wearable computing

All-aluminum, completely waterproof physical activity tracker Shine launches

A company called Misfit Wearables has launched an interesting physical activity tracker device, the Shine, which works with iOS devices and can be worn anywhere on your body via the included clasp and optional add-ons.

Originally an Indiegogo project, the Shine goes beyond your typical pedometer by tapping proprietary sensor algorithms that not only track your steps, but also cycling and swimming. It's available now via the online Misfit store and is expected soon in brick-and-mortar and online Apple Stores...

Samsung’s concept makes the case for wearables

Young Sohn, who started at Samsung in August 2012 as President and Chief Strategy Officer, showed this intriguing concept video at MobileBeat 2013, VentureBeat’s sixth annual flagship conference on the future of mobile. In it, the Galaxy maker lays out its vision for wearable computing that calls for new kinds of bendable displays.

The video focuses on a scene depicting a woman using her smartphone of the future outfitted with health sensors to share health data with her doctor. According to Bloomberg, Apple's rumored iWatch includes a pedometer for counting steps and sensors for monitoring health-related data, such as heart rates...

Apple’s battery patents hint at rounded gizmos

The days of boxy computers are history, so why are the batteries which power them still the same shape? That's the question a pair of new Apple patent applications seek to answer. The patents filed in 2011 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office describe "non-rectangular batteries for portable devices."

The iPhone and iPad maker outlines a way to customize the shape of batteries to fit the flexibility of today's consumer electronics, including the growing array of wearable devices, such as the highly-discussed iWatch or Google's Glass eyewear...

Poll: which would you rather wear, an Apple iWatch or Google’s Glasses

Silicon Valley giant Google rightfully trusts tech enthusiasts will be falling over themselves to adopt its Android-driven Glasses, going as far to commission a pro to take a series of fashion photographs featuring beautiful, smiling models. Apple, on the other hand (pun intended), is said to be entering the wearable computing space with a smart watch-like gizmo believed to be conceptualized as your most intimate computer yet.

Google's bet is that advanced augmented reality features are enough to talk people into putting up with the unusual glasses dancing on their nose. And if iWatch talk is for real, then Apple must be thinking its users won't have a problem wearing a curved-glass watch around their wrist like some Dict Tracy copycat.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle: some folks will readily adopt these wearable devices and others will wave them off as a function over form. Which brings me to today's poll: if you were forced to choose between the two, which one would you rather wear in public - Google's Glasses or Apple's iWatch?