Apple rivals display own wearable tech gadgets

SOME of the biggest names in wearable technology - and some of the big names of the future - have shown off their latest products at the industry’s largest event.
Osteoids bluetooth connected smart splint is displayed at The Wearable Technology Show 2015. Picture: GettyOsteoids bluetooth connected smart splint is displayed at The Wearable Technology Show 2015. Picture: Getty
Osteoids bluetooth connected smart splint is displayed at The Wearable Technology Show 2015. Picture: Getty

Household names such as Samsung and Intel were alongside hopeful start-ups in the 100-strong international line-up of companies at the Wearable Technology Show at the ExCel exhibition centre.

In the shadow of Apple’s expansion into the wearables market with yesterday’s launch of its Apple Watch, there was a wide variety of devices on show, ranging from rival smartwatches to smart clothing and augmented reality goggles that developers hope will be the next generation of computers.

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As well as the home consumer products at the two-day event were others aimed at sport, military and medical buyers.

Lauren Hurley tries out the augmented reality Meta 1 reality kit headset. Picture: PALauren Hurley tries out the augmented reality Meta 1 reality kit headset. Picture: PA
Lauren Hurley tries out the augmented reality Meta 1 reality kit headset. Picture: PA

Among those at the show was European 10,000m champion Jo Pavey, 41, who was testing the latest in smart training devices.

She has been trying out Intel’s £130 SMS Biosport earphones which work with a smartphone app to measure running pace and heart beat. The latter normally means wearing a bulky and uncomfortable device on a chest strap, she said.

Devonian Mrs Pavey, who won gold for Britain in Zurich last year, said: “There is no substitute for getting out there and putting in the hours of graft.

“But I think as athletes we are really realising how much wearable tech can make us really fine-tune our training and train at the right (heart rate) zones and how far we have run and how fast we have run at.

“To be able to have something like Biosport by Intel that is making it very wearable and not interrupting our training by having bulky devices and wearing extra appliances and things like that, it’s just the way we need to go really.

“It’s quite exciting and it makes you quite motivated about your training that you can have all these devices and you can really closely monitor your training and tailor it so you are really training smartly. Anything you can add, it’s the way to go.”

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