wearables News - Page 22 of 25 - CNX Software

March 23, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

XBAND is a Tiny $10 Bluetooth Low Energy Sensor Module (Crowdfunding)

ZX Tek‘s XBAND is a board about half the size of a micro SD that comes with a Bluetooth LE radio and a 6-axis MPU6500 motion sensor that can be integrated into wearables and IoT applications such as a remote controlled robot with a camera., a wireless smart light-bulb, and iBeacon device and so on. There seems to be two versions of the module XBAND 061-N51822 and XBAND 1018-CY8C4247 with the following specifications: SoC (one or the other) Nordic Semiconductor nRF51822 ARM Cortex M0 MCU @ 16 MHz with 256KB Flash, 16KB RAM, and Bluetooth Low Energy support Cypress PSoC4 BLE core ARM Cortex M0 MCU @ 48 MHz with 128KB flash, 16KB RAM, and Bleutooth Low Energy support Bluetooth – 4.0/4.1 with high gain ceramic chip antenna Sensors – On-board 6-axis MPU6500 motion sensor + an extra configurable sensor (not idea what that is…). Connectors – Board-to-board connectors with […]

March 16, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

TechNexion Introduces Intel Edison Compatible PICO-iMX6 SoM and DWARF Board

Intel Edison is a board made for wearables featuring an SoC with Intel Atom and Quark CPU cores. TechNexion, an embedded systems company based in Taiwan, has decided to make a mechanically and electrically compatible system-on-module featuring Frescale i.MX6 Solo or Duallite ARM Cortex A9 processor called PICO-iMX6. The company is also providing a PICO-DWARF baseboard that’s both compatible with PICO-iMX6 SoM and Edison board. DWARF stands for “Drones, Wearables, Appliances, Robotics and Fun”, so that pretty much explains what the platform is for. PICO-iMX6 System-on-Module Two version of the modules are available: PICO-iMX6-SD and PICO-iMX6-EMMC, the former with a micro SD slot for storage, and the latter a 4GB eMMC. Both share the followings specifications: SoC – Freescale i.MX6 Solo / Duallite single/dual core ARM Cortex A9 @ 1Ghz with Vivante GC880 3D GPU and Vivante GC320 2D GPU (Composition) System Memory – 512MB or 1GB DDR3 Storage – […]

March 2, 2015March 2, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Huawei Watch May Be the Best Looking Android Wear Smartwatch So Far

If you think Motorola Moto 360 looks good, but find the black zone at the bottom of the display ruins it all, Huawei Watch may be what you’ve been looking for, with a similar rounded shape design, Android Wear, and when it is in watch mode it really looks like a standard watch without obstructions. Let’s go through the specifications first: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (APQ8026) quad core Cortex A7 @ 1.2GHz with Adreno 305 GPU System Memory – 512MB RAM Storage – 4GB ROM Display – 1.4″ full circle AMOLED display; 400×400, 286ppi; Sapphire crystal Audio – Built-in MIC Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0/4.1 Sensors – Gyroscope + Accelerometer, PPG (photoplethysmogram – for heart rate), Barometer, Vibration Motor Misc – Watch button at 2 o’clock Battery – 300mAh Material – Watch: 316L Stainless Steel; Watchband: stainless steel or leather Dimension – 42mm diameter by 11.3mm thickness Weight – […]

February 3, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Vidonn X6 Activity Tracker Promises Up to 15 days Battery Life

I reviewed Vidonn X5 fitness tracker last yet, and I found many issues or letdowns: battery life is too short (2 days), the digits are much smaller than advertized, the screen cannot be read under direct sunlight, a button must be pressed to check the time, the smartband is not as waterproof as advertized, and the Android app is a disaster. Despite all these issues, I still wear it everyday, as it helps me walk or run a bit more if I have not reached my daily target. The company has now release a new model Vidoon X6 that I discovered today on DealExtreme for $33.90. Vidonn X6 specifications: MCU/Memory – Unknown Display – 0.88″ OLED display (vs 0.49″ for X5) Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.0 LE and micro USB Battery – 45 mAh Li-battery (vs 40 mAh) good for 15 days in standby mode. IP Rating – IP65 (Dust-proof and […]

January 7, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Intel Curie Board Designed for Wearables is Powered by Quark SE SoC

Intel announced the Edison board at CES 2014, a board targetting wearables and IoT applications about the size of an SD card. At CES 2015, the company has gone smaller, by unveiling the button-sized Intel Curie module powered by a new Intel Quark SE SoC with a motion sensor, Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity and battery charging capabilities. Intel Curie specifications: Low-power, 32-bit Intel Quark SE SoC 384kB Flash memory, 80kB SRAM Low-power integrated DSP sensor hub with a proprietary pattern matching accelerator Bluetooth Low Energy 6-axis combo sensor with accelerometer and gyroscope Battery charging circuitry (PMIC) The module runs an unnamed open source RTOS, and the company will provide IQ software kits for references applications for wearables, such as counting steps, apps for mobile device, and so on. Intel Curie is expected to be found in smart products such as rings, bags, bracelets, pendants, fitness trackers and buttons. There’s basically no […]

January 6, 2015January 6, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

$89 Lenovo VIBE Band VB10 Activity Tracker Features an E-Ink Display, 7-Day Battery Life

Last year, when I bought a cheap fitness band with an OLED display, I thought even if I don’t end up using the fitness features, I could also use it as a watch. I was wrong, or at least partially wrong, as although it displays the time, you need to press a button to make it show up, the display is unreadable under the sun, and you need to charge the thing every two days. Lenovo VIVE Band VB10 fitness band, announced at CES 2015, promises to greatly improve on all these issues thanks to an always on E-Ink display, which also helps it achieve 7-day battery life. This device is all the more interesting as it will only cost $89, and looks really good. The full technical details are not available yet, but we do know the display will support up to 150 characters, good enough to display SMS, […]

January 5, 2015January 5, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

LinkIt A-Core Packs Mediatek MT2502A SoC into a Tiny Module for Wearables

LinkIt ONE is a development board based on Meditak MT2502A SoC for wearables, and developed by SeeedStudio. With GPS, Wi-Fi, and GSM/GPRS connectivity, and a LiPo battery, it’s great to experiment IoT or wearable applications, but if you plan to launch an actual product, it could be nice to have a module, and built a baseboard around it. That’s exactly what SeeedStudio is working with LinkIt A-Core module. LinkIT A-Core module specifications: SoC – Mediatek MT2502AV ARM7 SoC @ 260 MHz with 32MB PSRAM and 32MB Flash on-chip. External Storage – 16M external Flash (MX25U12835F) Cellular Connectivity – GSM/GPRS quad-band 850/900/1800/1900MHz with RF7198 RF transmitter. Connectivity – Bluetooth 2.0 / 2.0 EDR / 4.0, GPS compatible GPS/GNSS (requires external GPS module) Expansion – 48 general purpose digital I/O Power supply: DC 3V~4.2V Power Consumption – > 3mA Dimensions – 19x23x2 mm The module is still in development, and the company welcomes […]

January 5, 2015January 6, 2015 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Crowdfunding Report for 2014 on CNX Software Blog

Following up on my 2013 Crowdfunding Report, I’ve gone through all 55 Kickstarter and Indiegogo crowdunding projects featured on CNX Software between December 2013 and November 2014 (inclusive) to see how well they fared. The table below sort projects chronologically as they were published on this very blog. Date Project Crowdfunding Site Funded? Pledged amount / Goal Expected Delivery Actual Delivery Comments 2. Dec. 2013 Micro Python Kickstarter Yes 97,803 GBP / 15,000 GBP 03/2014 04/2014 Available @ https://micropython.org/store/#/store 5. Dec. 2013 Plugaway Kickstarter Yes $162,835 AUD / $50,000 AUD 04/2014 – People upset because of lack of updates. Project might be dead, and backers lost their money 6. Dec. 2013 AIRTAME Indiegogo Yes $1,268,332 / $160,000 05/2014 12/2014 People have started received the beta versions, after a massive 8-month delay 7. Dec. 2013 Crystal Board Kickstarter No $14,574 / $200,000 04/2014 – The project appears to be dead 10. […]