Intel pays between $100 and $150 million for Basis, a smartwatch manufacturer

Back at CES 2014, CEO Brian Krzanich announced that Intel is determined to enter the market of wearables by releasing a smartwatch and a smart bracelet later this year. Well, it seems that the company is pretty serious about this, as it just acquired Basis, a smartwatch manufacturer. Reportedly, Intel paid between $100 and $150 million.

Basis is mostly popular for the Basis B1 Health Tracker smartwatch, a health-centric wearable gadget. It comes with lots of sensors that monitor various body functions of the user, such as the heart rate, the temperature of the skin, the sweat perspiration, and even the sleep patterns. The Basis B1 Health Tracker wearable is touted as being one of the most accurate fitness-oriented wearables when it comes to collecting data.

Intel's own wearable is currently being developed and its release date is yet unknown. Still, Brian Krzanich showed a prototype of Intel's homebrewed smartwatch at CES earlier this year. Intel's wearable will have its own connectivity and users won't need to tether it to a smartphone. In addition, the upcoming smartwatch will support geofencing (location-based notifications). Intel's smartwatch will most likely borrow some features from the Basis B1.

As we already told you, rumor has it that Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Samsung were also interested in purchasing Basis.

You can read our full review of the Basis Health Tracker wearable here.

source: Wearable World News via AppleInsider Share: Discuss0 Tweet

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Pebble's smartwatch app store finally comes to Android

iOS users had a bit of a head start in receiving access to the new Pebble application store. Thankfully, the Android crowd won't have to wait for this feature any longer, since what's known as Pebble 2.0 is, at long last, available on Google's platform. Sure, it took weeks and weeks of testing, but Pebble promises it was all for the best and expects its smartwatch owners to be delighted by the changes. Aside from the long-awaited appstore, this Pebble for Android update also features a completely redesigned interface (pretty similar to the one found on iOS), a new locker for apps and notification improvements. You've waited long enough, though -- so go on, grab the update and deck out your Pebble some more.

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Via: Droid Life

Source: Google Play

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Tags: Android, App Store, AppStore, mobilepostcross, Pebble, Pebble smartwatch, Smart Watch, Smartwatch, Smartwatches Next: AT&T's Galaxy S5 gets FCC approval, just like you knew it would (update: T-Mobile and Verizon too)
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Get a Martian Passport smartwatch for $199.99 shipped

The Martian Passport looks more like a traditional watch than the typical smartwatch, and it offers Dick Tracy-style calling.

(Credit:Best Buy)

I've rarely talked about smartwatches in this space, largely because the category is so new, there haven't been any deals. And even today's I offer up with a grain of salt, for reasons I'll explain momentarily.

For now, this: Amazon has the Martian Passport smartwatch for $199.99 shipped. That's the black-and-silver version with the black wristband. (Best Buy has it for the same price, but you'll be on the hook for sales tax.) It lists for $299.99, and I've rarely seen it for much less than that.

So. Smartwatches. Long before anybody coined that term, I was itching for a simple wristband that would vibrate to let me know when a call or text message came in. When my phone is in my pocket, it happens far too often that I can't hear it beep or feel it buzz, hence calls and messages get missed.

Flash-forward to today. Most pundits expect smartwatches to be the Next Big Thing, but to my thinking not a single current product gets it right. And by right I mean inexpensive, elegant, and simple.

The Passport comes fairly close on those last two counts. To me it looks like a stylish man's watch (sorry, ladies), not some geeky, clunky wrist PalmPilot. And its single-line OLED display keeps it simple, scrolling the text of incoming messages or notifying you who's calling.

There's more to it than just that, of course -- the Passport has some nifty Dick Tracy features, including a speaker and microphone so you can have phone conversations with your wrist. Plus, a single button-press activates Siri or Google Now, allowing you to place calls, send text messages, set reminders, and so on, all while leaving your phone in your pocket.

When I test-wristed the Passport a few months back, I liked it quite a bit, though wasn't prepared to spend $300 for it. Even at $200, it's on the pricey side -- my ideal smartwatch will cost $99 -- but I do think it's one of the cooler watches currently available. Be sure to check out Scott Stein's review, then hit the comments and let me know what you're looking for in a smartwatch -- and whether you think this might be it.

Bonus deal: A simple wireless Webcam can be great for home security, but they tend to be expensive. For a limited time, and while supplies last, DealFisher has the Linksys WVC80N Wireless-N Home Monitoring Camera for $57.99 shipped. It lists for $129.99 and sells elsewhere for around $85-90. But do check the user reviews over at Amazon, which suggest that setup can be a little tricky. Once it's working, though, most people seem to love this security-oriented eyeball.

Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.

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Topics: Gadgets, General Tags: smartwatches, smartwatch

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Pebble Grows Up With Its Second-Gen 'Steel' Smartwatch

Wired.com

After launching in earnest at last year’s CES, Kickstarter success story Pebble is ready to show the world it’s not just the first, but also the best smartwatch out there.

WIRED Gear Gadget Lab

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Qualcomm Toq smartwatch review: An interesting concept with unfortunate execution

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Depending on how you look at it, Qualcomm’s $349 Toq smartwatch is either an interesting concept for the future of wrist wearables or it’s an expensive, uncomfortable timepiece with notifications. Actually, it’s both.

Disclosure: I approach the smartwatch device class with no small amount of skepticism. I gave up wearing a watch years ago and haven’t missed it. The Android-only Toq almost convinces me to wear one again, but it’s a long way from convincing me to pay $349 for the privilege.

The best thing about the Toq is its battery. I’ve averaged five days of battery life on a single charge with moderate to heavy usage. That kind of power management lets you just set it on the included wireless charging stand overnight at the beginning of the week and then put it on and not worry about the battery for at least a few days. Qualcomm has set the bar for smartwatch battery life, and newer entrants to the space need to take note.

Unfortunately, the battery is also one of my most disliked features about the watch. The battery compartment is located at the bottom of the band on the inside of your wrist. Doing so keeps the watchface on top from becoming unwieldy, but the extra width is extremely uncomfortable.

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Intel dives into wearables with new smartwatch and headset devices

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich

(Credit:James Martin/CNET) Intel wants to prove that it's not just a PC company anymore.

As the world has shifted to devices for people on the go, the company is trying to make sure it keeps apace with the market. Chief Executive Brian Krzanich on Monday introduced a bevy of wearable related technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

One of the new wearables he showed off is a headset nicknamed Jarvis that can integrate with a personal assistant app on a phone without even touching it. Krzanich said it will work with an assistant that Intel is developing but will also work with an existing assistant. (Siri, anyone?). The other is a set of earbuds with biometric capabilities and gets power from a phone's headphone jack.

Oh, and he also mentioned a smart onesie for babies. It transmits the baby's breathing and other information to a connected coffee cup, which reflects the condition on a little digital display. The product line is made possible by the Intel Edison, a newly announced computing system inside an SD card that has WiFi and bluetooth connectivity, with an Intel processor and multicontroller core.

The company also introduced a smartwatch that has smart "geo-fencing" which, Krzanich says, has the capability to monitor the person who's wearing it from afar. One use case: in case of an emergency and a person steps out of the geo-fence, the watch can send out an alert. "You can imagine all kinds of applications," said Krzanich. Still, some consumers may have privacy concerns.

Related postsIntel kills off McAfee Security brandWearables are white-hot at CES 2014. So they're doomed, right?Hardware firm swaps in 8-core Intel CPU on Mac Pro; speed jumps And to try to keep the "wear" in wearable, the company has partnered with brands like Barney's New York and the Council of the Fashion Designers of America to collaborate on bringing future wearables to market.

The chipmaker is a Silicon Valley stalwart but hasn't always been on the cutting edge of innovation. Krzanich tried to change some of that perception during his keynote. The company has been working on what it calls "perceptual computing," which aims to help a computer sense what's going on around it by using methods like facial recognition, gestures and voice recognition.

The company has also shown a serious interest in Android, indicating that it wants to turn it into an operating system used more for just mobile screens, but devices like PCs, much like Windows is used. On Monday, Krzanich announced a dual Windows and Android processor. Users will be able to switch between the two operating systems with the switch of a button.

Earlier in the day, the company unveiled its first manifestation of perceptual computing: a 3D camera, part of a product line called Real Sense. The slim camera -- about the size of an index finger -- can do things like replace a subject's background during conference calling like a green screen would, or read gesturing to navigate through screens. At the keynote, Krzanich talked up a scanner that would be able to do a 3D scan of a physical object into a tablet.

Closing the keynote, Krzanich also announced that every Intel device is now "conflict free," no longer sourcing materials from war-torn regions like the Democratic Republic of the Congo to build chips for its processors.

Tags: Brian Krzanich, Intel, CES 2014, wearables

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Pebble smartwatch update adds 'Do Not Disturb' mode

The latest version of the smartwatch's firmware gives Pebble users more control over what information is automatically pushed to their watch.

by Nick Heath December 13, 2013 7:13 AM PST

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