Wearable

Just as it did with its Weather app for wearables in September, Google has announced that new Wear OS devices from other manufacturers will have to rely on something else. If you have a non-Pixel watch with the Clock app already, it will keep working, but without new updates.

The glasses combine “Magic Leap’s waveguides and optics with Google’s Raxium microLED light engine” according to a Magic Leap announcement, and they’re under 50 grams and have a monocular design. Magic Leap is also now positioning itself as an “AR ecosystem partner to support companies building glasses.”

Fibit’s head of product Andy Abramson briefly teased new devices in the coming year during a media briefing covering the company’s new AI health coach. Mentioning that the health coach would roll out fully in 2026, he said it would be supported by “new Fitbit hardware” and that we should “stay tuned for an exciting year.”

No reason was given for Strava’s voluntary dismissal, three weeks after it attempted to block sales of Garmin devices due to alleged patent infringement.

One agreement is with RingConn, which had been blocked from selling its smart rings in the US after a ruling from the United States International Trade Commission (ITC). The ITC had also blocked Ultrahuman from selling its rings in the US, and it’s still unable to.

Earlier this month, the Pebble app returned to iOS and Android with support not just for the new generation of Pebble smartwatches, but also the original wearables. That means those out there still clinging to their old Pebble 2 from 2016 will no longer have to rely on Rebble.

Another tidbit from Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter further explores the rumor he’s reported about Apple shifting resources from a Vision Pro follow-up to something more like Meta’s Ray-Ban Display:

In the teardown, it got a 9/10 for repairability. Most smartwatches score a 3 or a 4. Where there was glue and heartbreak, there’s now screws and gaskets. This is monumental for the category and a big reason why I wrote this is the Android smartwatch to beat.

You can browse it right now at https://apps.repebble.com/. “Enjoy the same apps and faces you loved from before, plus some new ones created since 2016 by the developer community,” Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky says in a blog post. He shared some production updates about the new Pebble watches, too.

It’s been a while since a major software update hit the Pixel Watch 2 and 3, but Google’s October update that’s rolling out now is a big one. The update introduces Wear OS 6, which features the new “youthful” Material 3 Expressive design language, plus other features.

The company has... let’s just say a rep for killing its products off. So I’m going to celebrate the fourth Pixel Watch turning out to be the best Android smartwatch around, and hope Google learns that there are upsides to seeing something through.

If you want to buy the Meta Ray-Ban Display, you must book an appointment for an in-person demo, Meta says. Even then, Meta says that the preferred color and size you want may not be in stock. If that’s the case, you’ll be added to a waitlist.

After first debuting last year, Casio has introduced a new version of its ring watch made from stainless steel with gold ion plating. It’s currently only available in Japan for 22,000 yen, or around $150, and you’ll have to enter a lottery that’s open until October 6th for the chance to buy one.