The Verge is covering the rapidly evolving world of wearables. We test everything from smartwatches like the Apple Watch, to smart glasses like the Meta Ray-Bans, to fitness trackers like the Oura Ring to find out which ones deliver on their promises. Follow along to find out whether covering our bodies in screens and sensors can actually make us smarter and healthier.
Last week, I reported that all but two Zombies, Run! staffers had been laid off. Now we have an official statement from Six to Start, the company behind the game, confirming that the ZRX app will remain “available and fully functioning.” Zombies, Run! and Marvel Move subscribers will also retain access to episode catalogues and Rofflenet, its message board. New episodes, however, are on pause.
[facebook.com]
The SpellRing was developed by Cornell researchers and uses AI plus micro-sonar tech to track real-time fingerspelling. Right now, it can be used to input text into computers and smartphones. It’s a neat, given that the researchers say alternatives have been too bulky and impractical for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.
There are caveats. This isn’t a consumer product yet and may never be. Plus, fingerspelling is only one aspect of American Sign Language. Still, you love to see people working on accessibility tech!
We reported a while back that, with a bit of help from Google, Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky was reviving Pebble OS with new hardware. Well, the RePebble store has now morphed into a countdown clock. Is that when a brand-spanking-new Pebble goes on sale? On preorder? Either way, you don’t set up a retro-chic countdown clock unless you’ve got some exciting news. I don’t know ‘bout you, but I’m setting a calendar alarm for 9AM PT / 12PM ET tomorrow.
[store.repebble.com]
I’m willing to bet you’ve never heard of AdHawk, but it’s a Canadian startup that specializes in advanced eye tracking technology. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Google is set to sign a $115 million deal to buy AdHawk. Why do we care? Two words: smart glasses.
Meta sniffed around AdHawk in 2022, and EssilorLuxxotica — Ray-Ban’s parent company — is a backer too. Google’s already shown that it’s ready to put Google Glass behind it with Android XR and its partnership with Samsung for Project Moohan. This is another sign.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a picture to WhatsApp that shows him wearing what he says are “the new limited edition Ray-Ban Meta x Coperni frames last night.” They’re coming tomorrow, he adds. Meta teased last week that “an exciting collaboration” is coming soon, and I suppose these are them.
It’s hard to tell if they’re translucent from this picture of Zuckerberg, but the earlier tease implied that they are, like Meta’s previous limited edition shades.
Update: According to a Meta blog that just went up, they’ll be available at 1AM PT / 4AM ET for $549. And yes, they’re translucent. Pictures added below.
We gave a brief overview of the components that make up the prototype AR glasses in our Orion hands-on, but Meta just released a series of blogs that go deep. I mean real deep into why they picked silicon carbide, as well as the tech in its custom silicon chips and compute pucks. There’s also some neat photos, especially in the blog on the silicon chips, that give you a good sense of all the tech in those glasses.
Samsung Display’s bendy concept displays are always stunning, if not always practical. But rather than debate just how many compromises a foldable portable would require, or how pricy it might be, I choose to bask in its prototype glory!
Find more wacky Samsung Displays like the “flexible briefcase” in Allison’s whole story and her larger video.
Did they rebuild me better, stronger, faster? Not exactly! As I explain in my full story, the Hypershell Pro X made me feel like I had an extra energy tank, like the ones exosuit-wearing bounty hunter Samus Aran obtains in the Metroid games. Oh, and it works when you’re riding a bicycle, too!
It felt like an extra energy tank in a Metroid game.
Everything we know:
The algorithm behind the smart ring’s Readiness Score — a 0-100 body recovery ranking that considers your sleep quality, body signals, and activity levels — now includes menstrual cycle fluctuations. Users need to opt into Cycle highlights to access the update.
The change follows Oura finding that some menstruating users’ scores were misrepresented during the luteal phase that occurs after ovulation, in which some people experience increased heart rate and temperature, and decreased heart rate variability.
[ouraring.com]
After a bunch of teasing, it’s finally official. Kettlebell training is now in both the Peloton App and the newer Strength Plus app. On the Peloton App, you can take four types of classes with popular trainers Jess Sims, Rebecca Kennedy, and a bunch of others. Meanwhile, the Strength Plus app has a two-week dedicated program led by guest instructor Dre Mayes, a former D1 football player.
It’s a watch. It’s a ring. It’s more jewelry than either, and that’s what makes it special.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Ahem, excuse me.
The OnePlus Watch 3 was supposed to launch today, but 9to5 Google reports that it’ll now arrive “sometime in April” over an unfixable “Meda in China” typo on its backplate. OnePlus says misprinted versions can be returned, no questions asked — or kept as a limited edition collectible.
As I wrote last week, #typogate is kinda endearing. It’s not as funny as getting sent 11 review units of the OnePlus Watch 2, but it beats the horror that was the original OnePlus Watch.
OnePlus has announced it’ll let you return any Watch 3 model with its unfortunate ’Meda in China’ typo on the rear, no questions asked — or you can keep it as a ‘super limited edition.’ The company calls it ‘one-of-a-kind,’ though hasn’t actually said how many watches were produced with the small-print error.
[threads.net]
Per Notebookcheck, Green House is launching four smartwatches featuring beloved Sanrio characters Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll (who, by the way, is a dog not a rabbit) and Kuromi. The watch specs say they’re capable of tracking steps, sleep, heart rate, 20 activity types, calories burned, temperature, and blood oxygen. It also supports voice assistants, media playback, and notifications. Personally, I love the little character details on the straps!
The watches cost 14,080 yen, or about $93 — which is actually pretty good for a basic fitness tracker.
Reuters reports that roughly 20 people in the FDA’s office of neurological and physical medicine devices were let go over the weekend. Including staffers overseeing clinical trial applications from Neuralink, Elon Musk’s company developing a brain-computer interface. The report states the firings also affect the FDA’s ability to ensure safe trials for other companies exploring the tech.
The FDA process can be tedious, but it’s vital to ensuring health tech advances adhere to ethical and safety standards. A pretty important thing when you’re trying to implant chips into a human brain.
