TAGGED AS WEARABLES
Videotron launches physical distancing wristband
telecom | 09/24/2020 2:34 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. has launched a wristband that lights up and vibrates when individuals come too close to each other, marketing it as a solution for businesses operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Videotron Business on Thursday announced it had launched the Radius...
Specialized fitness wearables to take chunk of global market by 2022
telecom | 02/12/2018 4:35 pm EST
Customers’ drive to track precise data will push specific kinds of wearables, including clothing and ear-based fitness devices, to just under a quarter of the overall...
Bell warns about some Apple Watch 911 capabilities
Media | 09/25/2017 4:17 pm EDT
BCE Inc. issued a press release Friday to let customers with Apple Inc.’s new Apple Watch know that...
Bell Apple Watch advantage unknown: experts
telecom | 09/15/2017 4:06 pm EDT
Wearable use in Canada and around the world is trending up, but the numbers for smartwatches are still...
Shaw poised for boost from new iPhones
telecom | 09/12/2017 5:17 pm EDT
Apple Inc.’s new iPhone X, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, announced Tuesday, are compatible with spectrum bands...
Wearable sales to grow in 2017: Gartner
telecom | 08/24/2017 12:30 pm EDT
Worldwide sales of wearable devices are forecast to grow 16.7 per cent this year compared to 2016,...
75% of anglophones subscribe to TV service: MTM
Media | 01/31/2017 6:58 pm EST
New data shows that the number of anglophone Canadians with TV subscriptions has continued to fall, reaching 75 per cent in the fall of 2016 — a 14-per-cent decline over the past five years. That number is down two per cent from a year earlier, according to a report released Tuesday by Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of CBC/Radio-Canada. The report also showed technologies like streaming, wearable devices and 4K are growing. Four per cent of anglophones own a 4K television, up from three per cent in the spring of 2016, while more English-speaking Canadians are also...
Gen X leads tablet adoption: MTM
Media | 11/10/2016 9:32 pm EST
Canadian anglophones between the ages of 35 and 49 are, more than other generations, drawn to tablets and TV-enhancing technologies, according to a Media Technology Monitor (MTM) report released Tuesday. In its second...
Millennials spend 30 hours a week online: MTM
Media | 10/21/2016 9:02 pm EDT
Anglophone millennials spend more than 30 hours a week on the Internet, and about four-fifths of that generation watch TV online, according the latest report from Media Technology Monitor, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada. The...
Canada needs to get on the digital wave or get left behind: Cisco rep
telecom | 10/14/2016 8:00 pm EDT
TORONTO — Most Canadian businesses are not prepared for the next wave of digital innovation and there needs to be a collaborative effort to help them adapt, a Cisco Systems...
Most health devices don’t explain personal info collection: OPC
telecom | 09/22/2016 10:45 pm EDT
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner said Thursday that 62 per cent of the health devices it examined as part of a global sweep didn’t “adequately explain how personal...
Ehealth is growing, but market size still unknown
telecom | 08/03/2016 6:39 pm EDT
MONTREAL — In recent years, Canadians have gained the ability to keep track of data contributing to their health — from steps walked to their heart rate to calories burned — in a way that would have been...
Wearable adoption slow, app use declining: study
telecom | 06/09/2016 6:53 pm EDT
The adoption of wearable devices is sluggish in Canada, with only 10 per cent of Canadians indicating they own one, suggest the results of a new Catalyst study. “While the advent of wearables, particularly the Apple Watch,...
Global wearable device shipments to grow 38.2% this year: IDC
telecom | 03/18/2016 8:55 pm EDT
International Data Corp. said Thursday that global shipments of wearable devices are expected to reach 110 million by the end of 2016, with a 38.2 per cent growth over the previous year, and...
Global wearable device sales to grow 18.4% in 2016: Gartner
telecom | 02/03/2016 10:41 pm EST
Gartner Inc. is forecasting that global wearable device sales will increase 18.4 per cent this year to 274.6 million units, up from 232 million units the previous year. The research company said in a...
Bell to bring iHeartRadio to Canada
Media | 01/06/2016 2:49 pm EST
BCE Inc. announced Wednesday it has signed a partnership deal with iHeartMedia Inc. in order to bring iHeartRadio, the free digital radio and music streaming service based in the U.S., to Canada this year. It said in a press release that iHeartRadio will provide customers “instant access to the live radio feature,” and will showcase content from Bell’s broadcast and digital-only radio stations across mobile, auto dashes, tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles and wearables. The release added that the partnership would also bring iHeartRadio-brand events to...
Wearable shipments up almost 200% in Q3: IDC
Media | 12/03/2015 4:08 pm EST
Worldwide wearable shipments rose 197.6 per cent with 21 million units shipped in the third quarter this year, up from 7.1 million units in the same period a year earlier, according to a new report released Thursday...
Apple drives 500% increase in smartwatch shipments: report
Media | 10/30/2015 4:07 pm EDT
Global smartwatch shipments were up 510 per cent in this year's third quarter from a year earlier, with 6.1 million units shipped compared to one million during the same period the previous year,...
Apple Pay coming to Canada, with Amex
Media | 10/28/2015 2:19 pm EDT
Apple Inc.'s mobile payment system is coming to Canada but will be, at least initially, limited to holders of credit cards from American Express Co. Apple CEO Tim Cook, during a conference call Tuesday to discuss the...
AT&T announces number-sharing across devices
telecom | 10/16/2015 3:20 pm EDT
AT&T plans to introduce a service that will allow customers to link all of their mobile devices to their phone number. Chief marketing officer David Christopher said in a blog post Wednesday that the service, called...
Nymi appoints John Haggard as CEO
telecom | 10/09/2015 1:32 pm EDT
Toronto-based wearable maker Nymi Inc. said Thursday that it has appointed John Haggard as its new CEO. Haggard replaces company founder Karl Martin, who has moved to the job of chief technology officer, Nymi said in a press release. Nymi said Haggard has more than 30 years of experience in information-security products and authentication technology. He most recently served as chief business officer of Yubico, a maker of USB and near-field communications (NFC) devices for authentication. Nymi's main product, the Nymi Band, is a wrist-worn device that uses biometric information to authenticate individuals....
Canadian wearable shipments to rise 55% this year: IDC
telecom | 09/30/2015 4:15 pm EDT
The Canadian wearable market is expected to get shipments of 1.4 million units by the end of 2015, up almost 55 per cent from 905,000 last year, according to International Data Corp. The...
Rogers launches first Canadian music radio app for Apple Watch
telecom | 09/28/2015 2:59 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc. announced Monday that its KiSS 92.5 in Toronto is the first Canadian music radio station to launch an app for Apple Inc.’s Apple Watch. It said in a press release...
Wearable shipments more than doubling this year: IDC
Media | 09/14/2015 1:49 pm EDT
International Data Corp. said Monday that wearable shipments will reach 76.1 million units this year, up 163.6 per cent from the 28.9 million units shipped in 2014. It said in a press release that total shipments of basic and...
Android Wear now compatible with iPhones
Media | 08/31/2015 4:54 pm EDT
Google Inc. said Monday that its Android Wear operating system for smartwatches can now work with Apple Inc.'s iPhones. Google said in a blog that LG Corp.'s Watch Urbane is the first device the iPhone-compliant version...
Wearable shipments tripled in Q2: IDC
Media | 08/27/2015 1:41 pm EDT
Technology research company International Data Corp. said said in a press release Thursday that the global market for wearables grew 223.2 per cent in this year's second quarter with 18.1 million units shipped, up from 5.6...
Wearables creating more data-driven workplace
Media | 08/21/2015 5:46 pm EDT
Wearables and tracking tags are being used more frequently in a wider variety of workplaces to collect statistics on employee productivity, health and satisfaction — tracking the performance of professional athletes, helping...
Braille smartwatch in development to give blind another option
Media | 08/14/2015 7:16 pm EDT
A South Korean company is aiming to provide blind people with the first-ever braille-display smartwatch this year, and a representative from the Canadian Institute for the Blind (CNIB) says it...
Wearable tech could eliminate need for smartphones: exec
Media | 07/14/2015 8:11 pm EDT
Wearable devices could replace everything in our pockets, eventually wiping out smartphones in five to 10 years, says one wearable-technology company CEO. However, others say functionality, design and...
Samsung fitness bands rank highest in U.S. survey
Media | 06/30/2015 3:17 pm EDT
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. ranks first among fitness-band makers for customer-satisfaction among U.S. residents, while Fitbit Inc. is second, according to a survey by J.D. Power and Associates. It said in a press release Tuesday that Samsung's wearable fitness tracker scored high in terms of performance, style and appearance, variety of features, battery life and durability, while Fitbit was noted for its reliability, ease of use, durability and availability of apps. “The wearable fitness tracking device industry is taking hold and competition is heating up,” Kirk Parsons,...
Hexoskin shirts available through Best Buy
Media | 06/26/2015 8:20 pm EDT
Hexoskin, a Montreal-based maker of shirts that capture biometric information about people, said this week that its products were to become available on the Canadian website of Best Buy Co. Inc. as of Friday. The company said in...
Weather Network app launched for Apple Watch
Media | 06/25/2015 2:03 pm EDT
Pelmorex Media Inc. announced Thursday the launch of a new Weather Network app for Apple Inc.’s Apple Watch. “The Apple Watch is one of the must-have tech accessories this year and as Canada’s leading weather...
Wearables will increasingly use AI, say techies
Media | 06/24/2015 7:25 pm EDT
OTTAWA — Those in the wearables industry envision the day when their products are taking less direction from humans and doing more thinking for themselves — in other words, incorporating more artificial intelligence...
Privacy issues around wearables come into view
Media | 06/19/2015 3:17 pm EDT
As wearable technology moves further into the mainstream, thoughts are turning toward how individual privacy can be protected with such devices that track and transmit information as personal as health data and real-time location....
Intel buys Recon Instruments
Media | 06/18/2015 8:54 pm EDT
U.S. technology giant Intel Corp. has purchased Vancouver-based wearables maker Recon Instruments, the company said in a blog post Wednesday. Recon makes smart eyewear for sporting activities such as cycling and running. Recon CEO Dan Eisenhardt said in the blog that, as a part of Intel, "we’ll have the resources to continue the mission we began with the creation of Recon in 2008, but with a level of efficacy and speed that’s beyond the reach of a pioneer in a new market." He said the company would stay in Vancouver, and its brand and staff would remain intact. Eisenhardt did not say what was paid in the transaction....
Wearables market to grow 173.3% this year: IDC
Media | 06/18/2015 1:43 pm EDT
International Data Corp. predicted Thursday that the global wearable market will grow 173.3 per cent this year. The technology research company said in a press release that 72.1 million wearable devices will be shipped this year,...
Wearable apps to multiply in coming years: IDC
Media | 06/02/2015 1:42 pm EDT
The number of third-party applications for smart wearable devices is expected to surge from 2,500 last year to 349,000 by 2019, International Data Corp. said Tuesday. The research company said in a news release that most of these...
Bell launches Fibe TV app
Media | 05/26/2015 1:43 pm EDT
BCE Inc. on Tuesday announced the release of a new Fibe TV app, which it said will allow customers to access this TV service anywhere, at any time, on any screen. The new app gives Fibe TV subscribers access to over 7,000 hours of on-demand programming and can be downloaded for free for Apple...
Videotron rolls out Apple watch app for TV customers
Media | 05/25/2015 8:19 pm EDT
MONTREAL — Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron has launched a new app for Apple Inc.’s smartwatch that the company hopes will increase discoverability of channels available though its cable packages and appeal to early...
Amazon launches online wearables store
Media | 05/11/2015 4:10 pm EDT
Amazon.com Inc.'s Canadian unit on Monday announced the launch of an online shop for wearable technology. The company said in a press release that customers can now go to www.amazon.ca/wearabletechnology to shop for the...
Android updates smartwatch technology
Media | 04/20/2015 4:30 pm EDT
Google Inc.'s Android division on Monday announced several upgrades to its smartwatch technology, including built-in WiFi, making apps visible even when devices are in energy-saving mode, and adding easier functionality for...
Recon Jet smart goggles released
Media | 04/20/2015 2:22 pm EDT
Vancouver-based Recon Instruments announced Thursday the release of its new smart goggles for outdoor sports enthusiasts called Recon Jet. It said in a press release that the product is equipped with GPS, a camera, a display...
Apple Pay could launch in Canada this fall: report
Media | 04/17/2015 3:32 pm EDT
Apple Inc. is negotiating with Canada's major banks about a launch of its mobile-payment service, Apple Pay, in November, according to the Wall Street Journal. An article published online Friday said Apple is negotiating with...
Ericsson report finds one-third of consumers polled have or want wearables
Media | 03/11/2015 9:18 pm EDT
A new report from Ericsson AG suggests Apple Inc.’s upcoming Apple Watch could address a market that's far larger than what current wearable sales would indicate. In a worldwide study of more than 54,000 people, the technology maker examined the idea of the “quantified self,” in which individuals track their daily metrics such as calories consumed, steps taken or quality of sleep. Ericsson found that interest levels in wearables are much higher than actual use, and that...
Apple watch to replace car keys, CEO says
telecom | 02/27/2015 9:02 pm EST
Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said the company’s new smartwatch is designed to be able to replace car keys and fobs, The Telegraph reported Friday. The British newspaper quoted Cook as saying the watch will also include features...
New Windows will run on PCs, tablets, mobile phones
Media | 01/21/2015 7:56 pm EST
On Wednesday Microsoft Corp. announced two new devices as well as more details about the latest version of its Windows operating system, which will be the first to run cross-platform on desktops, tablets and mobile phones....
Ex-Microsoft exec calls out wireless industry on radiation issues
telecom | 01/19/2015 9:36 pm EST
OTTAWA — The former president of Microsoft Corp.'s Canadian operations is calling on companies involved in wireless technology to be more forthcoming in addressing what he says are health...
Enterprise to assume bigger role in technology adoption: Deloitte
Media | 01/12/2015 6:50 pm EST
After a decade of consumers being the trendsetters in the adoption of emerging technology, the enterprise sector will take on a bigger role in 2015 as leaders in the use of cutting-edge IT products,...
BlackBerry launches IOT platform, BBM for wearables
Media | 01/07/2015 6:16 pm EST
BlackBerry Inc. said Wednesday from the CES technology trade show in Las Vegas that it launched an Internet of Things (IoT) platform, and that it will make its BBM service available on smartwatches. The IoT platform, which the company announced in May, will initially target the car and asset-tracking industries and “will also be extended into the smart energy sector and the health-care field,” BlackBerry said in a press release. The company also said that its BBM messaging service will be made available on “a wide range” of smartwatches running Google Inc.’s...
Wearables, OTT, IoT to rise in 2015: IDC
Media | 12/15/2014 8:45 pm EST
Greater consumer interest in wearable technology, growth in over-the-top (OTT) television subscriptions and greater prominence of the Internet of Things (IoT) are among the top trends in technology expected for next year in...
Report suggests declining momentum for Google Glass
Media | 11/17/2014 5:10 pm EST
Google Inc.'s wearable device, Glass, is seeing a decline in interest among the public and application developers, according to an article by Reuters. The article, published Friday, said nine out of 16 app makers it contacted...
Payment wristband to be tested in Canada
Media | 11/10/2014 6:23 pm EST
Toronto-based wearable technology maker Bionym is partnering with the Royal Bank of Canada and MasterCard for a Canadian test of wristbands that act as payment tools. Kurt Bartlett, a spokesman for Bionym, said in an email that...
Microsoft launches wearable device
Media | 10/30/2014 1:50 pm EDT
Microsoft Corp. announced a new group of products designed to help customers monitor and track their health on Wednesday, including a fitness band and a cloud platform for health data. The $199 US Microsoft Band wearable device...
Public not yet sold on Internet of Things: survey
Media | 10/16/2014 3:24 pm EDT
The Internet of Things has been compared to the Industrial Revolution in terms of its eventual impact, though the general public is not yet fully aware of it nor convinced of its value, according to a recent study. That’s...
Canadians using phones to shop but wary of mobile payments
Media | 10/08/2014 5:54 pm EDT
Canadian shoppers are increasingly turning to their smartphones while in-store to find bargains, check for coupons and look up product reviews, according to a new study. A report from consumer...
Labelling requirements eased for wearables
telecom | 10/03/2014 3:26 pm EDT
Industry Minister James Moore announced Friday that the government is easing labelling requirements for electronic devices by allowing information to be displayed electronically on the devices' screens rather than in a...
Apple announces new phones, payment system, watch
telecom | 09/09/2014 7:25 pm EDT
Apple Inc. announced two new larger iPhones, a payment system and a wearable device, the Apple Watch, at a Tuesday event in Cupertino, Calif. The new smartphones are, at 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches measured diagonally, larger than...
Standalone wearables on the way this year: AT&T
telecom | 07/09/2014 3:22 pm EDT
Wearable technology that can connect to mobile networks on its own, without being tethered to a cellphone, will establish a presence on the market this year, an AT&T executive reportedly said. An article published Tuesday by IDG News Service quoted Glenn Lurie, AT&T's president of emerging enterprises and partnerships, as saying his company expects to offer at least one such device by year's end. Lurie reportedly said that the first of such products would likely be ones that track health, can communicate with social networks and hold music, and that the most sought-after...
Purpose, fashion sense needed in wearables market: IDC
telecom | 06/02/2014 5:43 pm EDT
Wearable technology is expected to see "hockey stick growth" in Canada in the coming years, though the gadgets' purpose must be better demonstrated and the products have to look good on...
New smartwatch won’t need tethering for calls: WSJ
telecom | 05/26/2014 1:16 pm EDT
Samsung Electronics Co. is poised to release a smartwatch that will not need to be tethered to a smartphone to make calls, the Wall Street Journal reported. An article posted on its website Friday said, according to people...
Google opens up Glass sales to U.S. public
Media | 05/14/2014 6:58 pm EDT
Google Inc. said Tuesday any resident of the United States is invited to sign up for the opportunity to purchase its Glass technology, which is still in development. “We’re still in the Explorer Program while we...
Apple looks to bring iWatch to market: reports
telecom | 05/05/2014 3:51 pm EDT
A wearable device called the iWatch is poised to be among the next pieces of disruptive technology offered by Apple Inc., according to reports. A Reuters article on Monday said the company has hired about a half-dozen...
U.S. watchdog approves Facebook purchase of Oculus
Media | 04/23/2014 7:31 pm EDT
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday that Facebook Inc. has been given the go-ahead to purchase virtual-reality technology maker Oculus VR Inc. Facebook announced its intention last month to buy the company, which is developing VR headsets geared toward gaming, for $2 billion US in cash and stock. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in the news release announcing that deal: “Oculus has the chance to create the most social platform ever, and change the way we work, play and communicate.” Facebook said the acquisition is expected to close in this year’s second...
Google Glass available in U.S. for one day
Media | 04/14/2014 4:37 pm EDT
Google Inc. will make its Glass wearable device available to the general public in the United States in a one-day sale on Tuesday. The device will sell Tuesday for $1,500 US, the company said in a blog post last Thursday. Since...
Wearables bring together techies in Toronto
telecom | 04/07/2014 6:48 pm EDT
There are a few hundred people in Toronto who are, in a manner of speaking, wearing their passion and belief in the potential of wearable technology on their sleeves. A group, comprised largely of people in related professional...
Virtual reality ‘the next social and communications platform’: Facebook
Media | 03/26/2014 6:31 pm EDT
Facebook Inc., in announcing the purchase of a pioneering virtual reality company, said this kind of immersive technology is "a strong candidate to emerge as the next social and communications...
Ray-Ban maker to help manufacture Google Glass
Media | 03/25/2014 2:12 pm EDT
Italian eyewear maker Luxottica Group S.p.A. said Tuesday that it has reached a deal with Google Inc. to collaborate on making its Google Glass wearable technology. The company said in a press release that its main brands,...
Phablets to drive mobile data growth, cord-cutting at ‘tipping point’: Deloitte
Media | 01/13/2014 10:58 pm EST
Increased sales of larger, “phablet” smartphones will drive growth in mobile data consumption in 2014 as more consumers use the bigger devices to watch more mobile TV, consulting firm...
Will wireless providers benefit from smartphone market’s ‘device exhaustion’?
telecom | 08/28/2013 9:11 pm EDT
When smartphones first became available, they were groundbreaking and innovative because they brought together the functions of previously separate devices—cameras and GPS, telephones and...
Smart wearable devices to become a consumer market by 2014, experts say
telecom | 11/02/2012 7:18 pm EDT
Expanding wireless network capacity and other new technologies are enabling growth for the “smart wearable devices” market, such as glasses, watches and healthcare monitoring tools,...