PARTNER NEWS: Sony’s Wena watch strap, launched in the UK this week and designed to bring smartwatch features to traditional mechanical timepieces, uses NFC hardware and the mWallet 2GO full service mobile wallet platform from NXP to power its contactless payments feature... More
Kate Spade’s second Wear OS watch gets a serious tech upgrade — Engadget — “The Scallop Smartwatch 2 packs GPS, NFC and heart rate sensors onboard — all things its predecessor didn’t have. But it still retains the scalloped edging around the face like before, and further incorporated the pattern to the edges of this generation’s straps.”
Michael Kors Access Sofie 2.0 announced with flashy looks and lots of features — Techradar — “This new model includes GPS, so you can track your runs without your phone. It has also got NFC, meaning you can make contactless payments with Google Pay, and there’s a heart rate monitor, none of which were offered by the original Access Sofie.”
Garmin collaborates with Daimler to bring connected features to Mercedes-Benz vehicles with the Vivoactive 3 GPS smartwatch — Garmin — “In addition to providing heart rate data and a driver’s stress level, the Vivoactive 3 GPS smartwatch will be exclusively modified for Mercedes-Benz customers with custom branded materials and display screens. The Garmin Vivoactive 3 is one of the company’s flagship smartwatches and is packed with features that include built-in indoor and outdoor sports apps, smart notification alerts delivered right to the wrist, and a contactless payment solution to make secure payments from the watch thanks to Garmin Pay.”
Tory Burch launches its Classic Gigi as the brand’s first touchscreen smartwatch — Tory Burch — “This new piece is a state-of-the-art smartwatch that balances fashion and function with features that include heart-rate tracking, swimproof functionality, payment methods, untethered GPS and more… Powered with Wear OS by Google and Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC, the new ToryTrack Gigi Touchscreen Smartwatch is compatible with both iPhone and Android phones.”
Hello Misfit Vapor 2 — Misfit — “Vapor 2 provides users with an elevated smartwatch experience boasting new features such as two different size options, new and improved heart rate tracking, standalone GPS, and NFC support… Misfit Vapor 2 launches on the heels of and is powered by the new Wear OS by Google.”
Four NFC Forum technical specifications speed and enable new NFC services — NFC Forum — “The Connection Handover Technical Specification 1.4 allows users to define additional specific services when two devices are paired together using other wireless communication technologies, such as Bluetooth or WLAN by a tap of an NFC-enabled device. The Personal Health Device Communication (PHDC) Technical Specification 1.2 defines the exchange of ISO/IEEE 11073 messages often used for personal healthcare devices such as heart, blood pressure and glucose monitors. Also, updates were made to the NFC Digital Protocol Technical Specification 2.1 and NFC Controller Interface (NCI) Technical Specification 2.1.”
Armani Exchange Connected is the company’s first smartwatch with Wear OS, NFC, heart-rate, more — 9to5Google — “The Armani Exchange Connected is the first touchscreen watch from the company… The watch offers features such as NFC, heart-rate tracking, a swimproof design, and built-in GPS.”
Runway ready — Michael Kors — “Our newest smartwatch: a storied style, now with Google Fit, heart rate tracking, mobile payments and swimproof capabilities. Customize the watch face or swap out the strap to make it your smartwatch, your way… Wave your wrist and go with Google Pay’s NFC technology.”
Goodbye, login. Hello, heart scan — University of Buffalo — “The system uses low-level Doppler radar to measure your heart, and then continually monitors your heart to make sure no one else has stepped in to run your computer… The system needs about eight seconds to scan a heart the first time, and thereafter the monitor can continuously recognize that heart.”
KISA to unveil bio authentication for mobile banking in 2018 — Korea Herald — “Korea Internet & Security Agency is developing bio authentication for mobile banking to commercialize it by late 2018… The biometric authentication reads heart rates and electrocardiograms on a user’s smartwatch, which sends the information to his or her smartphone. The smartphone is then unlocked with the user’s fingerprint which enables the use of mobile banking.”
A miniature, self-sufficient WiFi device which uses virtually no energy has the potential to be the “missing link” for the internet of things, its developers at Stanford University in the US claim... More
One in three new cars will feature some form of biometric feature by 2025, a report by Frost & Sullivan’s Intelligent Mobility team predicts, with partnerships between automotive OEMs and wearable providers resulting in faster penetration of biometrics into the industry... More
A video published by a group of hackers has demonstrated how a stolen Apple Watch could be used by the thief to make payments using Apple Pay without them having to authenticate the transactions in any way — as long as they are quick. More
Apple Watch owners with tattooed wrists have been reporting that their smartwatches are not functioning properly as the LED-based heart monitor built into the devices experiences difficulty detecting that the watch is being worn — an issue which impacts the use of Apple Pay among other features such as receiving notifications, placing phone calls and using some applications. More
Wearable device maker Jawbone has unveiled a fitness tracking wristband that can be linked to the wearer’s American Express card account and used to make NFC payments... More
Watch maker Pebble has smashed through a US$500,000 crowdfunding target, raising nearly $16m in a matter of days to produce its new Pebble Time smart watch with a colour display... More
An LTE-equipped variant of LG‘s new luxury smart watch will offer NFC mobile payment functionality, reports Engadget... More
FitLinxx has begun taking pre-orders for AmpStrip, a 24/7 wearable device that sends a range of health and fitness data direct to a user’s smartphone using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)... More
Starbucks is to begin accepting payments from customers wearing the new Microsoft Band smart bracelet... More
