SONY 智慧假髮 導航量血壓皆可
以隨身聽 Walkman 打開可攜式音樂播放器風潮的索尼公司（
Sony Corp. ），正在美國申請智慧型假髮 SmartWig 的專利，這種假髮可用於導航、測量血壓或控制投影片。
索尼在遞交美國專利商標局（USPTO）的文件中指出，假髮可與另1個裝置無線溝通，並包含觸覺回饋功能。索尼說，視款式而定，這種假髮可能內建相機、雷射筆與全球定位系統（GPS）感應器。
眼鏡、手表與耳機等穿戴式科技的開發，隨著消費者尋求將電腦整合到日常生活中的新方法而逐漸擴展。為了在這塊Juniper Research預估5年內規模將躍增約13倍至190億美元的市場立足，這場競賽吸引索尼、谷歌公司（Google Inc.）和三星電子公司（
Samsung Electronics Co. ）等企業競相投入。
索尼表示，SmartWig 的製造成分可能來自「馬毛、人類毛髮、羊毛、羽毛、犛牛毛、水牛毛或任何種類的人造物質」。
這項產品由任職於索尼電腦科學實驗室（ Sony Computer Science Laboratories Inc. ）的飛田宏明（Hiroaki Tobita）發明，專利申請時間是在5月10日。索尼發言人高橋沙織（Saori Takahashi）證實這項申請。
高橋沙織透過電話表示：「這項科技是否商業化，目前尚未決定。研究過程正在持續當中。」
高橋沙織說，這種假髮有3種原型。Presentation Wig 內建雷射光點，能夠藉由在這項裝置上左右拉動變換 PowerPoint投影片。 Navigation Wig經由GPS與震動器指示使用者，Sensing Wig則可從體內收集體溫與血壓等資訊。
Google智慧手錶來了？WSJ：研發抵最後階段 即將量產
《華爾街日報》週二 (29 日) 引述知情人士報導，Google (
GOOG-US) 的智慧手錶產品已處於最後研發階段，公司正與亞洲供應商討論開始大量生產，並將在近月內啟動。
知情人士透露，Google 的智慧手錶搭載
Android 作業系統，並與 Google 的智慧個人助理功能 Google Now 整合，後者可回答問題、提供建議，並根據用戶目前所做動作預先提供所需資訊。
消息人士並表示，Google 也在努力減少智慧手錶產品的耗電量，好讓這項裝置不需要經常充電。且 Google 的智慧手錶將可與智慧手機等其他裝置互動，並透過 Google Now 翻找使用者的資料，例如從用戶電子郵件中找到其行程表。
報導補充，Google 的智慧手錶將試圖解決這類產品長期來受到懷疑人士提出的 2 大質疑：實用性及電池續航力。儘管對手三星 (
Samsung)(005930KR) 已推出可與智慧手機互動的智慧手錶
Galaxy Gear，但這類產品仍尚未廣受歡迎，歸咎於功能有限及相對高價。
不過分析師預估，隨著相應的軟體功能發展日益改善，穿戴式智慧裝置將越來越進入主流，成為像 Google 或蘋果 (Apple)(
AAPL-US) 等科技業巨擘下個戰場。根據市場研究公司 ABI 研究預估，至 2018 年穿戴式裝置年銷量將可達 4.85 億件。
Google近期宣布，將針對持有Google Glass的開發者提供單次硬體更新服務，目前也具體公布新款Google Glass外觀設計。大致上與第一款Google Glass相似，並且新增可外接單聲道耳機連接設計，而內部硬體規格是否有跟進升級，暫時還無法確認。
根據Google Glass官方Google+更新消息，具體展示第二代更新款Google Glass實際外觀，實際設計大致與第一代版本相同，不過新增可外接單聲道耳機連結設計，使用者可選擇是否透過耳機聽取Google Glass傳遞聲音，或者直接透過Google Glass本身骨傳導技術傳遞聲音。
目前還無法確認耳機連接設計是否採標準3.5mm接頭，進而可允許使用個人喜好耳機配件。另外也還無法確認耳機是否僅提供單聲道輸出，或者支援雙聲道效果。
至於在硬體規格部分，也暫時無法確認內部處理器、記憶體、儲存容量等是否有所升級，可能還是要等Google後續公布才能知曉，但估計第二代Google Glass將接近市售版本規格。
Google在不久前針對持有Google Glass Explorer版本的開發者宣布，將提供單次交換更新新版硬體規格服務，讓開發者可換取第二代Google Glass。此外，Google也將允許持有Google Glass的開發者邀請最多三名朋友加入體驗。
而針對同樣傳聞將於近期發表的Google智慧型手錶「Gem」，目前暫時尚未有具體消息，不過跟Google Glass一樣均傳出近期進入量產階段的說法。
三星智慧表 整合行動家族
三星電子宣布將更新智慧手表Galaxy Gear軟體，擴大與Galaxy系列行動裝置的相容性，並積極拉攏開發商強攻穿戴式裝置的應用程式。
售價 300 美元的 Gear 可支援三星行動裝置，在手表秀出訊息提醒與其他資訊，但缺點之一是目前僅與最新的Galaxy Note 3 手機整合。
三星28日宣布，將在未來幾周更新Gear軟體，擴大與 Galaxy S3、S4 與Note 2整合，並在未來幾個月支援 S4 Active 與 Mega機型。三星上周也宣布，Gear將與11月開賣的Galaxy S4 Mini整合。擴大Galaxy Gear的相容性，可望拓展這款智慧手表的消費群，目前S3與S4仍是最受歡迎的Android機種。
另外，三星在首屆開發商大會積極拉攏開發商強攻穿戴式裝置等尖端科技產品。
全球ICT業者搶攻 mHealth 行動醫療商機
隨著無線通訊技術進展以及醫療設備需求增加，結合行動科技與醫療照護服務的相關應用正推動‘行動照護’(Mobile Health；mHealth)的觀念提升，並為全球ICT業者帶來新一波的行動醫療與照護服務商機。
mHealth，這種透過使用行動設備為病患提供監測與照護的醫療服務，將成為未來幾年內最重要的成長軌跡。很快地，包括智慧型手機、平板電腦以及病患監護設備，例如具有藍牙功能的血糖儀和血壓計等，將能夠在醫療保健IT基礎架構中找到一個永久的發展定位。
也就是說，致力於擴展寬頻和‘醫療人體區域網路’(MBAN)的連接性，將可促進mHealth設備推動醫療改革的能力，同時創造就業機會，以及刺激設備與軟體的發展，從而提升全球ICT相關業者在醫療領域的軟體與硬體技術創新以及提升其市場地位。
根據ABI Research的調查報告顯示，一系列利用創新無線技術連接到手機的新設備，帶動了2012年可穿戴式無線mHealth設備的強勁成長。估計2012年約有將近3,000萬台mHealth設備出貨，較2011年的出貨量成長37%。
包括蘋果的iPhone和三星的Galaxy III等內建藍牙Smart Ready連接技術的智慧型手機，帶動業界對於可穿戴式感測設備的興趣以及新一波的投資動能。ABI預計在2011年和2017年之間，這一類行動醫療設備市場將以近40%的年複合成長率迅速起飛，在2017年達到1.6億台mHealth設備的市場規模。IMS Research也預計全球可穿戴技術市場將在2016年達到1.71億台的出貨量，創造60億美元的銷售收入。
業界廠商正積極投入相關領域，以掌握更大市佔率的機會。目前市場上的可穿戴式無線運動與健身設備供應商，如Polar、Garmin、Nike、Adidas等公司都在2012年擴大其可穿戴式無線感測器產品，同時，還有好幾家新創公司進軍市場，推出使用範圍更廣以及可收集數據的多樣化產品組合。
高通公司(Qualcomm)早在2011年底即宣佈投資1億美元，成立全資子公司──高通生命公司(Qualcomm Life Inc.)，並與醫療設備製造商合作，共同改善醫療電子產品。如今，這一mHealth計劃，將為該公司及其合作夥伴帶來更大的商機。
美國聯邦通訊委員會(FCC)主席Julius Genachowski日前也為業界廠商提出了一項挑戰，期望業界在未來五年內共同利用mHealth技術，落實於實際的醫療應用中。無論是高通(Qualcomm)、英特爾(Intel)以及蘋果(apple)等業界大廠，或者是像Fitbit Inc.與Entra Health Systems等規模較小的公司，都能夠確保這一新市場機會持續成長，並預計將在未來的五年內蓬勃發展。
“從可穿戴式設備到智慧手機，以及用手機作為上網的應用平台，這種能夠以超低功耗實現通訊的能力，正推動著新一波的創新與投資浪潮。目前我們已經看到這一類的應用廣泛，且將在未來五年內持續增加，這一類的設備將從傳統的心律監測設備不斷進展，到涵蓋專為測量人體動態參數並提供給個人與服務供應商的多種設備，”ABI Research負責mHealth與M2M市場的首席分析師Jonathan Collins表示。
這一行動無線連接技術還將帶動更多與醫療相關的市場領域，包括專為老年人開發的家庭監測設備，以及從醫療院所遠端監測病患情況的設備；同時，無線連接技術的彈性化與簡便性還將帶動其它更多的應用。
Wearable Gadgets Are Still Not Getting The Attention They Deserve — Here's Why They Will Create A Massive New Market
There's still a great deal of skepticism out there about how big the market potential is for wearables — gadgets like smartwatches, connected fitness bands, and smart eyewear.
At BI Intelligence,
Business Insider's paid research service, we believe this represents a failure in imagination. The important thing about wearables isn't so much about how strange they look or seem now, but the many problems they will help consumers solve.
There are signs that some analysts and investors are starting to clue in. This month, wearables company
FitBit raised a $43 million round of financing, and IDC yesterday cited wearables as a fast-emerging category that may be helping slow down growth in the tablet market. Samsung is set to launch a smartwatch next week. Expectations for Apple's rumored
iWatch are reaching a fever-pitch.
Those betting big on wearable computing also believe an assorted new crop of gadgets — mostly worn on the wrist or as eyewear — will transform the way in which we interact with the rest of our devices. A wristwatch or Google Glass means you can read instant messages, take photos, or Google something without reaching for your smartphone.
But wearables won't just complement smartphones.
Wearables will help us track our time, our fitness regimes, our health, and our daily routines.
Wearables are about taking the ubiquity of the
Internet one step further. An
Internet connection on a fitness band or on a wristwatch may seem a strange frill now. But over time it will seem like a no-brainer feature. A multi-time zone travel watch is a much simpler proposition with an Internet connection. So is a wristband that tracks your heartbeat and loads your beats-per-minute to the cloud, where an app might help you store and analyze real-time health data.
What is perhaps most intriguing about wearables is these new purposes they will serve. Because they are designed to be worn close to the body, they'll become indispensable for monitoring vital signs. Fitness bands like the Jawbone UP and FitBit already track how active we are, our sleep quality, how many steps we take during the day. Consumers of all sorts — fitness buffs, dieters, and the elderly — will come to rely on devices like these.
There are a dizzying variety of unique-to-wearables applications, from smart eyewear for remote medical training to wearables that help parents keep their infants and kids safe.
Speculation on the future market for wearables devices is a confusing mix of skepticism and hype. But in a recent report from BI Intelligence, we put hard numbers to our ideas and conservatively forecast a $12 billion market for wearable devices, led by wrist-worn gadgets.
We also analyze various growth forecasts for the wearable computing market, explore the products and prospects of each component market — including bracelets, smartwatches, and eyewear, pocket-sized and clip-on devices, and examine the various barriers to entry for each, and look at how wearables could bring along new platform wars. Subscribers also gain access to our May 2013 Google Glass forecast.
Access the Full Report By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today >>>
Here's a brief overview of the wearable computing market:
Market sizing estimates vary: According to IMS Research, the wearables market is poised to grow from 14 million devices shipped in 2011 to as many as 171 million units shipped by 2016. In a more recent estimate, ABI Research pegs the wearables market at 485 million annual device shipments by 2018. We believe this number is too high because of the uncertainty surrounding eyewear and smartwatches. We see global annual wearable device unit shipments crossing the 100 million milestone in 2014, and reaching 300 million units five years from now.
- Bracelets: Right now, driven by their aptness for fitness and medical uses, bracelets dominate the wearables market. Even if wearable computing doesn't go mainstream, smart bracelets will always have a place in the burgeoning industry for smart medical devices, according to IMS Research. We believe fitness and medical wearables, taken together, will account for roughly 60% of the wearables market this year, and even a larger share in the future.
- Smartwatches: Like fitness bands, they are employing wireless links — invariably, Bluetooth — to link up with a smartphone. But instead of collecting information, like most fitness bands, watches will display it. Promoters of smartwatches also highlight the fact that users will no longer have to constantly reach into their pockets for a smartphone — an action becoming more awkward as phone screen sizes grow.
- Eyewear: In contrast to virtual reality, augmented reality lets you see ambient information while interacting with the real world. The most ambitious wearable product aimed at the consumer mainstream is Google Glass. Marketers see great potential in Google Glass. They are already familiar with augmented reality since they have experimented with print materials that are readable by smartphone applications and can create complementary ad experiences on-screen.
