What happens in Vegas absolutely won't be staying in Vegas
It's the most wonderful time of the year - the technological showcase that is the Consumer Electronics Show is here to get you excited about tech all over again.
For the 2019 instalment of the world's biggest tech expo, foldable phones, car innovations and, probably, a TV with so much resolution it'll make your eyeballs wilt are set to be on show. But who cares about any of that stuff? What you're here for is the real meat - the wearables.
Read this: The best smartwatches to buy
The announcements have started to roll out, so we've compiled the highlights so far. Here's the big wearable tech stories from CES 2019.
Withings brings the ECG
Withings is back and it's not messing about when it comes to launching new devices. The big news from CES is that it's putting ECG tech into a hybrid smartwatch and its smarter blood pressure arm cuff. The Withings Move ECGhybrid is capable of taking readings that could help detect serious heart conditions such atrial fibrillation. The new BPM Core wearable measures blood pressure, ECG and functions as a digital stethoscope that can provide early detection of valvular heart disease.
Unlike the Apple Watch, the ECG feature on Withings' devices do not have FDA clearance (yet), but they are currently under review to make that happen. Withings also announced the Move, an affordable hybrid that strips away the serious health monitoring features, but still packs in all of the connected tracking fitness skills included in the Move ECG.
Garmin joins the LTE smartwatch party
Garmin has announced its bringing LTE connectivity to its Vivoactive 3 Musicsmartwatch, but only through Verizon. That means the smartwatch will be able to receive text messages and download music (not stream, it seems) from the likes of Spotify and Deezer without being tethered to your phone.
It's also going to put that extra connectivity to good use and turn your watch into a personal safety device, adding incident and assistance detection features. That means you can raise the alarm if you get lost trekking and send a message to your emergency contacts. The incident detection sounds a lot like Apple's fall detection, too, with the watch able to detect impact (such as a fall) and then send emergency contacts details of your real-time location.
HTC Cosmos headset can stand alone and be powered by a PC
HTC made two big Vive announcements, as the company looked to improve its developer-friendly Vive Pro and offer a VR headset for everyone. The latter is a new headset that goes by the name Vive Cosmos, and offers inside-out tracking without having to set up sensors around a room. Interestingly, it can be rigged up to a gaming PC and can also be powered by other devices to make it feel more like a standalone headset. It's also going to be the first HTC headset to run Vive Reality System, a brand new user interface.
The other big Vive news was the introduction of Vive Pro Eye, which brings eye tracking to a HTC headset for the first time. The aim to is to improve the image quality of what you're looking at when you're in VR. The new headset also has a slightly tweaked design and will launch later in 2019.
Nreal Light puts mixed reality in sunglasses
Look out, Magic Leap, one of your former employees has made a pair of smartglasses that deliver mixed reality from what looks like a regular pair of shades. Weighing in at just 85g, the Nreal Light features two cameras can deliver a 1080p resolution display with a 52-degree field of view. It also promises low latency, spatial sound and controllers that offer up to three degrees of freedom to offer that mixed reality experience.
There's interchangeable prescription lenses and the company's external computing pack also supports the ability to plug and play content from most USB-C compatible devices. So, that means you can plug in smartphones and desktop computers. Nreal is hoping to get these mixed reality shades out in the middle of 2019 priced at $1,000.
PowerWatch 2 brings more smarts (and solar power)
The main problem with the first PowerWatch was it simply didn't do a lot of smart things. Creators Matrix have decided to do something about that, while also bringing another self-charging option that means you'll probably never need to plug a charging cable into it. The PowerWatch 2 now supports solar power to add to its thermoelectrics skills to keep the smartwatch charged. It's now also getting a color display, built-in GPS and a heart rate monitor to make the PowerWatch 2 a more attractive proposition.
Nuheara's new intelligent hearing buds
Nuheara is one of the key hearable players and it's got a new pair of buds that are all about personalising the sounds you hear in different environments. The IQbuds Max feature the company's EarID tech to enable users to assess their own hearing and calibrate the buds to their own unique hearing profile. The buds also include active noise cancellation to block external noises, smart sensors to enable and disable sound based on when the buds are in your ears and promises up to 32 hours of battery life from the accompanying charging case.
In other Nuheara news, the company also announced IQStream TV, an adapter for your TV that delivers clear audio to Nuheara's IQbuds Boost and IQbuds Max smart hearing buds.
Willow's next generation smart breast pump is easier to use
After launching its first smart breast pump at CES 2017, Willow is back to show off the next-gen model that builds on the original with a bunch of new features.
Willow 2.0 works in similar fashion to the first, fitting inside of woman's bra with the new pump offering features like a peek-through window, the ability for women to see milk flow and it now makes it easier to assemble. So women can get it up and running quicker. There's also changes in the app department where you'll now receive notifications and tips in real-time.
Willow 2.0 is available to pre-order now for $499.99 and will start shipping in February. If you want to save yourself some money, the first Willow pump has now dropped in price to $429.99.
Coolpad Dyno is 4G wearable for the kids
Coolpad is a company perhaps best known for its budget smartphones. Now, it's entering the big wide world of wearables with a 4G LTE smartwatch for kids - a device that can also help parents keep an eye on their little ones.
The Coolpad Dyno watch is designed for kids aged 4 - 9 that offers features like a step counter, the ability for kids to make two-way calls and send messages to their parents and approved friends. There's an SOS button that calls emergency contacts if activated, and parents can also set designated areas that their kids should stay inside.
It's powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor and packs a 650mAh battery that should serve up two and a half days of use. The Dyno will be available to buy from 28 January for $149 and will start shipping in February.
Philips wants to stop your snoring
After unveiling its SmartSleep headband to improve sleep quality at last year's CES, Philips is expanding its sleep platform with a new sensor that's all about snoring.
The SmartSleep Snoring Relief Band is a sensor that's worn around the chest, tracking sleep and harnessing sensors to establish when the wearer is moving or changing positions. The band vibrates when the user moves to their back, which is the position that most likely to cause snoring. The aim is that the subtle nudges to move to your front or side to change habits and ultimately help curb that snoring.
In addition to the new snore-reducing band, Philips also introduced a new SmartSleep Better Sleep Program to help you get to sleep faster and stay asleep. There's now also a SmartSleep Analyzer to identify sleep issues and offer useful solutions to dealing with them, too.
A smart kettlebell to smarten up your strength workouts
It's not a wearable, but JaxJox's smart kettlebell is very much in the realms of connected fitness. The $329 piece of home gym equipment is capable of tracking your reps, sets and workout duration. You can even change the weight of the kettlebell when you think you're ready to lift a little more. There's also an optional subscription service that brings fitness classes to make sure you're putting to good use with 40 classes set to be available at launch.
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