Let's Talk Tech
Just because we use geek gear like smartwatches, doesn’t mean we can’t dress them up a bit. I’m a big fan of products that help our gadgets blend into our individual style and fashion. The folks at Popov Leather in Canada helped us out with some hand stitched Horween leather watch bands to dress up our wearable gizmos. Let’s take a look!
We still think the Asus ZenWatch is one of the more attractive smartwatches on the market today, but Asus has already taken the wraps off of their follow up.
The Zen Watch 2 will come in more color options, and have more straps available in plastic, leather, and metal. The front face will now be made out of Gorilla Glass 3, the build will be more durable with an IP67 rating, and a new magnetic charger will be included.
It doesn’t look like a dedicated heart rate monitor will be included, which might be a good thing for folks with skin conditions, but the ZenWatch 2 will get a crown button, which has proven very useful on the LG G Watch R and Moto 360.
You can catch the Asus teaser vid and full press release below.
Android Wear 5.1 Review (on Asus ZenWatch)
Continue reading “Asus Announces ZenWatch 2 Android Wear Smartwatch”
Lenovo wrapped up their Tech World conference by talking about the future and showing off some concept products.
As we throw around buzz words like “Internet of Things” the tech industry is actually facing it’s next major hurdle in how we can better integrate data and services into people’s daily lives. Products like smartwatches are another step in that conversation.
Lenovo’s Magic View concept takes the standard smartwatch face we all understand (which looks a lot like the display found on the Moto360), and adds a second virtual screen. That small rectangular patch below the watch face is a virtual privacy display which can project content up to 20 times larger than the watch face.
Projection was a hot topic for phones too. Smart Cast is the world’s first laser projector in a mobile phone. Not only will it display the contents of your screen onto a flat surface, but it will also allow you to interact with the UI through the projection.
Lastly, Lenovo announced a partnership with Microsoft to bring exclusive features to Cortana on Lenovo PC’s. REACHit will provide cloud search and sync access to Cortana for popular services like DropBox and Google Drive. Files in the cloud and on various PC’s, Tablets, and Phones will all be accessible to users regardless of where they are or which device they’re using.
As Lenovo continues their lead in the PC space, most of the talk at Tech World focused on a future where services and information are a bit more fluid than the traditional PC experience. Buying Motorola was certainly a step in expanding their influence in the mobile market, and now “Internet of Things” is looking like the next arena they want to play in.
You can see more from the conference on Lenovo’s Youtube channel.
Moving technology out of “geek” and into “chic” is now critical to get consumers to part with their cash. Apple raised the bar on what you could charge for a wrist wearable, and now traditional watch manufacturers are taking this sector more seriously.
Google announced a partnership with LVMH and we’ll soon see the fruits of that partnership under the Tag Heuer brand. Details are slim, and we don’t know yet what the watch will look like (the above pic is what I personally hope it’ll look like), but head of “Watchmaking Activities” Jean-Claude Biver estimates the watch will run for around 40 hours on a charge.
Their first Android Wear watch will land by November, and will launch at $1400, making it a perfect competitor to Apple’s midrange watch offering.
I’ve made comparisons in the past to Apple becoming less a tech company, and more a fashion brand like Luis Vuitton, which makes this an interesting fit for Google as Tag Heuer is owned by Luis Vuitton. Will partners like this improve the visibility if smartwatches and other wearables? Drop us a comment below!
(via Bloomberg)
Fun fact: Did you know that almost 70% of my Youtube audience lives OUTSIDE the USA?I feel like celebrating!
How about a nice new smartwatch for Samsung owners, and let’s make this contest a WORLDWIDE affair! Yup. I’ll ship this puppy anywhere I can legally send a product, so don’t be shy.
Contest rules are simple: Continue reading “SomeGadgetGuy’s International Samsung Gear Smartwatch Giveaway!”
Apple would have you believe smartwatches are brand spanking new, but Samsung has already released three generations of Gear products. The Gear S represents the company’s most ambitious push in migrating data services to your wrist. Does it live up to the hype? Let’s take a look!
Was it my favorite Android Wear Watch? Nope. But it still represents one of the most stylish entries into the world of wearable tech, and now you can get it for a LOT less.
Originally launched at $249, you can now find it for $165 on Google Play before tax and shipping, or $179 on Amazon for you Prime folks. Not a bad piece of kit at around half the price of the Apple Watch. You can catch our full review below.
The “Tech as Fashion” wars are heating up. Now that Apple has finally released all their details on the Apple Watch, and started advertising it on TV, now other companies are cutting TV ads to compete. Why Google would have waited for Apple to start broadcasting ads I’ll never understand, when Android Wear had a solid head start in the market, but I digress…
Anywho, now that the two companies are duking it out on TV, who do you think has the better ad? Apple went with their classic “Simple and show some functionality” approach, while Google played into the more recent feel good slate of ads, like their Animal Friends, with some colorful dance moves. One team’s ad is all about focus, the other all about diversity.
Which company did the better job introducing the world to their smartwatch? Drop us a comment below!
Google:
Apple: