Hasta La Gadget!

Wearables are so hot right now. Apple iWatch rumours are in rude health. Google is apparently looking (beyond Glass) at picking up and strapping onto its business another startup in the wearables space (guesses for which in the comments pls).

Jawbone, maker of the UP fitness tracker bangle (and apparently not the company in Google’s Glassy sights), is running sweat-free towards an IPO. Action camera maker GoPro — ok, not technically a wearables company but the point of its cameras are that they are, y’know, wearable — has already filed for one. Smartwatch maker Pebble has raised a tonne of money since 2012, first via Kickstarter and then, off the back of its snowballing crowdfunder, from VC checkbooks.

Even though the genuine usefulness of bits of technology that you strap to your person still has a lot of proving to do – vs the intrusion (both visual, with a lot of these early devices being best described as uuuuuuuugggglllyyy; and, more importantly, the sensitive personal data being captured and monetized) – it’s the big huge lucrative potential that’s exciting makers and investors.

Mature Western markets are saturated with smartphones — ergo step forward sensor-stuffed wearables as the next growth engine for device makers. Devices whose literal positioning on our bodies enables them to gather far more intimate data on the lives and (physical) habits of users than previous generations of consumer mobiles. If only we can be persuaded to wear this stuff.

Yesterday analyst Canalys suggested 2014 will be the year for the wearables category becomes a “key consumer technology” — with more than 17 million wearable bands (alone) forecast to ship this year, rising to 23 million by 2015, and more than 45 million by 2017.

So that’s only wearable tech targeting the wrist, such as the Fitbit fitness tracker and Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch — it does not include devices aiming to squat on other body-parts (such as Google Glass). In short: tech makers gonna put a smart ring on it. Many are already trying.

On the ‘who is already making what’ front, wearable tech research and consulting firm Vandrico has put together this neat overview of the space — tracking the number of devices in existence; areas of market focus; and even which parts of the body are being targeted most.

(The most popular anatomical target for wearables is the wrists, since you’re curious — with 56 devices vying for that small patch of flesh; followed by the head, with 34 devices wanting to cling to it. On the flip side, the least popular body part for wearables thus far is apparently the hand, with just two devices listed, although the data doesn’t delve into the crotch region, so, yeah, there’s there too. Makers apparently not falling over themselves to fashion iCodpieces…).

According to Vandrico, there are some 115 wearables in play already; with an average selling price of $431; and with lifestyle, fitness and medical being the most popular market areas targeted (in that order).

The researcher has also taken the time to list and profile every single one of the 115 wearables it reckons are currently in play, so you don’t have to — from 3L Labs Footlogger to the ZTE Bluewatch (another mobile maker doing a smartwatch, who knew?).

Or at least all of the wearables its research has turned up. It’s asking for submissions for missing devices so it can keep expanding this database. (I’m going to throw the Fin into the ring on that front.)

Click here to check out — and start quantifying — the data for yourself.

[Image by IntelFreePress via Flickr]

Rumors circulated yesterday that the cat was out of the bag on Apple’s next iPhone design: the picture above was one of a series leaked by a Twitter user depicting a supposed redesign of Apple’s redesign. This supposed iPhone 6 had a rounded back more akin to the iPad than the current iPhone, with next to no bezel and a big, edge-to-edge display. But it’s all fake.

The photos appear to actually be advanced renders, which at least one Reddit user convincingly argues are the work of Martin Hajek. Hajek is known for his photorealistic device render work, and in fact he created one for an iPhone 6 with a very similar look back in March, 2013. This new image details the inside of the case, showing some ribbons and other components, and adds a Touch ID sensor to the front and a double-flash to the back (both of which weren’t known about at the time of the original renders), but the rest of the industrial design looks borrowed from the earlier concept.

The renders may not represent what Apple actually has in the works, but this is a redesign I could get behind. The iPad mini with Retina display is essentially a larger version of this as it is, and it’s nearly handholdable or pocketable. Apple has been using the hard-edged and more angular design of the iPhone 5s for two generations now, but it went with rounded edges for the iPhone 5c, and that has proved popular ergonomically with many reviewers.

So would you pony up for this if Apple unveiled something similar come fall? A bigger screen is almost a lock, but ditching the back bevel would also be a nice move in my opinion. Hopefully Hajek proves psychic when we do finally get a real glimpse at what Apple has in store for us next.

Say hello to the G Pro 2, LG’s new flagship smartphone — leaked aplenty up to now but officially confirmed today by the mobile maker. The Android 4.4 KitKat powered 4G quad-core device packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.26 GHz processor, 3GB of memory and a 13MP rear camera with an optical image stabilization feature to support better snapping.

It’s (yet) another high end smartphone that’s practically all screen, with LG inflating the size of the pane vs last year’s model — bumping it up from the 5.5 inches of the Optimus G Pro to a 5.9 inch full HD pane.

That screen is clasped on two sides by an extra slim bezel of just 3.3mm, with LG touting “an industry-leading screen-to-frame ratio of 77.2 percent”, showing how marginal form factor design parameters have become if makers are shouting about squeezing more screen onto the slab.

Definitions of how large a screen a smartphone must have to qualify for ‘phablet’ status vary — and are likely themselves moving goal posts as more and more smartphones get bigger — but according to Juniper Research at least 5.6 inches are required. By that definition LG has upgraded the G Pro from big smartphone to proper phablet with today’s sequel.

(The G Pro 2 is not close to the biggest phablet on the market. Sony, for instance, outted a 6.4 inch whopper last year — with its Xperia Z Ultra – a phone so big the company also makes a Bluetooth companion accessory for, y’know, actually making/receiving calls.)

Aside from its big screen — which does not feature a bend, as LG’s recent curvacious foray, the LG G Flex, does — the G Pro 2 sports the same rear key controls the company stuck on last year’s G2.  A key placement that’s either wildcard genius or the worst idea in smartphone design history, depending on your view. Just don’t press the phone down on a table and hope it stays powered on.

The most notable other addition to LG’s new flagship is an unlocking feature called Knock Code, that lets users devise their own sequence of touchscreen taps (aka a ‘knock pattern’) to unlock the device. Which is presumably another reason for LG to beef up the screen size — so users have enough space to get a-knockin’. (Another feature that makes use of the big pane is a dual-browser mode.)

LG says anything from two to eight taps can be used to form this knock pattern, on any portion of the screen. And it reckons the tech supports 86,367 ‘knock’ combinations.

With Apple adding its biometric TouchID system to its flagship iPhone 5s home key, so users can unlock their phone with their fingerprint, rival smartphone makers are clearly stretching themselves to come up with security differentiators of their own.

Elsewhere, the LG G Pro 2 lavishes care and attention on the camera and photo smarts of the device, with anti-shake functionality and larger and more sensitive sensors front and rear.

Other image capture features include 4K ultra HD video recording; an 120fps HD video recording feature that supports slow-motion editing; a ‘magic focus’ feature to select the depth of focus after a photo is taken — a la Lytro, presumably; improved flash for more natural shots/selfies; an up to 20 continuous shots burst mode; and a gallery collage feature for uploading multiple shots.

It’s not clear which markets outside LG’s stamping ground of South Korea the LG G Pro 2 will land in as yet, with LG saying global availability has not yet been determined. It will be showing off the handset at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona — where TC will be on hand to get hands on.

The wearables device market is still in its infancy but it’s growing fast — with more than 17 million wearable bands forecast to ship this year, according to a new forecast by Canalys.

It reckons 2014 will be the year that wearables become a “key consumer technology,” and is predicting the smart band segment alone will reach 8 million annual shipments, growing to more than 23 million units by 2015 and over 45 million by 2017.

The analyst said shipments of both basic band wearables (aka the Fitbit) and smart band wearables (aka fully fledged smart watches that can run apps) grew dramatically in the second half of last year — with Fitbit pushing into the lead spot in the wearable band market, thanks to the affordable Flex and Force bands.

Fitbit dominated the market for “basic bands,” according to Canalys’ market estimates, with more than 50 percent market share in the second half of the year. The Jawbone UP came second, cutting itself around a fifth of the pie, followed by Nike with its Fuelband.

Meanwhile, at the emerging “smart band” end of the market — where an Apple iWatch would live should Cupertino ever unbox one — Samsung is the earlier leader, with its Galaxy Gear smart watch accounting for the majority of smart band shipments. Sony (actually a relative veteran of the smartwatch space) came second, taking almost a fifth of the market, closely followed by Pebble.

Samsung gained its early lead thanks to a “major marketing push,” said Canalys analyst Chris Jones, but he added that the company is likely to have to keep throwing money at the category to improve sell-through. The Gear did not review terribly well.

“Samsung launched the Galaxy Gear with a major marketing push that gained significant consumer interest. Shipments of the device took Samsung to the top of the smart band category, though disappointing sell-through will necessitate more promotional activity in coming months,” he noted in a statement.

Although basic band wearables have shipped in greater numbers to date than smart bands, having had the launch jump on their fancier rivals, the latter category is already growing faster, according to Canalys.

The analyst said smart bands are also likely to consume the functionality of their more basic category predecessor — which will presumably eat into basic bands’ market share in future, as smart band launches proliferate and shipments continue to grow.

Category convergence is therefore expected, in much the same way that the smartphone gobbled up and extended the basic functionalities of the feature phone. ”Increasingly, smart bands will adopt basic band features as the two categories converge,” added Jones.

As for what wearable bands are for, that’s set to expand, too. Canalys said it sees a huge opportunity for expansion into the medical and wellness segment, moving out from the current focus on a “relatively small market” addressing fitness enthusiasts. That expectation meshes with the rumours around Apple’s health focus for a forthcoming iWatch and iOS 8. 

“The wearable band market is really about the consumerization of health,” added Canalys Analyst Daniel Matte in a statement. “There will be exciting innovations that disrupt the medical industry this year, and with the increased awareness about personal wellbeing they will bring to users, having a computer on your wrist will become increasingly common.”

The analyst also expects Google to make changes to Android to improve its suitability for the smart band market. Google acquired smartwatch maker WIMM Labs back in 2012, so presumably has specific designs on the category — beyond letting its Android OEMs build their own wearable band offerings atop its platform.

“Android will be critical for developing the smart band app ecosystem, though significant changes will be required before it is suitable for wearable devices,” added Matte. “Canalys expects Android to enter the smart band market soon in a meaningful way. Battery life and quality of sensor data will be vital metrics of success for all smart bands.”

Bitcoin traders are having a roller coaster ride everywhere, and India is no exception. After initial momentum that saw several Bitcoin exchanges emerge in India, the Reserve Bank of India issued a warning that sent many traders into a tizzy last year.

Now, Raghuram Rajan, the RBI’s new governor, has reiterated the central bank’s concerns about the credibility of Bitcoin. Addressing a technology conference in Mumbai earlier today, Rajan said there are ambiguities about who controls the value of Bitcoin.

“As a currency, I do worry a little bit when the underlying (value) fluctuates tremendously. One of the values of a currency is stability and the extent (to which) a currency is target of speculation as opposed to primarily a means of exchange,” he said, addressing a conference organized by technology industry body Nasscom.

I do think we have to understand the role of virtual currencies and how they will interact with the paper currency that you have…There are questions that need to be asked, one of them being, who will maintain value? Can we have confidence in unseen, unknown centres who maintain the value of the currency, or an algorithm that will maintain the value of the currency – we need more credibility there

But Bitcoin traders in India are not giving up yet. Last month, Highkart became the first (and the only) e-commerce site in India to start accepting payment in Bitcoin. Its co-founder Amit Kumar told me that one of the challenges facing growth of Bitcoin in India is that many early adopters are still hoarding the currency and not trading them. Highkart sold a pair of shoes from Provogue in exchange for Bitcoin as its first transaction. It has currently 150 products, and the startup does not charge anything extra for shipping the products.

“There’s nothing illegal in accepting Bitcoin — the RBI will take more time to come up with clarity,” Kumar added. Highkart and other Bitcoin traders in India say they are following all banking regulations prescribed by the RBI, leaving no room for any illegal activities.

Benson Samuel, a Bitcoin developer and consultant, said nothing much has changed for Bitcoin in India since the last time RBI issued the warning. Last month, an Indian lawyer even sent a legal notice to RBI asking for clarity on Bitcoin trading in India. 

A major concern for policymakers and regulators about Bitcoin is that it could be used for money laundering and other illegal activities. The Bitcoin traders, however, say that such concerns apply to any currency.

For its part, the RBI is not ruling out a future for Bitcoin in India yet.

“I don’t want to say that there is no future for these virtual currencies. I think it’s a process of evolution, but for now all we’ve done is express the kinds of concerns we have about it, without determining in any which way what we intend to do,” Rajan said earlier today.

Even as countries such as India and Russia think of Bitcoin as “potentially suspicious”, the virtual currency is mainstream now. Bitcoin was named the best Technology Achievement of 2013 at the Crunchies yesterday.