Posts Tagged: "smart watches"

Sportbrain files smartwatch fitness tracker patent suits against Apple, HP, Michael Kors and New Balance

At the center of each lawsuit is the assertion of a single patent covering personal data collection technology integrated into a series of smartwatches. The patent-in-suit asserted by Sportsbrain against each of these defendants is U.S. Patent No. 7,454,002, titled Integrating Personal Data Capturing Functionality into a Portable Computing Device and a Wireless Communication Device and issued to Sportbrain in November 2008… Each of the suits filed by Sportsbrain identifies a specific product and companion apps which work in tandem to collect personal data and provide feedback to wearers.

Apple and Samsung draw battle lines in the smartwatch sector

The next few months will be important ones for the coming smartwatch revolution. April 24th marks the date that the first Apple Watches will be available for retail sale in America and Apple expects to sell up to 4 million units of the product by the end of June. The arrival of the Apple Watch should be a sizable step forward in terms of state-of-the-art technologies for the smart watch, but it will be impossible to declare a victor until after Samsung has had a chance to release its next-generation digital timepiece, but it will be interesting to watch them duke it out this year.

Growing market for wearable tech increases value for security

Consumers are very interested in knowing that their data is protected, and not simply their financial account data. However, as wearable technologies and the closely related Internet of Things continue to become more robust, there have been questions raised over the privacy of data created and transmitted by these devices as well as the capability of others to gain unauthorized remote access through a cyber attack. Technologies designed to provide fitness tracking could have the unintended consequence of giving a party gaining unauthorized access to that data the ability to track their movement.

The Internet of Things and High Def TVs Highlight CES 2015

There were 900 exhibitors at the 2015 CES who introduced products and services in the Internet of Things sector; by 2020, the market for this industry alone is expected to rise to $7.1 trillion. Just about every conceivable consumer product was featured with IoT circuitry, from home appliances to bicycle pedals to tennis rackets. There were even light bulbs developed by Sengled which double as Bluetooth speakers and WiFi repeaters. Corporate alliances within the Internet of Things sector have been growing in recent months. The Work With Nest developer program created by Google for its Nest home product connectivity platform announced an additional 15 partners in its program. Samsung has also been building up its SmartThings platform and Apple, which hasn’t presented at CES in more than two decades, has its HomeKit platform for which some CES exhibitors touted product compatibility.