Smartphone maker Oppo enters wearables market with Watch 41mm

MANILA - Oppo, one of the world’s largest vendors of smartphones, launched its first entry into the wearables market in the Philippines with the Watch 41mm. 

The company, which is known for selling budget-friendly to mid-end smartphones, said the Watch 41mm boasts of new features not found in other smartwatches. 

The smartwatch features a rectangular aluminum alloy frame and a 1.6-inch AMOLED display, which is visible even under direct sunlight, Oppo said. 

It uses the Wear OS2 by Google, which was customized by Oppo.

Oppo Watch 41mm has an intelligent feature that matches the device's watch face to the user’s outfit, the company said.

It also features Oppo’s proprietary VOOC Flash Charging which can charge the watch’s battery to 30 percent in 15 minutes, according to the company. This battery level is enough for a full day's use, Oppo said. 

“OPPO Watch 41mm delivers smartwatch power and a battery life of up to 24 hours when in smart mode and can even be extended to 14 days in Power Saver mode,” the company said.

The smartwatch can switch between 2 processors depending on the usage. It uses a Snapdragon chip for high-performance tasks and an Apollo3 chip when in power saver mode. 

Industry tracker IDC reported that as of June this year, Oppo was the fifth largest smartphone vendor in the world behind Huawei, Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi. 

news.abs-cbn.com

Record tech spending expected in US, show organizers say

LAS VEGAS -- Consumer technology spending is getting a boost from wearables, smart devices and streaming media services and should hit record levels in the United States this year, organizers of a major tech gathering said Sunday.

Kicking off the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, organizers said they expect $422 billion in sales of some 300 kinds of consumer tech products and services in the US market, a gain of 4 percent from last year.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes the annual gathering, said popularity of streaming services and wireless earbuds and the promise of new devices using super fast 5G connectivity and artificial intelligence is driving consumer interest.

"More and more consumers are embracing the faster connectivity, advanced intelligence and seemingly infinite content that technology offers today -- pushing consumer technology industry revenues toward another record-setting year in 2020," said Gary Shapiro, the association's president and chief executive.

"We'll see advancements in 5G connectivity and AI play out across the CES 2020 show floor this week -- from digital health to self-driving vehicles and smart homes -- vital technologies that are changing our lives for the better."

The show opens Tuesday against the backdrop of mounting concerns on how data gathered from connected devices can be exploited by marketers, governments and hackers.

There has also been a wave of attacks from politicians and activists against dominant tech platforms, as well as intense trade frictions between the world's economic and technology powers, the United States and China.

CTA's forecast shows strong consumer interest in a number of sectors including digital health -- a broad category including smartwatches, fitness trackers and connected health monitoring devices -- with sales of around $10 billion. 

For streaming -- including video, music and gaming -- the group expects 11 percent growth in spending to $81 billion.

CTA said it is seeing consumer interest in new kinds of wireless earbuds, led by those from Apple and Samsung, with expected sales of 67 million units worth $8.2 billion in revenue.

The forecast suggests smartphone sales will break out of their torpor with a 2 percent increase in sales, helped by new 5G handsets.

But 5G handset growth is likely to be slow at first, and it will be 2020 before the faster technology accounts for two-thirds of US handset sales, according to Lesley Rohrbaugh, director of market research at the association.

Rorhbaugh said however that new chip technology is making possible many more kinds of devices, such as those for the home, infused with artificial intelligence using object detection and voice recognition.

"Voice is going into everything. And it's not just our mobile devices. It's not just our speakers, it's every product and like those smart appliances," she said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Put down that phone! This device may help internet-addicted

JAKARTA - From browsing social media to watching videos and chatting with friends, Indonesian university student Tyas Sisianindita spends about eight hours a day on her phone. 

“I realize that I am addicted,” the university student admitted, saying she checks her phone continuously from the time she wakes up, even when she is in classes.

“At night, when I can’t sleep, I can use my phone for up to five hours.”

A group of fellow students at the University of Indonesia, led by inventor Irfan Budi Satria, has spent three months developing a wearable device that can help internet users like Sisianindita cut down on the time they spend flicking at their phones.

Called “Nettox”, from “internet detox”, the device is worn on the wrist and contains a pulse oximeter sensor that measures hemoglobin oxygen levels and heart rate variability (HRV).

Studies have found that prolonged mobile phone usage has a specific lowering effect on HRV levels. The Nettox device emits a sound when HRV and blood oxygen levels fall within this range, which reminds the wearer to stop using their phone.

For people aged between 18 and 25, the HRV should ideally stay above 60, according to the American Psychological Association, Satria said.

At a recent trial, Sisianindita’s HRV reading was 44. 

Internet addiction is a growing social issue in Indonesia. In October, two teenagers were treated for their addiction to internet gaming, media reported. 

“Children must be taught to be more active and take part in extracurricular activities,” said psychologist Kasandra Putranto.

Satria’s team is working on personalizing Nettox and improving its accuracy as HRV readings can vary depending on a person’s body shape, gender and health conditions.

They aim to apply for a patent for their invention with the university by next year.

Satria says, though, that Nettox is targeted at those already invested in changing their behavior.

“Our goal is to help the health-conscious,” he said. “To help people who want to free themselves from internet addiction.” 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Google taps fitness tracker market with $2.1-B bid for Fitbit

Alphabet Inc.-owned Google will buy Fitbit Inc for $2.1 billion, as the biggest Web search company looks to take on Apple and Samsung in the crowded market for fitness trackers and smart watches.

Google said on Friday that it sees an opportunity to introduce its own wearable devices and invest more in digital health. The purchase will also bring a rich trove of health data gathered by millions of Fitbit's devices.

Fitbit's fitness trackers and other devices monitor users' daily steps, calories burned and distance traveled. They also measure floors climbed, sleep duration and quality, and heart rate.

Fitbit's share of the fitness tracking market has been threatened by deeper-pocketed companies such as Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., as well as cheaper offerings from China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Xiaomi Corp.

"We believe Google is a natural fit. The deep health and fitness data, coupled with the 28 million active users on the Fitbit platform, offer a tremendous value," Craig Hallum analysts wrote in a note. Xiaomi dominates the global wearables market, with a 17.3% market share in the second quarter of 2019, followed by Apple. Fitbit owns 10% of the market, according to data from market research firm International Data Corp.

Reuters first reported the deal on Monday.

HEALTH DATA

Fitbit, which helped pioneer the wearable devices craze, has been partnering with health insurers and has been making tuck-in acquisitions in the healthcare market, as part of efforts to diversify its revenue stream. Analysts have said that much of the company's value may now lie in its health data.

U.S. antitrust regulators have little reason to oppose Alphabet's plans to buy Fitbit, but that does not mean that U.S. officials, backed by a bevy of anti-Google lawmakers, will not give the proposed purchase extra scrutiny.

Google is already under antitrust investigation by the Justice Department, the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee and dozens of state attorneys general for allegedly using its massive market power to crush smaller competitors.

Fitbit has raised privacy concerns in the past: In 2011, the sexual activity of people using the health and fitness tracker was found to be publicly accessible online.

The company said on Friday that its users' health and wellness data would not be used for Google ads. Google said in a blog post that it would give Fitbit users the choice to review, move or delete their data.

Google, which has been defending its privacy practices after a number of regulatory probes, said it would be transparent about the data it collects for its devices and would not sell that data.

Fitbit brings to the deal partnerships it has struck with some large drug companies. In October, Fitbit announced a collaboration with Bristol-Myers Co and Pfizer Inc on early detection of irregular heartbeat, or atrial fibrillation, on its devices.

Fitbit in August also launched its latest smart watch, Versa 2, adding Amazon.com Inc's voice assistant Alexa, online payments and music storage to the device's capabilities.

Fitbit has been offered $7.35 per share in cash, the company said, a premium of about 19% to the stock's closing price on Thursday. The company's shares were trading up 15% at $7.11. Shares of Alphabet were nearly flat at $1,263.18.

The company's shares have gained more than 40% since Reuters reported on Monday that Google had made an offer for Fitbit.

Qatalyst Partners LLP was financial adviser to Fitbit on the deal, which is expected to close in 2020. Fenwick & West LLP was the legal adviser.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain and Akanksha Rana in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Jonathan Oatis)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Apple tunes out trade war as new AirPods, services lift holiday outlook

Apple Inc on Wednesday forecast sales for the crucial holiday shopping quarter ahead of Wall Street expectations, with Chief Executive Tim Cook seeing strong sales of the wearables such as the noise-cancelling AirPods Pro and hoping for a US-China trade deal by year-end.

Cook wants to wean Apple off stagnating iPhone sales that make up over half its revenue and switch to generating income from services and wearables. Cook is implementing the strategy while also shepherding Apple through a trade dispute between two of its most important markets, the United States and China.

Apple said it expects $85.5 billion to $89.5 billion in sales for its fiscal first quarter that ends in December, with a midpoint of $87.5 billion that is above analyst expectations of $86.9 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Apple shares rose about 2 percent to $247.50 in after-hours trading on the news.

In an interview with Reuters, Cook said he anticipated strong sales of services and wearables, as well “a very, very good start” for sales of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max released last month. Cook said the forecast also reflected the company's belief that the United States and China will resolve their trade dispute.

"I don't know every chapter of the book, but I think that will eventually happen," Cook told Reuters. "I certainly hope it happens during the quarter, but we'll see about that."

The forecast comes as the Cupertino, California-based company said it generated $33.36 billion in iPhone sales for its fiscal fourth quarter ended in September, which compares with analyst expectations of $32.42 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

The results mark the fourth straight quarter of year-over-year declining iPhone sales. At the same time, hardware is getting less profitable on a gross margin basis, with Apple's net product sales falling while the cost of sales rose slightly.

But Hal Eddins, chief economist for Apple shareholder Capital Investment Counsel, said part of Apple's rising stock price came from interest rate cuts by US officials and other indicators of slowing economic growth. "Investors feel emboldened to pay up for what they feel is 'guaranteed growth' with big tech," Eddins said.

In September, Apple unveiled a lineup that included the new iPhone 11 priced at $699, $50 lower than the debut price of its predecessor, the iPhone XR.

"The starting price of $699 is a factor in bringing more people into the market and giving people just another reason to upgrade," Cook told Reuters. "In China specifically ... we picked locally relevant price points that were more similar to the price points that had great success with earlier."

Apple's revenue is increasingly coming from accessories such as the Apple Watch and AirPods as well as new services such as its Apple Card credit card and a streaming television service set to begin on Friday. Customers will be able to buy iPhones using the Apple Card with no interest for 24 months, Cook said on the conference call.

Apple said its services and accessories segments generated $12.51 billion and $6.52 billion in fourth-quarter revenue, respectively, topping analyst estimates of $12.15 billion and $6 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

Apple now has 450 million subscribers to its own or third-party services on its devices, and sales of wearables were up 54 percent versus the previous year.

"It was an incredible quarter for wearables," Cook said. "It was a very broad range of services that set new all-time records, from our payment services to the search ad business to Apple Music, Apple Care, the App Store and cloud services - almost every kind of service we're in."

Apple sales for its Greater China region dropped a relatively modest 2.4 percent to $11.13 billion in Apple's fiscal fourth quarter ended in September.

"The China growth being down only 2% in this environment is a win," said John Ham of Apple investor New England Investment and Retirement Group. "The Chinese consumer isn’t punishing Apple as the American face of the trade war."

Apple's Cook said that iPhone sales in China ticked up toward the end of the quarter, which includes several days of sales of the new iPhone 11 models. Cook also said the company saw double-digit services revenue growth in China and wearables revenue in China grew at a higher rate than the companywide figure.

"iPhone had a remarkable comeback from the way we performed earlier in the year," Cook said.

Apple's holiday-quarter forecast comes amid a trade conflict between the United States and China, where Apple assembles most of its products and where many of its suppliers are located. Tariffs on imports that would include Apple accessories took effect in September.

Tariffs might hit more categories of goods including Apple's iPhone on Dec. 15, though US and Chinese negotiators were working on a deal.

Apple said its revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter was $64.04 billion, compared with analyst expectations of $62.99 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Earnings per share were $3.03 versus expectations of $2.84. On an absolute basis, earnings dropped from $14.13 billion to $13.69 billion, with the per-share results driven by a smaller base of outstanding shares due to repurchases.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Apple Watch sports new design, health features

CUPERTINO, California -- Apple introduced on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) a fourth generation of the Apple Watch with a major redesign -- and a series of features designed to improve its performance as a medical and health device.

The watch, sold in the United States from $399 and up, will be available in stores on September 21.

"Apple Watch has become an intelligent guardian for your health," chief operating officer Jeff Williams said.

The smartwatches are able to detect hard falls, and an electrical heart rate sensor can take an electrocardiogram.

"This is the first ECG product offered over the counter directly to consumers," Williams said.

"Now you can take an ECG any time, anywhere, right from the wrist."

The fall detection upgrade is expected to appeal to worker safety concerns in factories or other industrial settings, as well as to elderly or disabled users.

"Identifying a fall may sound like a straightforward problem, but it requires a lot of data analysis," Williams said.

If a person falls, and then is motionless, the watch will call emergency services, he added.

Moorhead said the health features for the new devices were notable.

"I can see kids buying one for their parents and grandparents," he said of the smartwatch.

"I believe Series 4 will sell better than all previous models."

The current version of Apple Watch is the most popular watch in the world, according to Cook.

Apple stressed its devotion to data privacy, saying all health information gathered is encrypted on the smartwatch to be shared only as users see fit.

'CROSSROADS'

Research firm CB Insights said Apple was at a "crossroads" a decade after introducing the iPhone.

"Looking for the next wave, Apple is clearly expanding into augmented reality and wearables with the Apple Watch and AirPods wireless headphones," the firm said. 

"But the next 'big one' -- a success and growth driver on the scale of the iPhone -- has not yet been determined. Will it be augmented reality, auto, wearables? Or something else entirely?"

Apple's event comes with the global smartphone market at near-peak saturation, and without a major catalyst for sales ahead of a likely rollout of 5G, or fifth generation, wireless networks, expected in 2019.

Research firm IDC expects worldwide smartphone shipments to decline 0.7 percent in 2018 to 1.455 billion units, with growth likely to resume as 5G devices become available.

Cook said Apple was nearing the two-billion mark for devices with its mobile operating system known as iOS.

"We are about to hit a major milestone. We are about to ship our two billionth iOS device," he said.

"This is astonishing -- iOS has changed the way we live."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Apple surges ahead in wearables on smartwatch sales: survey

WASHINGTON - Strong holiday season sales of Apple's newest smartwatch propelled the California tech giant into the lead in wearable tech in 2017, a market tracker said Thursday.

A report by the research firm IDC said Apple jumped to the front of the wearables pack in the fourth quarter following the release of Apple Watch 3, and placed at the top of the market for the full year as well.

While official sales figures for the Apple Watch are not disclosed, IDC estimated Apple sold some 8 million in the final 3 months of last year, representing 21 percent of all wearables.

That pushed Apple ahead of US rival Fitbit which had a 14.2 percent share of wearables in the quarter, and China's Xiaomi (13 percent).

"Interest in smartwatches continues to grow and Apple is well-positioned to capture demand," said IDC research director Ramon Llamas.

"User tastes have become more sophisticated over the past several quarters and Apple pounced on the demand for cellular connectivity and streaming multimedia. What will bear close observation is how Apple will iterate upon these and how the competition chooses to keep pace."

For the full year 2017, Apple sold an estimated 17.7 million smartwatches, accounting for 15.3 percent of the wearable tech market, according to IDC.

That was ahead of Xiaomi (13.6 percent) and Fitbit (13.3 percent) for the full year, IDC said.

IDC said the overall wearables market -- which includes fitness trackers, smart clothing, eyewear and other devices -- rose 10.3 percent in 2017 to 115.4 million units. That compared with a sharper 27 percent increase in 2016.

"The slowdown is not due to a lack of interest -- far from it," Llamas said.

"Instead, we saw numerous vendors, relying on older models, exit the market altogether. At the same time, the remaining vendors -- including multiple start-ups -- have not only replaced them, but with devices, features, and services that have helped make wearables more integral in people's lives. Going forward, the next generation of wearables will make the ones we saw as recently as 2016 look quaint."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Wearable tech latest must-have for China's proud pet owners

HONG KONG - Electronic device makers such as Hong Kong-listed SUGA and other start-ups are looking to cash-in on a boom in China in so-called pet wearables, like smart collars, leashes and feeders.

Pet ownership, denounced as a decadent and bourgeois habit after the Communist Party took power in China more than 60 years ago, has become popular again among the country's growing middle class.

Lia Yang Liu, 39, a lecturer in Chinese literature at a Beijing university, bought a GPS tracker that attaches to her dog's collar.

"The device really helped me once, when I loosened the collar and he just ran out of the park," said Liu. She is skeptical of other products though.

"I think the commercials just exaggerate the effects. I don't believe devices can translate a pet's language for us."

The electronic pet device market in China is still quite small but by some estimates is growing by a fifth or even a quarter every year, drawing developers and producers such as PetPace LLC, Mars Petcare's Whistle Labs Inc, i4C Innovations, Fitbark and DeLaval.

Alfred Ng, chief technology officer at Suga, estimates China is now 5 percent of a global market that US-based market intelligence firm Transparency Market Research estimates was worth $1 billion at the end of 2016.

Ng forecasts that China's share of the market will jump to more than 20 percent by 2024, by which time Transparency Market Research estimates the global market will be worth at least $2.5 billion.

SUGA produces wearable tech that monitors pets' health and food intake. It is also eyeing a device to check pet emotions.

Chen Xufeng, marketing manager of Guangzhou-based software developer Guangdong Lekong IOT Technology Co Ltd, expects the China market in pet electronic devices to grow 20 percent to 25 percent in the next two to three years.

"There are more than 10 million pieces of wearable products for pets sold in the Chinese market every year," Chen said.

IDTechEx, an independent market research firm, said there are 300 manufacturers of wearable pet gadgets globally and almost half are based in China. It predicted the number will rise to 500 as the market expands.

Ava Lui, 33, an IT professional in Hong Kong, has three cats and a dog and has fitted her pets with collars that can monitor their activity and food intake.

"I just wish that they will never get sick, they won't get hurt. The less I take them to see vets the more time I can spend playing with them. That would be ideal," she said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Time runs out for smartwatch pioneer Pebble

SAN FRANCISCO - Smartwatch pioneer Pebble announced Wednesday it was shutting down, with tech wearables giant Fitbit acquiring some of its assets including key personnel.

"Due to various factors, Pebble is no longer able to operate as an independent entity. We have made the tough decision to shut down the company and no longer manufacture Pebble devices," Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky said in a statement.

Pebble, one of the early makers of connected watches which has sold some two million devices since launching in 2012, said that "many members of Team Pebble will be joining the Fitbit family to continue their work on wearable software platforms."

A separate statement from Fitbit said it had acquired "specific assets of Pebble, including key personnel and intellectual property related to software and firmware development," but not the company's hardware product.

Terms of the deal were not announced.

"With basic wearables getting smarter and smartwatches adding health and fitness capabilities, we see an opportunity to build on our strengths and extend our leadership position in the wearables category," said Fitbit chief executive James Park.

"With this acquisition, we're well positioned to accelerate the expansion of our platform and ecosystem to make Fitbit a vital part of daily life for a wider set of consumers, as well as build the tools healthcare providers, insurers and employers need to more meaningfully integrate wearable technology into preventative and chronic care."

Pebble was among the early developers of smartwatches, raising money on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform. Its 2015 drive raised a record $20.3 million.

The deal comes with Fitbit leading the pack of connected wearables makers, but with its stock slumping.

Fitbit shares rose slightly to $8.02, well off its highs last year above $50.

A report this week from research firm IDC shows Fitbit with 23 percent of the global wearables market in the third quarter, shipping some 5.3 million devices including fitness bands and smartwatches.

IDC said 85 percent of the market remains "basic" wearables with a single function such as fitness tracking, with sluggish growth in the market for more complex devices that have their own applications like the Apple Watch.

source: news.abs-cbn.com