News

ID TechEX Wearable Technology 2015 Expo November 18-19

2015-11-10

IDTechEx Wearable USA uniquely covers end user needs and wearable technology innovations. Attended by over 700 key people across the value chain and 30+ exhibitors in 2014, this is the largest show in the US covering wearable technology.

As traditional consumer electronics devices begin to saturate, new markets are being explored and foremost among them is wearable technology. However, wearable gadgets thus far are mixed in terms of their success, with several booms and busts over the last three years.

In 2015 the wearable technology market will be $24.2 Billion, based on surveys conducted by IDTechEx Research. However, the majority of this – 74% – is for already mature wearables – the humble electronic wristwatch, earphones, blood glucose test strips and the like.

Consumers want to be connected and preferably without carrying around bulky things, but wearable technology devices just aren’t there yet in terms of device form factor, such as marrying the need for larger displays with smaller wearable devices.

Wearable technology roadmap has new components

The majority of devices available have adopted component platforms developed for cell phones into wearable products. The future will be very different from the current because it will involve the use of new types of electronics – namely thin, conformal, flexible, invisible, distributed and textile integrated components that are just emerging from research labs now.

The IDTechEx Wearable Technology USA event covers these emerging components in the following sessions, each includes different leading organizations presenting that are hand picked by IDTechEx analysts.

Flexible and printed sensor advances
MEMs and other sensor technologies for wearable electronics
Stretchable and textile electronics
Flexible batteries and other power options
Flexible displays: OLED and Beyond
Lighting technology advances
Manufacturing for wearable electronics
New progress in PV
Structural electronics

Additionally other system components and the current leading devices are covered, from ICs to smart wristbands.

The requirements from brands

The event also presents brands and fashion organizations discussing their vertical industry needs. These presentations are structured into the following sessions:

Wearable technology for healthcare and sportswear
Wearable technology in enterprise / industry
Wearable technology in fashion

Outlook

IDTechEx Research believes that the wearable technology market will rise three fold over the next ten years from $24 billion in 2015, with the growth enabled by many new technology innovations becoming available now and over the next few years. In the meantime, there will continue to be boom and bust wearable gadget makers. But the winners will be the technology innovators and those that integrate the new components. Wearable technology will take off when people can wear it, not when wearable technology wears people, as it mostly does today, and our aim with this event is to present to you the user needs and innovations that offer real opportunities.

7th Annual International Wireless Power Summit Heads to San Diego November 5-6

2015-10-29

Over 200 leaders in the wireless power industry will gather for the 7th annual International Wireless Power Summit November 5-6, 2015 in San Diego, CA. Taking place at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa, this conference and exhibition will focus on ‘Wireless Power goes Mainstream: How to Make Money in Wireless Charging.’ Wireless Power 2015 will bring together global experts to discuss applications, new technologies and how to achieve commercial success and broader use for wireless products.

Advisors for Wireless Power 2015 include Ron Resnick, President, Power Matters Alliance; LeRoy Johnson, Engineering Consultant, Johnson Product Development, LLC; John Perzow, VP Market Development, Wireless Power Consortium; AJ ElJallad, Senior Manager, Corporate Strategy & Business Development, ON Semiconductor; Steve Goacher, Business Development Manager, Wireless Power, Texas Instruments; Siamak Abendinpour, Senior Analog IC Designer, IDT and Mark Estabrook, Director of Strategic Marketing, MediaTek.

“The wireless charging industry is growing exponentially, with more and more novel applications being developed for commercial use. This event has matched the industry trend and this year you’ll be joining 200+ of the industry’s most influential members in beautiful San Diego. You won’t want to miss out on the information that will be shared; the conversations that are only possible face-to-face and the technologies that will be demonstrated,” said John Lewinski, head of U.S. events for Smithers Apex.

“Whether you are an analyst, R&D manager, product manufacturer, or CEO, Wireless Power 2015 will provide you with the key contacts and insights to develop your business as wireless power technologies proceed toward widespread commercialization” added Lewinski.

Historically, this conference has attracted companies that span the supply chain, from researchers to end-users. Past attendees came from organizations like Energizer Household Products, LG Electronics, Powermat, Audiovox, 3MOcean Tomo, IKEA of Sweden, Google, Intel, WiTricity Corporation, and Motorola Mobility to name just a few.

Don’t forget, for QTOOTH readers there is a $200 discount on tickets for the event if you use code WP2015 during registration!

For complete information about Wireless Power 2015, please visit the conference website at http://www.wirelesspowersummit.com.

Misfit Introduces Shine 2 Fitness and Sleep Monitor

2015-10-26

Misfit recently announced Shine 2, the next generation of the award-winning Shine Fitness and Sleep Monitor. Fully redesigned and enhanced, Shine 2 leverages the best of Shine’s elegant aesthetic and introduces powerful new functionality.

Shine 2 tracks activity and sleep more accurately with a 3-axis accelerometer and newly added 3-axis magnetometer. Users can now easily see progress and tell time in a halo of rainbow-colored lights, or get motivated with Misfit Move, a feature that encourages you to be active with a vibrational nudge. Text and call notifications and a silent vibe alarm are also new with Shine 2.

Shine 2 incorporates more advanced hardware and firmware—which means dramatically improved touch responsiveness with capacitive sensing technology, faster syncing, and extended Bluetooth range. Its 12 lights display over 16 million colors and are bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight.

Compatible with Misfit Link, the groundbreaking software experience, Shine 2 is more than just an activity tracker—it’s now a remote to connect with the world around you. Communicate with friends, turn your lights on, change your music, take a selfie, and more, all with a triple tap.

Shine 2 references Shine’s iconic original design but features an even thinner aircraft- grade aluminum body, while retaining its signature 6-month battery life, 50 meters water resistance, and modular design. Wear it anywhere, all the time, without having to charge it.

“We’ve packed a lot into Shine 2, adding more functionality into an even thinner form factor with the same battery life, ”said Adam Mack, Misfit’s Director of Mechanical Design. “We didn’t compromise on craftsmanship or the user experience.”

Shine 2 comes in [easyazon_link identifier=”B015NUQYTC” locale=”US” tag=”uneomediacom-20″]Rose Gold[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link identifier=”B015NUQYQA” locale=”US” tag=”uneomediacom-20″]Carbon Black[/easyazon_link], is now available for purchase on misfit.com for $99.99, and will be available in retail locations worldwide in November.

About Misfit
Misfit invents and manufactures wearable and smart home products. The company was founded by Sonny Vu with John Sculley, the former CEO of Apple and Pepsi, and Sridhar Iyengar, co-founder of AgaMatrix and Elemental Machines.

LG Unveils New Watch Urbane Smartwatch with LTE

2015-10-15

LG recently unveiled the first Android Wear smartwatch that doesn’t require a phone to connect to the Internet.

The second generation of LG’s Watch Urbane now comes packing 4G, 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing users to leave the house without their phone.

This kind of autonomy is lacking in competing smartwatches from Motorola and Apple, which don’t include cellular connectivity. Samsung’s new Gear S2 runs on Tizen and does have a model with 3G connectivity.

LG says the new Watch Urbane will be available first in the United States and Korea, followed by markets in Europe, CIS, Asia and the Middle East. Details including price and date of availability will be announced locally at a later date.

In a press release, the company says that “cellular enabled features will vary” across Android and iOS.

At a press event, LG also unveiled a new flagship smartphone, the V10, which comes packing a 5.7-inch screen, and a secondary 2.1-inch inset display at the top of the phone for displaying notifications and other information.

The V10 also features a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera, 3000 mAh batter, 4GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 808 processor.

Check out the videos below for a look at both of LG’s new devices:

https://youtu.be/FdRymDRtPJA

https://youtu.be/ELD_6aeHGKQ

New Nordic Bluetooth® Smart Component and Module Seek to Revolutionize IoT Development

2015-10-14

Wireless component manufacturer Nordic Semiconductor introduces a Bluetooth® Smart system-on-chip that handles complex processes with minimal power use. U.S.-based developer and engineering firm Rigado presents a pre-certified, comprehensive Bluetooth® Smart module using Nordic’s SoC to deliver a secure, cost-effective solution to IoT developers.

Nordic Semiconductor’s new system-on-chip is set to revolutionize development for the Internet of Things. On Oct. 5, Nordic launched the Global Tech Tour in Boston, Mass. to introduce the nRF52832 system-on-chip, an ultralow power Bluetooth® Smart solution that can handle complex multivalent processes while maintaining ultralow power consumption. The nRF52 is the basis of Rigado’s newest Bluetooth® Low Energy module, the BMD-300, an easy-to-implement component that shortens IoT developers’ time to market and reduces development costs.

The Global Tech Tour visits thirty cities, including nine in the U.S. The free presentations will feature a thorough introduction of the nRF52 chipset family, along with presentations on RF connectivity and layout, power devices, software development kits and more. Attendees will receive a free nRF52 development kit

The nRF52 is an ultralow power multiprotocol system-on-chip that supports Bluetooth® Smart, ANT and 2.4GHz ULP wireless applications. The chipset is Nordic’s smallest Bluetooth® Smart SoC to date, measuring just 3.0 x 3.2 mm, and is the first Nordic SoC to feature near field communication (NFC) protocol, allowing developers to implement “touch-to-pair” functionality in their designs. Its comprehensive digital and analog interfaces and peripherals address a variety of Bluetooth® Smart design requirements, including digital audio processing, FFT/FIR and security algorithms, driving device displays and user interfaces.

Rigado, a provider of embeddable Bluetooth® Smart modules, is an early adopter of the nRF52 for its next generation of Bluetooth® Smart modules, the BMD-300 and will have a presence at the Seattle, Portland, San Jose and Orange County Tech Tour stops. The BMD-300 is an integrated system-on-module that includes a comprehensive set of RF components, along with all of the features of the nRF52, allowing developers to forgo engineering design and costs when producing wireless products. The module is pre-certified and tested, and it includes added security, libraries and firmware to protect customers’ products, lower their development costs and shorten their time to market. Samples are scheduled to be available in Q4 with production quantities available in early Q1 2016.

Rigado also helps customers seeking assistance with design or chip-down solutions by offering complete, multidisciplinary engineering services and expertise in low power and wireless designs. Rigado provides electrical, industrial, mechanical, software and application engineering to support customers from concept to production.
For more information on the nRF52, visit
https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/Products/nRF52-Series-SoC.
Learn more about and register for the Global Tech Tour at https://www.nordicsemi.com/eng/Events/Global-Tech-Tour-2015/US.

CSR Applying its CSRmesh Protocol to Other Home Automation Applications

2015-08-11

CSR plc (LSE: CSR; NASDAQ: CSRE) announced the latest version of its Bluetooth® Smart solution for the smart home – CSRmesh® Home Automation. The latest software release adds sensor and actuator models to build on the original protocol that was designed for lighting control. This makes it possible for developers to deliver a wider range of home automation solutions including control of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, door locks and window sensors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtLBazKoFq8&feature=youtu.be
Seamless and Secure

The new flood mesh solution combines a configuration and control protocol based on CSR’s proven Bluetooth Smart devices, including the CSR101x™ family, and allows for an almost unlimited number of devices to be networked together and directly controlled from a smartphone, tablet PC or wearable device. The system does not require a hub or router to function locally, or an end-to-end IP connection which means it offers a simple and seamless user experience. An encrypted network key, combined with other measures, ensures security against eavesdroppers, as well as man-in-the-middle and replay attacks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB-NyMr_ifA

Extended battery life

Importantly, for a positive user experience, CSRmesh for Home Automation significantly extends battery life for sensors and actuators such as door locks. Multiple devices can be easily grouped together with a mains powered proxy device in the group, for example a light bulb, holding data from a battery powered sensor device. This proxy device can then relay that information without ‘waking’ the battery powered sensor. By doing this, manufacturers can reduce the duty cycle of each mesh device to as little as two percent, ensuring long battery life without any impact to the consumer experience. Some battery powered devices, such as security sensors and light switches, need only wake up when they are triggered by user activation such as a window being opened. At all other times the devices would be in sleep mode, providing extremely long battery life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmdM0gVjCLg

Seamless End-User Experience

A recent study commissioned by CSR found that consumers are increasingly interested in home automation, but a quarter (26%) are concerned connected devices would be too difficult to set up and too complex to use (25%). A significant amount is also anxious about security, with 26% worried about devices being open to hacking.

“Consumers want a simple, secure smart-home experience that works with a wide range of devices and smartphones. The set-up process has to be simple and low maintenance with minimal need to change batteries,” says Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President, Business Group at CSR. “This latest version of CSRmesh meets increasing consumer demand for a much wider range of home automation applications that are seamless and secure. And it’s significantly more cost-effective than other RF technologies designed for the smart home market.”

Interoperability to prevent fragmentation

The solution can provide whole building coverage, even in RF dead zones, without the need to add relays or set up routing tables for each device. It does this by enabling an almost unlimited amount of Bluetooth Smart sensors and actuators to be simply networked together. CSR is working in the Bluetooth Special Interest Group’s (SIG) Smart Mesh Study Group to help create a global standard for Bluetooth Smart mesh to ensure interoperability of all compatible devices and prevent fragmentation.

Developer ready

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRJ3RQvsgn8

To enable developers to get products to market quickly the CSRmesh Development Kit provides a complete set of tools for evaluation and software development, including Android and iOS source code. New example applications for the HVAC market, including those that allow developers to set thermostats, trigger air conditioning or heating, or display the current temperature, are also available.

For more information on the new release a whitepaper with more details on the technology and how it works for key applications will be available in the coming weeks. Register today to receive your copy.