this year at CES, but before going gaga over the latest connected device, there are some hard questions industry watchers should ask — or at least think about– when evaluating the latest announcements and gadgets. Read more »
Everyone’s talking about the greatness of big data, but we’re nowhere near the promised land of what’s possible when we turn data loose on our lives. Here are three things to watch that could affect how companies and everday people consume all that info. Read more »
I took the Fitbit One out for a test drive (or in this case a walk) and absolutely love the updated model, as well as the creation of a Fitbit Zip for users looking for a more affordable product with slightly less features. Read more »
These are the companies, startups and giants alike, that are changing or could potentially change the mobile landscape in the most profound ways. Read more »
Fitbit is following up its hot-selling Ultra fitness tracker with two new devices, the Fitbit Zip and Fitbit One. Both will support Bluetooth 4.0, allowing for more real-time syncing with compatible devices. Fitbit is also introducing new social tools to better motivate users. Read more »
I was debating the purchase of a $130 broadband-connected scale versus to help me track my fitness and nutrition goals. As I weighed (HA!) the choice, I came up with three metrics that should help consumers figure out if paying more for connectivity is worth it. Read more »
As more people pick up connected pedometers, specialized exercise trackers and personal calorie-counting devices that connect back to the web, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group is trying to capitalize on the trend with new certifications for running and cycling. This is a win for consumers. Read more »
With the growth of sensors and microelectronics, the potential uses of wearable-computing technologies now reach to health and fitness, gaming, fashion, disabilities and augmented reality. Most importantly, the widespread adoption of wearables will drive the form function and market for mobiles in vital ways. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The Web is fantastic, but even with our smartphones, we’re still stuck staring at a screen. Some startups and DIYers are trying to make it easier to bring the binary interactions of our digital lives into the real world. This is awesome. Read more »
Five months after debuting an app for iOS, the team at Fitbit launched a version for Android smartphones and tablets. The free software works in conjunction with the Fitbit Wireless Tracker, a $99 sensor that tracks steps, flights of stairs walked, and hours of sleep. Read more »
Want to really embrace the quantitative self? Forget tracking your sleep and start tracking your dental hygiene. Beam Technologies, a year-old startup is set to introduce a Bluetooth-enabled toothbrush and app that will launch next month and retail for around $50 for the base. Read more »
Fitbit was among the early leaders in building connected portable health devices, a market that has become crowded in the last year with new rivals. Now Fitbit is announcing it has raised $12 million to help it fend off competition from emerging rivals. Read more »
Losing weight is on a lot of people’s minds post-New Year, so this is a perfect time to revisit tips and tricks about how to use Apple technologies to help you get healthier in 2012. Attitude, food and activity monitoring can contribute to a healthier you. Read more »
HealthRally is what you get if you crossed Facebook with AMC’s Intervention . The startup, which raised $400,000 in seed money from noted angels and launches Thursday, allows you to reach personal wellness goals by getting friends and family to pledge cash to support you. Read more »
Connectivity changes everything. That’s the credo driving just about every corner of our day-to-day lives. As human beings, we are now connected to one another through not just our social networks but also our cars, the books we read, the albums we download and even our own health and wellness habits (to name just a few areas). With that in mind, GigaOM Pro has singled out certain areas in the technology industry where we see this shift to constant connectivity taking place most drastically. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Fresh off its $70 million funding round, Jawbone is now turning its eyes to the growing opportunity in wearable health monitors with a wrist sensor product. Called UP, it’s a wristband equipped with an application that combines tracking and analysis of movements, nutrition and sleep patterns. Read more »
Devices like Fitbit and smartphone apps like Runkeeper have the ability to act as powerful health sensors. But one of the most promising ventures in this field is an upcoming product from Pulse Tracer called Basis, a watch monitor that packs in a bunch of sensors. Read more »
Food is the next frontier for mobile, big data and web services to change our lives, but in order to make that happen we need open standards, or any kind of standards for identifying ingredients, importing recipes and tracking nutritional data. Read more »
The “Internet of Things” (IoT) will likely be one of the most important technological advances of this century. The emergence of Cloud computing, meanwhile, has created the application and device management backbone needed to scale to and support billions of connected objects. Consumer, governmental and business trends are also pushing us toward the IoT. And despite inhibitors to growth, such as privacy issues and creating sustainable business models, we will see increasing benefits in our personal and community lives as the IoT takes hold. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift? You might want to consider one from the growing group of wearable personal metrics devices. The idea is data and feedback about our movement and our consumption can make us smarter, more motivated, and more competitive with ourselves and others. Read more »
