Check out a pandemic mask with earbuds and a microphone, a smartwatch that alerts Siri, and truly smart glasses.
With the start of a new year comes a few certainties such as freezing weather, bonus decisions at financial services firms, and the CES 2022 conference in Las Vegas, which includes Pepcom’s Digital Experience! event for journalists. The Pepcom event, like CES, happened in person and virtually.
During the first quarter of this year, I will be reviewing the gadgets featured at CES 2022, which took place January 5-8, and could be of interest once bonus checks are distributed.
For this first installment, I will focus on items that, in my opinion, are wearable and useful in new ways.
A Covid-19 Mask with Earbuds & Microphone
Hubble Connected, which is launching the MaskFone, created this special face-covering in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a combination of a protective mask with replaceable PM2.5 and N95/FFP2 filters, a microphone, and earbuds that both use Bluetooth wireless connectivity.
With so much built in, the mask cuts down on “the need to remove your mask in public,” according to Hubble Connected, which sells the MaskFone for $34.99.
“COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet), so the use of masks is particularly important in settings where people are close to each other or where social distancing is difficult to maintain,” vendor officials say.
However, the vendor notes that the MaskFone “is not an FDA-approved product and makes no claims of antimicrobial protection, antiviral protection, particulate filtration, or infection prevention or reduction. This product is not intended for use in a medical setting. See disclaimer for additional important information.”
The MaskFace app “integrates with Alexa, making your mask a smart hub for both entertainment and work. Instruct Alexa or Siri to play music, manage your calendar, or any of hundreds of other tasks. One-touch voice-activation technology enables you to have Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant on call,” according to the vendor.
More information about MaskFone can be found here: https://maskfone.com/
A Health & Fitness Smartwatch That Works with Voice Assistants
Garmin International, Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., has just debuted the Venu 2 Plus GPS smartwatch that takes calls and works with smartphone voice assistants “to send texts, ask questions, and so much more,” officials say.
The new watch has health, wellness, and fitness features such as “a sleep score with insights, stress tracking, energy monitoring, Pulse Ox1, women’s health features, and a wide variety of fitness and workout options,” according to the vendor.
The New Features of the Venu 2 Plus are:
- End-users can “make and take phone calls with the press of a button;”
- Voice assistant control via compatibility with Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, or Bixby that can send texts, ask questions, and control compatible smart home devices;
- User-configurable heart rate alerts for high or low readings;
- Body Battery for monitoring energy levels after the effects of stress and exercise;
- And Health Snapshot, which “logs a two-minute window of key health stats and generates a report users can share with a health care provider.”
The Venu 2 Plus also offers “the latest fitness features recently introduced on the Venu 2 series including 25+ built-in indoor and GPS sports apps with favorites that include walking, running, HIIT, cycling, pool swimming, Pilates, yoga, indoor climbing, hiking, advanced strength training with muscle map graphics and more,” according to the vendor.
The Venu 2 Plus also offers built-in music, allowing users to “download up to 650 songs including playlists from Spotify and Amazon Music … Unlike many other smartwatches, the Venu 2 Plus can be used with either Android or Apple smartphones,” according to the vendor.
More information is at: https://bit.ly/3I2HO2l
Smart Glasses from Vuzix with Enterprise-Wide Capabilities
Vuzix Corp., which has a line of Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technology products, featured its Vuzix Shield smart glasses at CES 2022.
Company officials report that they filed a trademark application for Vuzix Shield in November with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The vendor describes its new offering as “enterprise AR smart glasses and the first binocular AR smart glasses with HD stereo cameras.” The prescription-ready Vuzix Shield smart glasses “feature a Z87.1 safety glass rating and are driven by a powerful 8-core CPU that runs an Android 11 OS with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth,” officials add.
The glasses, which offer stereo audio, connect users “to their enterprise cloud and ultimately to their organizations’ metaverse accessing IT sensors, instructions, or live remote guidance, leaving hands free,” according to the vendor.
“Users can also scan codes with an advanced reader, or wirelessly stream video from the field, all enabled through voice or touch,” officials say. The glasses also feature miniature microLED stereo displays that can connect with others also using the device.
“Vuzix Shield, which we expect to initially start sampling as DVT or design validation test units in January 2022, represents a leap forward in form and functionality for the AR/smart glasses industry,” says Paul Travers, president and CEO at Vuzix, in a prepared statement.
The vendor has put together a video with more information here: https://bit.ly/3FhR4NZ.
Information about the new glasses can also be found here: https://www.vuzix.com/
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