Wearable Technology

Smartwatches, augmented reality glasses, fitness trackers –any compact extension to your smartphone or tablet– is firmly in Google’s sights with the announcement of Android Wear. What is Android Wear? It’s a push to extend Android to those smartwatches and wearable devices, using a standard API and developer tools so Android apps for smartphones and tablets can be ported to, or seamlessly integrated with those wearables. Google is working with developers and hardware partners like Samsung, Fossil and LG on the Android Wear Initiative. And you’ll see two Android Wear-powered smartwatches at Best Buy Later this year: the Moto 360 and LG’s G Watch.  

What is all the fuss about Spritz? If you were using a Spritz-enabled app, you would already have read to the end of this post and could tell us. But given that Spritz-enabled tech isn’t out there yet (it’s coming soon, though), here’s the scoop. Spritz is new speed reading technology that’s based on the theory that much of our time spent reading is wasted as our eyes move side to side. Display a word in one place, flash one word at a time and suddenly reading becomes much more efficient. Not only that, but by displaying just one word at a time, reading is suddenly possible on compact displays, like a smartphone or smartwatch. Being able to quickly (and painlessly) read e-mail, reports or even books on your Gear2 or Gear Neo suddenly makes the idea of wearable technology even more appealing.

Hey, it’s Debra again. You don’t want to be THAT neighbour, whose dog has a full-on bark-appaloosa concert every time the wind blows.The wonderful scientists, and general smarty-pants, over at Motorola have now created the MOTOPET 200. It’s a new, gentler system to train dogs using “static correction” using vibrations rather than a shock collar. MOTOPET 200 is lightweight and waterproof and looks cute on almost every dog. Who knows, maybe you can even teach him to Moto-roll-over!

Yesterday, Google held a three hour-long keynote at its I/O 2014 developer conference. We posted the run-down so you wouldn’t have to watch the entire thing. While some of the presentation like Cloud Debugging was a little dry (unless you happen to be a developer in the cloud app business), one section stood out: Android Wear. We’ve heard about this Android for smartwatches before of course, but at Google I/O 2014 we saw the system in action and even better, saw some of those amazing Android Wear devices that have been hinted at. The LG G watch in particular got substantial stage time. Android Wear is real, it looks fantastic and it’s coming soon!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve heard of the Pebble (no pun intended). When it comes to the smartwatch category of wearable technology, Pebble is a rock star and with the Pebble Steel, this smartwatch now looks the part too. I just wrapped up a few weeks with the Pebble Steel and here’s what I think of the latest Pebble, from battery life to customization.

Do you prefer a fitness tracker, a smart watch, or a traditional timepiece? If you're not quite sure, today's article on watch variety might be for you.

When I asked the team what was up for this week, they said, “BEDDIT”. I responded, “Absolutely. Which guy is ‘IT’?” Beddit, I quickly found out, is a new sleep monitor. Ahem. I always thought a sleep monitor was a creepy roommate, but the good people at Best Buy Canada showed me the light!

The Fitbit Versa 3 in olive green has the style and functionality you want in a smartwatch. Here’s your chance to win this smartwatch from Best Buy.

Are you the type of person who’s forever losing things like car keys and your cellphone? Are your family and friends fed up with having to form search parties every day just to recover your misplaced valuables? We take a look at the new TrackR Bravo to see if this coin-sized gizmo can take away the stress of having to keep track of all your stuff.

If you’re looking to take control of your health and fitness, the Suunto 3 Fitness smartwatch is a great place to start. Here is my review of this new player in the smartwatch game.