Latest news with #wearabletech
Fast Company
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
This purse that doubles as a speaker is the ultimate party trick
These specialty-made purses double as a mobile DJ kit. That's because Nik Bentel Studio 's newest purse, called the Tati Fête Bag, is actually wearable tech. The bag comes in two models: The $350 Speaker Bag, which pairs with bluetooth, and the $400 Mixer Bag, which has four input channels and is compatible with CD players, computers, phones, and amps. The bags started as a thought experiment, Nik Bentel tells Fast Company. 'What if your everyday bag looked and felt like a piece of audio gear?' The resulting bags have room to hold your phone, chapstick, and mints, but they also have about three hours of play time each. Made from an acrylic shell, the material was chosen because it 'allowed us to fully lean into the language of tech objects,' Bentel says. 'It has this glossy, rigid, futuristic feel that instantly evokes gadgetry and display cases.' This is a purse meant to look like a gadget, not the other way around. 'We wanted the bags to feel like they were pulled directly from a DJ booth,' Bentel says. Using fabric or leather would have softened the concept too much while acrylic gave the bags a 'clean, synthetic, almost sci-fi finish.' The biggest challenges were precision, since acrylic has to be cut perfectly, and scale. 'We wanted them to feel bold and graphic, but still functional as bags,' he says. 'And of course, getting the buttons, knobs, and laser-etched details just right took a lot of back-and-forth to make sure they captured that playful realism.' Bentel has made clever, whimsical bags before like one made out of electrical cords and another for a single slice of pizza. The Tati Fête Bag brings that same sense of humor to sound. The rise of digital music and streaming has put a premium on physical music experiences like LPs and helped bring back the turntable. A boom box that's a purse takes that impulse and makes it wearable.
Arabian Business
a day ago
- Health
- Arabian Business
WHOOP wants to slow time – and the Gulf is listening
In the Middle East, wellness is no longer about routines. It's about metrics. Health in the region has become a numbers game – measured in stress thresholds, hormonal trends, and, increasingly, physiological age. Clinics track everything from gut biome to glucose levels. Corporate executives wear rings, wristbands, and patches that claim to measure sleep quality and cognitive load. It is a market built not just on aspiration but on data. So it's fitting that WHOOP, the wearable once known for tracking elite athletes, is positioning itself at the centre of the Gulf's billion-dollar well-being economy. 'My name is Stephan Muller. I'm the Director for WHOOP in the Middle East,' he says. 'Unlocking human performance has always been in our DNA. It's something that's extremely important to us. But we're so pleased that we're now focusing additionally on healthspan.' WHOOP tracks health, not just fitness That shift has a name: WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG. These aren't your average smartbands. They're built not just to track your workouts, but to act as mini-diagnostics labs on your wrist. 'We've come out with new hardware that includes things like heart screening, blood pressure insights, insights to your hormones and a few more other things that we can talk about,' says Muller. It sounds clinical because it is. WHOOP MG is the company's first medical-grade wearable. Designed to surface insights typically reserved for hospital settings, it can monitor everything from cardiovascular strain to long-term hormonal health. The headline feature? WHOOP Age. 'It shows you the pace at which you're aging. For example, I'm 35. My WHOOP Age is currently 30, which is great. But it's also because I'm putting in the effort into working out, eating healthy, sleeping well, etc. That number can change very, very quickly depending on my lifestyle.' Ageing, in this context, is not a passive process. It's a daily fluctuation. One day of sleep deprivation or poor eating habits can tilt the balance. WHOOP doesn't just track your health – it reflects back the cost of your lifestyle decisions in stark, sometimes uncomfortable terms. 'If I'm going through a stressful period, if I'm not eating well, if I'm having, you know, short nights of sleep, I will increase and accelerate my pace of aging very quickly. And it's measured by nine different metrics that we measure on ongoing basis at WHOOP,' says Muller. This isn't just tech; it's behavioural psychology embedded in design. By creating a tight feedback loop between your actions and your health score, WHOOP turns wellness into a measurable, gamified discipline. And the company is reengineering its business model to support it. 'It was one membership option for everyone. Now we have three membership options. We want to make sure that we are as customised and personalised to the needs of our members,' Muller explains. 'We have One, Peak and Life.' One gives you the fundamentals. It's targeted at those who want core performance data without the clinical detail. Peak offers more advanced performance insights, including recovery patterns, sleep cycles, and strain metrics. Life – the top tier – adds the hardware ridges that double as a 30-second heart screener. 'It's something that we found extremely important to include. And I'm actually wearing the top tier on this – you'll see these ridges here on the side. Effectively, what you do is you'll hold on to that for about 30 seconds when you have your WHOOP app open, and it'll give you your heart screener within that 30-second period.' It doesn't stop there. Blood pressure readings are now continuous, provided you calibrate with three cuff-based measurements. That level of constant, passive monitoring is what elevates WHOOP from a lifestyle device to a preventative health tool. 'It gives you your estimated blood pressure on a consistent basis,' says Muller. 'One important thing to note, though is that in order to get the most accurate insights possible, you do need to provide three readings with the cuff. At first, you upload those insights onto the WHOOP app, and then from that moment onwards, it can accurately read your blood pressure on ongoing basis.' In many ways, WHOOP reflects a broader shift in how people engage with healthcare: less reactive, more predictive. The platform isn't just used for peak performance anymore. It's targeting professionals, frequent travellers, parents – anyone whose life feels like an endurance sport. 'I think with our entry into healthspan and coming up with a medical-grade device, I think we're targeting a much broader audience. I think a lot more people are going to benefit from WHOOP that maybe weren't as attracted to it or as spoken to before.' Gulf leads in wellness innovation That broader audience is already emerging across the Gulf. From Saudi's AI hospitals to Dubai's biohacking clinics, the region is racing ahead of the global curve on health innovation. The UAE alone has announced multiple national strategies tied to well-being, digital health, and AI-enabled diagnostics. WHOOP fits seamlessly into this narrative. Not just because of its hardware, but because of the mindset it represents: one where individuals take responsibility for their biology. WHOOP is convinced that this mindset shift is permanent. And now, with a battery that lasts longer than ever, it's doubling down on that opportunity. 'It's a really exciting time for us. We also have a much longer battery life, which is something that might seem small for certain people, but if you're a WHOOP member at this point, it's something that's really exciting for a lot of people as well.' In a market focused on peak performance, WHOOP isn't just selling a wearable. It's offering a second chance at time. And for a region investing so heavily in longevity, prevention, and optimisation, it may be exactly the kind of device the future demands.
Geek Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- Geek Wire
Spatial computing startup Augmodo raises $37.5M for high-tech badges worn by retail store workers
(Augmodo Photo) Augmodo, a Seattle startup developing wearable tech for retail store employees, raised $37.5 million in a new investment round. A filing with the SEC this week revealed the new round. A company spokesperson confirmed the funding, which was led by TQ Ventures, a VC firm based in New York City and San Francisco. It's a sign of momentum for Augmodo, which raised a $5.4 million seed round less than a year ago and was founded in 2023. Augmodo's device, known as a 'Smartbadge,' is worn by store employees while they move through aisles. Using computer vision, 3D mapping, and other technology, the badges collect inventory data related to empty shelves, overstocking and more. Use cases include checking inventory, keeping products in stock, monitoring trends, and eliminating substitutions in e-commerce grocery orders. Augmodo CEO Ross Finman previously told GeekWire that the company can collect data about empty shelves and product availability more cheaply and efficiently than competitors, which rely on expensive robot scanners. More from the company's website: 'By integrating advanced technology with retail operations, we equip every new employee with the equivalent of two years of experience from the outset. Our real-time, street-view technology of store shelves ensures that with each product interaction, our Spatial AI becomes increasingly sophisticated. Consequently, retail employees can enhance their productivity, and customers enjoy an improved in-store experience.' By tracking every product, Augmodo creates a digital map for each store. The company also allows brands to see the state of their products and promotions dozens of times a day in near real-time instead of having to send someone to check on shelves. One of Augmodo's customers is Chemist Warehouse, the largest pharmacy retailer in Australia. Augmodo founder and CEO Ross Finman. (Photo courtesy of Finman) Augmodo says it does not track associates or customers and runs 'state-of-the-art privacy filtering on premise to ensure that only shelf data is processed.' The devices do have a security recording feature via a 'panic button' that can be activated, according to Augmodo's website. Finman, who grew up on a llama farm in Northern Idaho, has had a successful career in robotics and augmented reality, and as an entrepreneur. He completed his undergrad studies at Carnegie Melon University, and his masters and PhD work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He spun his first company, Escher Reality, out of MIT and was part of Y Combinator's 2017 class. In 2018, Escher was acquired by Niantic Labs, makers of the location-based game 'Pokémon Go.' Finman spent more than four years at Niantic as the general manager of the company's headset division. Lerer Hippeau led Augmodo's seed round last year, which included participation from Dunnhumby Ventures, NewFare Partners and Simple Food Ventures.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kestra Stock Slips as Heavy Q4 Loss Overshadows Big Revenue Gains
Kestra Medical Technologies (KMTS, Financials) just wrapped up its fiscal year with a mix of wins and warning signs; and Wall Street noticed. Despite huge gains in revenue, the company's Q4 net loss more than doubled, and that was enough to rattle investors. Shares slipped 2.4% following the report. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Signs with KMTS. The numbers paint a complicated picture. On one hand, Kestra's revenue for the fourth quarter hit $17.2 million, up 71% year over year. For the full fiscal year? A massive 115% jump to $59.8 million signaling that hospitals and physicians are taking a serious interest in Kestra's wearable heart monitoring tech. But then there's the other side: Kestra posted a net loss of $51.1 million for Q4 alone more than double the loss from the same time last year. On a per-share basis, that's -$2.21. CEO Brian Webster remained upbeat. We capped an exciting year with a very strong finish, he said; highlighting that over 3,900 prescriptions were written for the company's ASSURE system, a 43% increase from the previous year. The product which helps patients during cardiac recovery is clearly gaining ground. Margins are improving too: Gross margin for Q4 came in at 44.3%, up from 13.9% last year. That means Kestra is getting more efficient, and likely making better deals with insurance networks. However, costs are still climbing fast. Operating expenses hit $55.8 million in Q4; a chunk of that was tied to stock-based compensation ($22.3 million) and professional services ($3.8 million) related to the company's IPO in March. The company isn't slowing down. It expects $85 million in revenue for fiscal 2026 a 42% increase and it's sitting on $237.6 million in cash, which gives it room to operate, invest, and keep growing. But for now, the market is asking: How long will it take Kestra to turn that growth into profit? This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- Gizmodo
Apple Watch Series 10 Stays Discounted Post-Prime Day, With Low Stock and Lower Prices Than Black Friday
Keeping track of life's little details can feel like spinning plates. You silence a meeting reminder, check your heart rate after a quick jog, then try to remember where you left your phone. A smartwatch pulls those scattered tasks into one wrist tap, and the Apple Watch Series 10 GPS model does it with the familiar polish Apple fans love. It shows texts at a glance, counts steps without fuss, and slips under a shirt cuff in time for dinner out. Head over to Amazon to get the Apple Watch Series 10 GPS 42mm case Smartwatch for just $299, down from its usual price of $399. That's a discount of $100 and 25% off. See at Amazon First impression: the screen is bright enough to banish squinting on sunny afternoons yet gentle on battery life. Raise your wrist and the always‑on display greets you with the hour, closing ring progress, or whatever custom face you pick from the growing gallery. The case feels light, more like a bracelet than a gadget, which makes all‑day wear easy during work, errands, and a quick lap around the block before bed. Notifications arrive with a soft tap that is easy to feel but won't startle you in a quiet classroom. Reply to a text with a quick voice dictate or dismiss that group chat when you need focus. If you misplace your iPhone between couch cushions again, a single swipe triggers a ping so loud the search ends in seconds. Little conveniences pile up quickly. Fitness fans will appreciate the upgraded sensor stack that tracks runs, swims, and even mindful breathing sessions. GPS locks on fast, so outdoor walks record accurate routes without waiting on a signal. At night, sleep tracking kicks in automatically, and the next morning you wake to a gentle summary of hours slept and heart rate trends. Pair the watch with Bluetooth earbuds and leave the phone at home while you chase negative splits or simply stroll the neighborhood birdsong. Battery life stretches beyond a full day for most users, and a quick magnetic charge before shower time brings it back to full strength. With water resistance for laps at the pool and fall detection that can send help if needed, the watch carries quiet peace of mind along with its tech tricks. The Apple Watch Series 10 GPS 42mm case Smartwatch is still available for $299 at Amazon, a tidy savings compared with the regular $399 price. See at Amazon
