With the release of its new Apple Watch line slated for April, Apple has reportedly ordered five to six million units to meet anticipated first quarter demands. The order accounts for all three models, which includes the Apple Watch, Watch Sport and Watch Edition. According to close sources, Apple’s order primarily consists of the Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition models. It plans to up the production of its Watch Edition in the second quarter to exceed one million units per month.   Continue reading Apple Preps for its Apple Watch Rollout with High Volume Order

Mozilla is planning to take on industry leaders Apple and Google by developing a version of its Firefox operating system specifically for wearables. Firefox OS, which is starting to appear in smartphones and select TVs, will be adapted for use in smart glasses, smartwatches, and other wearable devices as an alternative to Google’s Android Wear or Apple’s iOS. Mozilla’s ultimate goal is to provide Firefox OS as a system to easily connect appliances, mobile devices, television sets and wearables, regardless of their OS. Continue reading Firefox OS for Wearables as Alternative to Android and iOS

Microsoft recently launched a new section on its website to provide the public with access to various projects in development. Microsoft Garage started in 2009 within the Office Labs group as a place for employees to work on innovative new ideas. Until last week, The Garage was largely an internal effort that supported side projects, hackathons and science fairs. The Garage is now offering public access to 16 free consumer-facing apps across Android, Android Wear, iOS, Windows Phone and Xbox One. Continue reading Microsoft Opens The Garage, Unveils Wild Ideas of Employees

Google Glass was not mentioned during the keynote of the Google I/O developer conference last month, a tactical shift from all the attention the company has been giving the much-hyped wearable. This time around, Google put a larger spotlight on its Android Wear software that powers devices such as smartwatches, which are more affordable than Glass and currently offer more apps. Smartwatches also are not affected by the social obstacles involved with wearing a camera on one’s face. Continue reading Google Turns its Attention to Smartwatches, May Impact Glass

The first Android Wear smartwatches will enter the market next week. The Samsung Gear Live and the LG G Watch will both run Google’s Android Wear operating system, which requires an Android smartphone with the companion app to work. Users with an Android Wear smartwatch can check their smartphone’s notifications from a quick look at their wrist. The most notable feature of the new software is Google Now, an online personal assistant. Continue reading Android Wear Is Promising Software for the Future of Watches

During yesterday’s keynote event at Google I/O, the company unleashed its Android Everywhere strategy and a slew of related announcements. Google envisions us taking the more contextually aware Android mobile OS from place to place through every part of our lives, including our televisions, laptops, vehicles, bodies and workplaces. Major announcements unveiled details regarding Android L (5.0), Android Wear, Android Auto, Android TV, and integrating Android applications into Chromebooks. Continue reading Google I/O: The Future is All About the Android Mobile OS

Google Fit, a health data aggregation service, is expected to launch at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco next week. The service will compete with Apple’s new HealthKit app framework, which launched last week. It will also compete with Samsung’s Sami, a similar biometric data platform. Google Fit aims to store data from wearable activity tracking devices — including Fitbit, Jawbone UP and Nike FuelBand — along with the related smartphone apps.

Continue reading Google to Launch Health Data Aggregation Service Google Fit