Qualcomm’s Toq smartwatch got the Dick Tracy treatment on Monday with a new feature dubbed “Toq Talk.” Powered by Nuance’s voice-to-text technology, Toq Talk lets owners create and respond to text messages using their voices. Nuance is one of the industry leaders in in speech recognition and natural language processing. It powers Siri on iOS and is embedded in many other systems spanning various industries. Nuance also powers the voice-input on the original Galaxy Gear smartwatch. For now, the feature is restricted to the text messaging app. You’re also limited to nine seconds of speech input — but that should be enough to compose a quick message or send a quick reply. It’s important to remember, however, that Qualcomm isn’t selling the Toq through traditional consumer channels. It’s designed more as a reference point so other manufacturers can see what’s possible in the wearable space, rather than a fully-realized product. It’s not hard to imagine that this sort of technology — especially aligned with some of the cloud-based systems Nuance is investing in — powering a wide array of voice-controlled interfaces for the wearable market. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/05/05/toq-smartwatch-voice-text/
The Jawbone Up debuted last year with big ambitions: A bracelet-like device that you’d wear all the time, tracking how much you move and how well you sleep. Paired with an app, the Up helps you recognize patterns in your habits, empowering you to improve your health. One problem: It wasn’t built to withstand the punishment of being a wearable device. Unlike a cellphone that resides in your pocket or a bag, the Up wraps around your wrist, exposed to the world just as much as your skin is. Many users found it quickly malfunctioned, and Jawbone recalled the Up and issued refunds. After nearly a year of revamping and beta testing, Jawbone is releasing Up 2.0. Although it looks exactly the same on the outside, the internals have been thoroughly changed, built to a new strength that goes way beyond industry standards, the company says. For instance, Jawbone exposed the Up to various chemicals and solvents, tested it, then exposed it again and again. There were also many drop tests. In total, 2.9 million hours of testing went into the second version of the product, the company says. Now the new Up is here, selling for $129.99, or $30 more than the original (those extra man-hours don’t pay for themselves). It comes in three sizes and eight different colors. You can get one, starting today, at Jawbone’s website, the Apple Store, Best Buy and AT&T stores. We’ll have a review after we’ve had a chance to check it out for a few days. What do you think of the Up? And what would convince you to use it? Share your impressions in the comments. Image courtesy of Jawbone Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/13/jawbone-up-new/
Image: Mashable, Christina Ascani With a new software update, Google Glass users will now be able to see notifications just by moving their eyes. Usually, when a Glass user receives an alert, the device will sound a chime, but the screen won’t show what the alert is unless the user either nods or taps the touchpad. With the new update, all a Glass wearer has to do is glance at the virtual screen. Image: Google In a Google+ post, Google said the feature was experimental. There’s no question it makes seeing alerts even more convenient than before, although it may end up making them too convenient — Glass has already been criticized for its potential to distract. Making alerts “glanceable” adds a layer of social acceptability, however. If the wearer were, say, in a business meeting or in church, tapping his or her headset or nodding might be distracting to the people around them, whereas a quick glance would probably go virtually unnoticed. Glass owners can enable the feature via a “Notification glance” card in the device’s settings. Like other experimental features, such as “Wink for picture,” the new glanceable notifications may not make it into the final product for the general public, which will reportedly be available this year. A beta version of Glass is currently available to the public. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/06/04/google-glass-glanceable-notifications/
Image: Christina Ascani/Mashable Samsung‘s Gear S smartwatch, initially unveiled in August, will be available in the U.S. “this fall,” the company announced on Wednesday. In a short press release, Samsung added that the watch will be available through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless — and that’s pretty much all the info we’ve got. There was no word on pricing, but Samsung says more info about the Gear S will come “soon.” The Gear S sports a 2-inch SuperAMOLED screen, 3G connectivity, and it doesn’t require a Samsung smartphone nearby to operate. On Tuesday, Samsung also announced the pricing and availability for its Galaxy Note Edge, Gear S and Gear VR in Australia. They’re all going down under in November, while the Note 4 is coming in October. The price for the Gear S is $A499 or approximately $443. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/09/24/samsung-gear-s-u-s-this-fall/
