Wearable Technology

Do you know anyone who’s a Google Glass Explorer? If you haven’t actually met someone wearing Google’s high tech, augmented reality glasses, chances are you’ve heard or read about the experience from one of the thousands of Google Explorers currently beta testing the cutting edge of wearable technology. With its latest expansion of that Explorer program —offering Google Glass in a one-day sale— and the partnership of eyeglass frame maker Luxottica, Google’s cutting edge AR glasses continue to move closer to an inevitable retail launch. Until that time arrives, here’s what you need to know about Google Glass.

Fitness trackers come in all shapes and sizes, but for the most part they all feel very familiar: weird connected to charge them, big bulky shapes for heart rate monitoring, and a sporty, plastic look. There’s one brand that’s gone in a different direction, however: Misfit. Focusing on attractive, fashionable hardware with smart fitness and sleep tracking, Misfit has brought a number of products to market. The latest, the Misfit Ray, wound up on my doorstep a few weeks ago. I took it for a test run (and lift, and nap). Here’s what I found out about the Misfit Ray Fitness and Sleep tracker.

Loose your keys and small items often? Tile and TrackR have a solution to this problem with Bluetooth wireless lost item trackers that utilize just a smartphone to find items within proximity.

Apps are amazing on so many different levels. They keep you organized when you’re frantically sprinting through your day, they entertain you when you need some downtime, and they will even be your personal trainer when you want to get healthy or lose weight.   Personal fitness apps are where Garmin comes in, and although you may have only heard of Garmin for their GPS products, they’ve recently hit the sports market with a variety of fitness bands that track your exercise data via the Garmin Connect Mobile app.

Besides looking like a million bucks on your wrist, the Fitbit Alta is one of the easiest-to-use fitness trackers I’ve ever tried. If you’re in the market for a new fitness tracker, here’s why you should take a look the Fitbit Alta.

The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is a GPS fitness watch that stores 500 songs and gives you many advanced fitness and performance metrics.

Samsung doesn’t give up easily, it seems. The company has repeatedly tried and tried again to create a winner in the wearables category, only to achieve mixed results. The Gear Fit2 isn’t a smartwatch, but rather a fitness band that can sort of act like a smartwatch because of its large screen and litany of features.

If you can get an extra lift from an exoskeleton, would you consider wearing one to help restore some physical movement?