TomTom Spark 3, Touch, Adventurer Fitness Tracking Wearables Launched in India Shekhar Thakran, 16 November 2016

HIGHLIGHTS

• TomTom Touch measures body fat and muscle mass of user's body
• TomTom Spark 3 will be available in four variants
• TomTom Adventurer will be available in mid-December

TomTom India on Wednesday expanded its product range of wearable devices in the country as the company launched its TomTom Touch fitness tracker, TomTom Spark 3 watch, and TomTom Adventurer watch. The company has further introduced a new division named TomTom Sports, which will house all fitness products from the company.
The TomTom Touch fitness tracker measures the percentage of body fat and muscle mass of user's body in order to provide them with a better understanding of their fitness level. "Until now, this metric has been available with dedicated scales or expensive technology. The launch of TomTom fitness tracker now makes BCA (Body Composition Analysis) more accessible to a broader audience," the company said in its press release.
The fitness tracker has been designed to be worn 24/7 and is capable of tracking steps, all-day heart rate, calories burned. It comes with an inbuilt sports mode for activities such as running, cycling, or gym. Users will also be able to receive notifications from their smartphone with TomTom Touch.
Even though the fitness tracker is not waterproof like the two wearables launched on Wednesday, the company did describe it as 'splash-proof'. User can even share their fitness related achievements and stats with their friends using TomTom MySports companion app on their smartphones. The company says the TomTom Touch will be exclusively available on Amazon.in from Wednesday, and has been priced by the company at Rs. 13,999. Just like the fitness tracker, the watches TomTom Spark 3 and TomTom Adventurer are also meant to be worn 24/7 for tracking activities such as steps, sleep, and heart rate. Both Spark 3 and Adventurer come with an inbuilt GPS that allows the watches to keep a track of your routes.
TomTom Spark 3 is focussed on route exploration and combines information from compass and GPS to show the route everytime user hits the route. On the other hand TomTom Adventurer has been built for tracking outdoor activities and comes with dedicated sports modes for hiking, trail running, skiing and snowboarding. Both watches are waterproof and can therefore be worn while swimming.
TomTom Spark 3 will be available in four variants - Spark 3 priced at Rs. 13,999, Spark 3 Cardio Rs. 17,999, Spark 3 Music priced at Rs. 21,999, and Spark 3 Cardio + Music also priced at Rs. 21,999. The TomTom Spark 3 will be available at all major e-tailer websites as per the company, starting Wednesday.
The TomTom Adventurer will be made available mid-December at Rs. 25,999 at all major e-tailer websites as per the company.
"India has the third most obese population in the world. Obesity is considered the core of many diseases. With body composition analysis right at your wrist, it will be a great indicator of your overall wellbeing and knowing your body composition changes. Now with this innovation, we're making technology more accessible to everyone. So will our focus on fitter India," Hitesh Ahuja, country manager at TomTom India, was quoted as saying in the release.

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How Smartwatch Sensors Can Reveal Your ATM PIN

Your online accounts can be hacked in numerous ways, from brute force attacks to phishing scams. But if you wear a smartwatch, hackers could theoretically record anything you type by monitoring your hand movements, according to a study published yesterday.

Computer scientists at Binghamton University and New Jersey's Stevens Institute of Technology came up with an algorithm that can monitor accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers in wearable devices to guess a complete key entry sequence.

This isn't just about tracking what you might type on your smartwatch: the algorithm can be used to guess anything you type on any keyboard—from ATM keypads to the key combos you use while playing World of Warcraft—with astonishing accuracy. The researchers collected 5,000 key-entry traces collected from 20 adults for key-based security systems, either keypads or full keyboards, and their technique guessed the correct password 80 percent of the time with only one try, and more than 90 percent of the time with three tries.

The Best Smartwatches of 2016

"The threat is real, although the approach is sophisticated," Binghamton computer science professor Yan Wang told Phys.org. There are actually two approaches: one involves malware installed on a smartwatch, which monitors sensor data when the wearer is typing a PIN or password and sends the data back to the hacker.

The other involves placing a wireless "sniffer" close to the keypad or keyboard, which attempts to establish a Bluetooth connection to the smartwatch so it can access the sensor data.

The researchers claim that their technique is the first to reveal PINs using wearables, but similar methods have been used in the past to guess keypad entries. In 2014, security researcher Qinggang Yue used a camcorder to capture password-entry sequences from up to 44 meters away, achieving what he said was a 100 percent success rate in identifying the password. That vision-based method relied on programmed assumptions about the keyboard's layout, and Yue said it could be fooled if it couldn't recognize a particular layout.

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The LG Watch Urbane Luxe is the gold Apple Watch of Androids

The LG Watch Urbane Luxe is the most luxurious Android smartwatch we’ve seen to date. Boasting an alligator leather strap, 23-karat gold plating, and a “deployment clasp,” each watch is “individually numbered and presented in a piano gloss lacquered case with a signed certificate of authenticity.”

Interestingly enough, though, these are the only differences between the Urbane Luxe and its predecessor, the Urbane. The body shape, style, and specs remain completely unchanged.

Just as the Watch Urbane is LG’s answer to the Apple Watch, the Watch Urbane Luxe is the Gold Apple Watch equivalent. Because for those who can afford it, why not splurge for luxury, I guess? As LG VP Chris Yie says, “Wearable devices shouldn’t be thought of as an extension of one’s smartphone, but as an extension of oneself.”

The result of a collaboration between LG and Reeds Jewelers, the Urbane Luxe is set to be featured at the IFA electronics show in Berlin this week. But don’t get too excited just yet. Only 500 limited edition watches will be manufactured, available for pre-order now and set to ship at the end of October.

This seems about right, considering only about 500 people will find the $1,200 price tag affordable.

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Microsoft Band 2 tears it up with new tougher strap

There's been a raft of complaints about the Microsoft Band 2's rubber band tearing or splitting, but it seems as if the tech giant has improved the durability without making a fuss about it.

According to Windows Supersite, new batches of Band 2 trackers come with better, thicker materials.

The report purports that employees dealing with the exchange of torn bands "have mentioned that there's a special lot number that has been fortified with either new or thicker material."

Secret sauce indeed.

While this story is definitely one we'd consider minor, we thought it best to bring it to you dear readers, as we've received a bunch of emails and comments about wear and tear on Band 2 straps.

So, if you're in that boat and you need a replacement, make sure you ask about the new toughened version - apparently from lot 16.

Microsoft is slowly but surely making the Band 2 a better and better choice. The latest Microsoft Health update lets Android users use Cortana, its virtual assistant, with the second-gen tracker.

Microsoft officially lifted the lid on the new Microsoft Band 2 fitness trackerat its Windows 10 Devices event back in October 2015. The Band 2 boasts an updated design, curved AMOLED screen and additional sporty features.

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Pebble Time Round limited editions in gold/silver finishes hit Kickstarter

Head to Kickstarter stat if you're tempted

The Pebble Time Round, its slimmest, chicest offering, was left out of its current Kickstarter campaign somewhat. Every other device got an upgrade and now Pebble has unveiled two new Time Round models, both limited editions.

The two new 'Special Edition' Round designs are still made of stainless steel but come in polished gold or polished silver finishes. From the press pics, they look fairly swanky - there's a black 'deco' bezel with smoked numbering around it to add some detail and leather bands.

You can head to the main Pebble Time 2 (etc) Kickstarter campaign now to bag one of these new limited Time Rounds now for $199. Or choose a $298 combo pack for a Time Round and a cheep and cheerful Pebble 2.

Shipping is set for September 2016 and the listing says 'only certain countries', as in fact does the whole campaign.

The campaign has raised over $11 million already with 14 days to go. Now Pebble is referring to the polished finish Time Round watches as Kickstarter editions so it's not clear whether these will be available to pre-order as normal later in the year. There's 3,000 (in total) available according to the listing, though Pebble hasn't specified this anywhere else.

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Apple Watch Will Soon Track Fitness for Wheelchair Users

Fitness trackers routinely measure physical activity such as running and cycling and encourage people to stand up and walk around throughout the day. But if you're in a wheelchair, you're out of luck.

Apple wants to change that with an upcoming Apple Watch feature announced Monday. Instead of standing breaks, people in wheelchairs will be prompted to wheel or spin their chairs around regularly. Apple will also start tracking distance, speed and calories burned during wheelchair use, just as it does for walking or running.

The efforts could give Apple's smartwatch an image boost over stand-alone fitness trackers such as Fitbit, though the target market isn't likely large enough to significantly lift sales. In the first three months of the year, three Fitbits shipped worldwide for every Apple Watch, according to research group IDC. Apple hasn't released sales figures for its watch.

Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer, said the feature isn't about market opportunities.

"We want to make products that serve every walk of life," Williams said in an interview. "We realize that while it was great for messages on the wrist, we wanted to offer this group of people the same opportunity to get healthier using Apple Watch."

Apple partnered with two groups that promote physical fitness in disability populations, the Lakeshore Foundation of Birmingham, Alabama, and the Challenged Athletes Foundation of San Diego. The two groups recruited about 300 people in wheelchairs for more than 3,000 hours of activity research.

Jeff Underwood, Lakeshore's president and CEO, said wheelchair users tend to be more sedentary than the general population because they face more barriers to physical activity. Although having a fitness device alone won't make someone fit, he said, having one sends a message that inactivity shouldn't be the norm.

The feature is part of a free software update, watchOS 3.0, expected later this year. No new hardware is required.

The $300-and-up Apple Watch appears to be the first fitness device to offer extensive wheelchair capabilities. GPS wristwatches can measure distance and speed fairly accurately, but calorie measurements assume moving the entire body, said Dawna Callahan, a four-time wheelchair finisher in the Boston Marathon and director of programs at Challenged Athletes. In addition, GPS devices aren't good for all-day tracking because of battery constraints.

Apple largely had to start from scratch because past scientific studies on burning calories weren't designed with wheelchair subjects. The company couldn't simply translate formulas meant for walking and running.

For one thing, people push their wheelchairs differently when approaching a ramp or circumventing an obstacle. Apple also had to factor in different seat and wheel heights and different surfaces, like carpeting or asphalt. And some formulas change depending on whether the disability is from a spinal-cord injury or muscular dystrophy.

"The more you look into it, the harder and more challenging you realize it was," said Ron Huang, Apple's director of software engineering for location and motion technologies.

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Xiaomi Mi Band 2 to Go on Sale in China on June 7, Confirms CEO

Few weeks ago, Xiaomi CEO Jun Lei had hinted at an early June release of the Mi Band 2. Now, he has confirmed that the Mi Band 2 will go on sale on June 7.

While talking in the Q&A session on Wednesday after unveiling the drone, Lei said (via MyDrivers) that the Mi Band 2 will hit the market on June 7. This inadvertently means that the company will unveil it, either before or on June 7 itself.

The new fitness band was set for a May 10 unveil, alongside the Mi Max and MIUI 8, but due to issues in production, the unveil had to scrapped, and the CEO warned of a month-long delay. Now, it seems that Xiaomi has overcome the issues and is finally ready to announce its new and improved Mi Band 2.

The new version is expected to see many iterations. Unlike the Mi Band, the Mi Band 2 will sport a LED display screen and a physical button. This was seen when Lei briefly unveiled the band at the May 10 event. Furthermore, it is pegged to reduce its dependence to the smartphone.

The device sticks into a rubber strap, which is expected to be available in different colours. It is important to note that the sale will presumably commence in China first. There is no word on Xiaomi's Mi Band 2 plans for India. The first Mi Band was launched in 2014, after which Xiaomi upgraded to the Mi Band Pulse by adding a heart rate sensor.

As mentioned earlier, Xiaomi also unveiled its Mi Drone in China in two variants. One that shoots 1080p videos, and another that has the ability to shoot 4K videos. The 1080p video is priced at CNY 2,499 (roughly Rs. 26,000), and the 4K variant has been priced slightly higher at CNY 2,999 (roughly Rs.31,000).

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New Wearable Circuits Could Revolutionise Internet of Things

A team of US engineers has created the world's fastest stretchable, wearable integrated circuits - a technological feat that can revolutionise the Internet of Things (IoT) and high-speed wireless world in the future.

Led by Zhenqiang "Jack" Ma from University of Wisconsin-Madison, the team developed the new stretchable integrated circuits taking inspiration from twisted-pair telephone cables. They contain, essentially, two ultra-tiny intertwining power transmission lines in repeating S-curves.

This serpentine shape - formed in two layers with segmented metal blocks, like a 3D puzzle - gives the transmission lines the ability to stretch without affecting their performance, said the study, published recently in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

It also helps shield the lines from outside interference and, at the same time, confine the electromagnetic waves flowing through them, almost completely eliminating current loss. The stretchable integrated circuits can operate at radio frequency levels up to 40 gigahertz.

Unlike other stretchable transmission lines, whose widths can approach 640 micrometres, the new stretchable integrated circuits are just 25 micrometres thick. That's tiny enough to be highly effective in epidermal electronic systems, among many other applications.

"We've found a way to integrate high-frequency active transistors into a useful circuit that can be wireless," said Ma.

The technology can serve as a platform for manufacturers seeking to expand the capabilities and applications of wearable electronics - particularly as they strive to develop devices that take advantage of a new generation of wireless broadband technologies referred to as 5G.

The new integrated circuits could be used in wearable electronics that adhere to the skin like temporary tattoos. Because the circuits increase wireless speed, these systems could allow health care staff to monitor patients remotely, without the use of cables and cords.

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