Wearable technology has a long way to go. Sure, a smartwatch that lets you read text messages on your wrist is neat, and a pair of glasses that take pictures is innovative (or whatever). But what about technology we can really wear? Like clothes?
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Bloomberg is reporting that HTC will unveil the first of three new pieces of wearable technology to carriers at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week.
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When I first got a lead on the development of Smart Diapers, I was initially concerned that I would be getting tweets, or messages involving the contents of said diapers, with, or without photographic evidence, sent to my iPhone. Well, we can all heave a collective sigh of relief, as this is not the case, what these diapers can do seems to be a whole lot more useful…
Check out Smart Diapers, and Briefs. Outfitted with special QR code that is scanned once a day, these protective garments instantly begin to analyze the data, looking for signs of UTIs, dehydration and developing kidney problems in the children, or adults that wear them. By utilizing the data from a wet Pixie Diaper or Brief, you can make use of something that would normally be thrown into the trash. The Pixie Brief or Diaper, and it’s associated application will automatically look for emerging trends in your loved one’s health, and will alert you to some of the conditions that may require a physician’s attention.
Infants, Alzheimers patients, folks with diminished capacity, or the inability to communicate could all benefit from a wearable device that could alert caregivers to potential problems with dehydration, kidney function, or urinary infections, that have the ability to turn catastrophic very quickly. Now, while you can’t find any of these diapers next to the nappy’s on store shelves just yet, if you are taking care of an aging adult, there is an ongoing pilot project you may be able to able to take advantage of, but for babies, you needed to be an early adopter of the indiegogo.com Smart Diapers campaign and then, for around 25 bucks, your kiddo would have been sporting some high tech potty pants one day mid summer.
[ Smart Diapers – Not What You Think copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Winter has a plethora of fun activities (skiing, snowman construction, ice skating, etc.) but they require lots of bundling up. Not only do you have to put on many different layers, but you’ll also have to find a place to put them once your internal temperature raises from your exertion. If you prefer warmer weather, and would rather think ahead to what activities you’ll be able to do when it’s warmer outside, then now would be the time to invest in the equipment you’ll want to use.
Should you enjoy exploring under the water’s surface, then scuba diving or snorkeling are excellent choices. However, they both require some specific gear if you want to be immersed for longer than you can hold your breath. Goggles often fog up, and it takes a little practice to use a snorkel very well. Should you prefer to be able to breathe naturally without going too far under, then the EasyBreath Snorkeling Mask might do the trick.
This is a full face mask that will allow you to breathe through either your nose or mouth. As it is fairly large, this will grant you a wider field of vision as it won’t be obstructing your view with plastic. One common fear with snorkeling is that water will enter through the top, but this comes with a mechanism which will plug the top even if the snorkel is completely submersed. Thanks to a bright orange top, you’ll also be highly visible should anyone else be swimming or boating nearby. This will cost you around $54 should you be interested.
Available for purchase on tribord, found via ohgizmo
[ EasyBreath Snorkeling mask – one of the few times you can breathe easy underwater copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
It’s painfully cold outside, and the only thing to brighten our frostbitten surroundings is our phone. It contains the mental escape we want to dull our senses for the chill in the air. However, having your hands out in weather that could damage your appendages is not exactly good for your health. There are a variety of touchscreen-compatible gloves out there, but more often than not, they only have the fingertips covered in conductive thread.
If you want to be serious about playing on your phone while simultaneously laughing in the face of winter, then the Glider Gloves are what you need. These are comprised of 43% Nylon, 40% Acrylic, 15% Copper, and 2% Spandex, meaning they’re comfortable, going to keep you warm, and will be just as touchscreen-compatible as your bare hand would be. What’s more is that the palm of these gloves have a non-slip grip in the palm so you don’t have to worry about being a butterfingers because of your hand coverings.
They’ll cost anywhere from $25-30, and have a size range from small to extra-large. Seeing that they were made by a company in Canada, I tend to believe them when they say they’re warm enough for winter. The only thing you’ll want to be wary of is that these weren’t meant to do much work aside from playing on your phone, so don’t put them through the ringer with day-to-day tasks. If you do, they could wear out rather quickly. Thankfully they’re not too expensive, but it’s still money to toss out nonetheless.
Available for purchase on Amazon, found via OhGizmo
[ Glider Gloves – For those who are serious about playing with their phone copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Pebble was perhaps the only smartwatch that stood out from the crowd last year. What initially started as a crowdfunding campaign is now a product that’s known around the world. Pebble isn’t what it used to be, the company has launched a new model crafted from steel, and it has also launched an app store that contains apps exclusively developed for the popular smartphone. The Pebble appstore was first announced back at CES 2014 and today it has finally been launched. The appstore is now live, touting over 1,000 applications and watchfaces. Its baked into the Pebble app for iOS and Android. Users can peruse apps and watchfaces, then simply download the ones they like from their smartphone.
Pebble Appstore Is Now Live original content from Ubergizmo. 
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When all you can see on the radar is bad weather, there’s nothing better than going out the front door fully prepared. The cold can’t nip at you, and the chance for you to fall on your rump is severely reduced, meaning you won’t have to walk around like a penguin to not keel over. Of course, as winter is only during a certain section of the year, we don’t necessarily go crazy buying winter clothes, and are more often than not unprepared for going outdoors.
If you have a decent pair of boots that you love to wear in the winter, but they’re starting to lose a little traction, then you’ll likely either want to find a replacement or add more grip to the bottom. You can do the latter by getting the Nordic Grip Galoshes. These are shoe covers that use a technology developed for the South Korean military which will help you keep your feet beneath you.
When they’re not covering a shoe, they look rather similar to a pair of flats, however, it appears they have a penchant for stretching over large pairs of shoes. There are three different sizes to choose from, and while the site says these are available in black and cyan, it looks as though the brighter option is the only real choice. This will cost you around $55, and could keep you from an embarrassing fall, or a frustrating morning.
Available for purchase on Unikia
[ The Nordic Grip Galoshes make sure your boots won’t scoot copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Pebble showed its new Pebble Steel at CES 2014 which got a lot of traction and numerous awards during the show. Pebbel, starts shipping early orders of Pebble Steel today, you can order your for $249 on getppebble.com
Additionally, the company is finally realizing its appstore, which will make the life of the 300,000 Pebblers way easier! According to the company, the app store is almost ready and it will launch very soon. Additionally, four new very popular apps will be available from the Pebble appstore: Foursquare, GoPro, Yelp and ESPN. The company announced that it will also feature Pandora, ESPN and Mercedes-Benz application
Before the release of the Pebble appstore, finding new apps for the smartwatch was not very easy on multiple third-party appstores such as Mypebblefaces or allpebble.com. From the demo I saw before CES, and the screen shots, the user interface seems easy to use and allows a flexible management of your apps.
Acess the appstore from the Pebble app and Store more apps in the locker (empty in the screen shot) and tap on the app icon to manage it
Pebble Steel Starts Shipping and Pebble App Store Debuts original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Our gadgets are important to us. How we look, is also somewhat important to us. It’s only been in the last few years that being ‘nerdy’ has become a trend, as it certainly didn’t have a positive connotation beforehand. If you enjoy wearing your badge of geekery with pride, but still want to look somewhat professional, you have to dress yourself accordingly.
The Techslinger is not a bad idea, but not everyone is going to want to holster their iPad up against themselves and wear a harness to do it. Other than sounding like a cross between a technomage and a gunslinger, this could be a good way of carrying your tablet, phone, and a few other valuables around. However, you might be testing the line between trendy and actually nerdy.
These are made out of high-quality materials, and come in a variety of sizes and colors. You will need to wash it by hand sadly, which for some people is quite the deterrent. Depending on which size you get, this can cost you anywhere from $40-70. Seeing that this would take the place of your messenger bag or purse, it’s a fair price. However, you’ll have to enjoy the notion of strapping into your gear every morning, and getting plenty of weird looks as this almost seems more costume than functional. There are plenty of adjustable straps to get yourself fit in snugly, and everything is kept in place by a button snap strap.
Available for purchase on Techslinger, found via Redferret
[ The Techslinger is a tablet holster copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
We’ve all heard of the Fitbit and the Flex, there are a few health monitors on the market these days. But, for the most part, they all seem pretty similar. I know there are some differences that might help you decide which might be the best fit for you… but let’s add one to the mix, and it’s not a bracelet, it’s a wearable garment that seems to raise the bar, when it comes to what we’ve come to expect from a health and fitness monitor.
Welcome Hexoskin, an all-in-one, comfortable sports garment with almost undetectable built-in sensors that connects easily to your smart device, and when coupled with intuitive apps, gives you real time health and wellness information, track your progress and analyzes your performance.
With this unique garment, you can gain real-time access to information that can analyze performance and wellbeing—right now, over time and you can access it from anywhere. Hexoskin can measure your heart rate and heart rate recovery, breathing rate and volume, your step count and cadence, your activity intensity and calories burned, as well as your estimated Vo2 max (the maximum capacity of an individual’s body to transport and use oxygen during incremental exercise)
So forget about bracelets, wearable technology in the form of a machine washable, water resistant, smooth seamed garment, stands out as the most practical and comfortable system of its kind. It can give you a leg up on your training goals and, Hexoskin can record up to 157 hours of data without needing to be connected to any device. If you want to be in on the future of wearable fitness monitoring, check out the Hexoskin.com website and pre-order your system for around 400 bucks.
[ Hexoskin – The Future of Fitness Tracking copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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