117-699: Pebble is a discontinued smartwatch developed by Pebble Technology Corporation based in Palo Alto, California that shipped from 2013 to 2016. A brainchild of Eric Migicovsky , funding was conducted through a Kickstarter campaign in 2012. It was the most funded project in Kickstarter history at the time, raising $ 10.3 million. Pebble watches can be connected to Android and iOS devices to show notifications and messages. An online app store distributed Pebble-compatible apps from many developers including ESPN , Uber , Runkeeper , and GoPro . A steel-bodied variant to
234-674: A contract manufacturer . In September 2016 Sharp unveiled the Sharp INTELLOS Automated Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A-UGV) at the ASIS International 62nd Annual Seminar and Exhibits (ASIS 2016) in Orlando, Florida . In March 2017, demolition of Sharp's former headquarters began. On 28 April 2017, Sharp turned its first operating profit in three years, citing the restructuring efforts by Foxconn. In June 2017, Sharp sued its Chinese licensee Hisense for damaging
351-972: A mobile operating system , Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and the ability to function as portable media players or FM radios . Some high-end models have cellular capabilities, allowing users to make and receive phone calls. While internal hardware varies, most smartwatches have a backlit LCD or OLED electronic visual display and are powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery . They may also incorporate GPS receivers , digital cameras , and microSD card readers, as well as various internal and environmental sensors such as thermometers , accelerometers , altimeters , barometers , gyroscopes , and ambient light sensors . Some smartwatches also function as activity trackers and include body sensors such as pedometers , heart rate monitors , galvanic skin response sensors, and ECG sensors. Software may include maps , health and exercise-related apps, calendars , and various watch faces . The first digital watch
468-429: A waterproof rating of 5 atm , which means it can be submerged down to 40 metres (130 ft) and has been tested in both fresh and salt water, allowing one to shower, dive or swim while wearing the watch. In 2013, startup Omate announced its TrueSmart watch via a Kickstarter campaign, claiming it was the first smartwatch to capture the full capabilities of a smartphone. The campaign raised over $ 1 million, making it
585-496: A 2-day battery life, dramatically decreased because of the shape and size but still significantly longer-lasting than the Apple Watch 's 16-hour life. Pebble's second generation comes with various improvements over its predecessors, such as a 64-colour e-paper display with Gorilla Glass a thinner and more ergonomic chassis, plastic casing and a microphone. The Pebble Time retains the seven-day battery life and water resistance found on
702-459: A 32-millimetre (1.26 in) 144 × 168 pixel black and white memory LCD using an ultra low-power " transflective LCD " manufactured by Sharp ; it contained a backlight, vibration motor, magnetometer , ambient light sensors, and three-axis accelerometer . It can communicate with an Android device using both Bluetooth 2.1 and Bluetooth 4.0 ( Bluetooth Low Energy ) through Stonestreet One's Bluetopia+MFi software stack. Bluetooth 4.0 low energy (LE)
819-489: A 320 × 240 QVGA monochrome touch sensitive display and runs Linux 2.4. It also features calendar software, Bluetooth , 8 MB of RAM and 16 MB of flash memory. Citizen was hoping to market the watch to students and businessmen, with a retail price of around $ 399. Epson Seiko introduced their Chrono-bit wristwatch in September 2000. The Chrono-bit watches have a rotating bezel for data input, synchronize PIM data via
936-467: A December 2013 interview that his company was working on a smartwatch. Woodside further discussed the difficulties that other companies had experienced with wrist-wearable technologies. In April 2014, the Samsung Gear 2 was released, one of few smartwatches to be equipped with a digital camera. It has a resolution of two megapixels and can record video in 720p. At the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show ,
1053-554: A Kickstarter campaign for its HOT Watch smartwatch in September 2013. This device enables users to leave their handsets in their pockets, since it has a speaker for phone calls in both quiet and noisy environments. In a September 2013 interview, Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky stated that his company was not interested in any acquisition offers. Two months later, he revealed that his company has sold 190,000 smartwatches, most of which were sold after its Kickstarter campaign closed. Motorola Mobility CEO Dennis Woodside confirmed during
1170-447: A Swatch Touch with smartwatch technologies in 2015. In the UK, London's Wearable Technology Show debuted several new models from smartwatch companies. Samsung's Gear S smartwatch was launched in late August 2014. The model features a curved Super AMOLED display and a built-in 3G modem. TechCrunch ' s Darrell Etherington said that "we’re finally starting to see displays that wrap around
1287-587: A button. On 29 October 2014, Microsoft announced the Microsoft Band , a smart fitness tracker and the company's first venture into wrist-worn devices since SPOT (Smart Personal Objects Technology) a decade earlier. The Microsoft Band was released at $ 199 the following day. In October 2015, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Gear S2 . It features a rotating bezel for ease of use, and an IP68 rating for water resistance up to 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes. The watch
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#17330860900691404-408: A computer or online in order to create a log of activities for analysis or sharing. Some watches can provide full GPS support, displaying maps and current coordinates, recording tracks, and bookmarking locations. With Apple, Sony, Samsung, and Motorola introducing smartwatch models, 15 percent of tech consumers use wearable technologies, which has attracted advertisers. Advertising on wearable devices
1521-700: A controlling stake in Pioneer Corporation in 2007. At CES 2007, Sharp introduced a prototype largest LCD TV, with a screen size of 108 inches. In July 2008 Sharp announced that the model will go into production for the Japanese market. In 2008, Sharp collaborated with Emblaze Mobile on the Monolith , "…an ambitious project to design the ultimate holistic mobile device". The project was never brought to market. Key software developers were later picked up by other companies. On 25 June 2009, Sharp and Pioneer agreed to form
1638-567: A fundraising record for the site, raising $ 10.3 million between 12 April and 18 May 2012. The watch has a 32-millimetre (1.26 in) 144 × 168 pixel black and white memory LCD, using an ultra low-power " transflective LCD " manufactured by Sharp . It features a backlight, vibrating motor, magnetometer , ambient light sensors, and three-axis accelerometer . It can communicate with an Android or iOS device using both Bluetooth 2.1 and Bluetooth 4.0 ( Bluetooth Low Energy ) via Stonestreet One's Bluetopia+MFi software stack. Bluetooth 4.0 support
1755-509: A joint venture comprising their optical businesses, called "Pioneer Digital Design and Manufacturing Corporation". In 2010, Sharp stopped developing PCs to focus on tablets. In 2012 Sharp unveiled the largest production TV at the time, with a screen size of 80 inches. It is part of the Aquos range and went on sale in Japan at around JP¥950,000. 2012 was the 100th anniversary for Sharp but it announced
1872-520: A large number of new smartwatches were released from various companies such as Razer Inc . Archos , Some called the show a "wrist revolution". At Google I/O on 25 June 2014, the Android Wear platform was introduced and the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live were released. The Wear-based Moto 360 was announced by Motorola in 2014. At the end of July, Swatch's CEO Nick Hayek announced that they will launch
1989-516: A modern type), and due to this big success the Sharp Corporation derived its name from it. After the pencil business was destroyed by the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake , the company relocated to Osaka and began designing the first generation of Japanese radio sets. These went on sale in 1925. The company was established as "Hayakawa Metal Works" in 1924, in Tanabe-cho, Osaka . In 1942, the name
2106-461: A nearby smartphone connection. In 2018, Samsung introduced the Samsung Galaxy Watch series . In its September 2018 keynote, Apple introduced a redesigned Apple Watch Series 4. It featured a larger display with smaller bezels, as well as an EKG feature which is built to detect abnormal heart function. In Qualcomm's September 2018 presentation, it unveiled its Snapdragon 3100 chip. It is
2223-505: A new device called the Pebble Core, "a tiny wearable computer with Android 5.0" featuring a 3G modem, GPS, and Spotify integration backed by an open development community. Pebble 2 was officially released in September 2016 with a new design and functions at $ 129. When Pebble sold parts of its company to Fitbit in late 2016, Gizmodo criticized the company for collecting $ 12.8 million in the product's Kickstarter and delaying shipments for half
2340-415: A nightmare in progress based on heart rate monitoring and body movement. Smartwatches rose in popularity during the 2010s. Today, they are often used as fitness trackers, and smartphone "companions". According to a study from statista , smartwatch revenue was estimated to reach $ 44.15 billion by 2023, and revenue per year was expected to continue to grow to $ 62.46 billion by 2028. The top contributors to
2457-454: A prototype for the WatchPad , a wristwatch that ran Linux . The original version had only 6 hours of battery life, which was later extended to 12. It featured 8 MB of memory and ran Linux 2.2. The device was later upgraded with an accelerometer, vibrating mechanism, and fingerprint sensor. IBM began to collaborate with Citizen Watch Co. to create the "WatchPad". The WatchPad 1.5 features
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#17330860900692574-506: A serial cable, and can load custom watch faces. In 2003, Fossil released the Wrist PDA , a watch that ran the Palm OS and contained 8 MB of RAM and 4 MB of flash memory. It contained a built in stylus to assist in using the tiny monochrome display, which had a resolution of 160×160 pixels. Although many reviewers declared the watch revolutionary, it was criticized for its weight (108 grams) and
2691-536: A slight increase from the previous year's figure of 2.5 trillion yen. In 1912, Tokuji Hayakawa founded a metal workshop in Honjo, Tokyo . The first of his many inventions was a snap buckle named 'Tokubijo'. Another of his inventions was the Ever-Ready Sharp mechanical pencil in 1915. The product became one of the first internationally available mechanical pencils (while concurrent US design replaced it soon and became
2808-687: A smartphone app to execute their functions. They are paired to a smartphone, usually via Bluetooth . Some of these only work with a phone that runs the same mobile operating system ; others use an OS that is unique to the watch, or otherwise is able to work with most smartphones. Paired, the watch may function as a remote to the phone. This allows the watch to display data such as calls, SMS messages, emails , calendar invitations, and any data that may be made available by relevant phone apps . From about 2015, several manufacturers began to release smartwatches with LTE support, enabling direct connection to 3G / 4G mobile networks for voice and SMS use, without
2925-937: A smartwatch powered by Android Wear. On 31 August 2016, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch, with improved specifications. There are two models of the watch: the Samsung Gear S3 Classic and the LTE version Samsung Gear S3 Frontier. The top smartwatches that debuted at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show included the Casio WSD-F20, the Misfit Wearables Vapor and the Garmin Fenix 5 series. On 22 September 2017 Apple released their Apple Watch Series 3 model which offers built in LTE cellular connectivity allowing phone calls, messaging and data without relying on
3042-555: A smartwatch with a long life cycle. Ruputer and onHand PC applications are fully compatible with each other. This watch is sometimes considered the first smartwatch, as it was the first to display graphics (albeit in monochrome), and third-party applications (mostly homebrew). In 1999, Samsung launched the world's first watch phone, the SPH-WP10. It had a protruding antenna, monochrome LCD screen, and 90-minute talk time with an integrated speaker and microphone. In June 2000, IBM displayed
3159-553: A successor to the Wear 2100, and it includes greater power efficiency, and a separate low power core that can run basic watch functions as well as slightly more advanced functions, such as step tracking. In 2020, the United States Food and Drug Administration granted marketing approval for an Apple Watch app called NightWare. The app aims to improve sleep for people suffering from PTSD -related nightmares, by vibrating when it detects
3276-726: A turntable between 1964 and 1966. The company was renamed Sharp Corporation in 1970. Sharp produced the first LCD calculator in 1973. Sharp had a working relationship with Nintendo during the 1980s, and was granted licensing rights for the manufacture and development of the C1 NES TV (1983, later released in North America as the Sharp Nintendo Television), the Twin Famicom (1986), the Sharp Famicom Titler (1989), and
3393-473: A variety of monitoring and detection capabilities to extend the impact of a traditional security force. Sharp Solar is a supplier of silicon photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, and offers a solar TV. In Q1 2010, the company made the highest revenues from production of solar PV systems. For the corporate meeting room market, Sharp was the first company to bring the Windows collaboration display to market, which
3510-433: A wholly owned subsidiary of Sharp. Sharp had first purchased Dynabook from Toshiba in 2018. Core technologies and products include LCD panels , solar panels , mobile phones , audio-visual entertainment equipment, video projectors , Multi-Function Printing Devices , microwave ovens , air conditioners , air purifiers , cash registers , CMOS and CCD sensors, and flash memory . The first commercial camera phone
3627-484: A year without being forthright with their supporters. Kickstarter backers who have not received the product were expected to receive refunds in 2017. On December 7, 2016, Pebble Technology filed for insolvency with Fitbit acquiring much of the company's assets and some employees. The selling of Pebble brand to Fitbit was credited to Charles River Ventures who invested $ 15 million in the company in 2013. The purchase excluded Pebble's hardware, as stated by Fitbit. The deal
Pebble (watch) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3744-751: Is a 70inch interactive display with built-in unified communication equipment and an IoT sensor hub for measuring environmental room conditions. The Windows collaboration display is conceived to be seamlessly compatible with Microsoft's Office productivity products, as well as make use of the Microsoft Azure cloud services with the IoT sensor hub generated data. Net sales for the year 2003 were $ 16.8 billion. The corporation employs 46,600 staff, of which around half live outside Japan. It operates from 64 bases in 30 countries and its products are distributed in 164 countries worldwide. Many of its regional subsidiaries trade under
3861-462: Is backwards compatible with all previous apps and watch faces. Third parties have created apps for Pebble Time, such as contactless payment (tap to pay). The Pebble Time retailed for $ 199. The project reached its Kickstarter funding goal of $ 500,000 in 17 minutes. The project took 49 minutes to reach $ 1 million, which is a Kickstarter record. The project raised $ 10.3 million in 48 hours, another Kickstarter record. On March 3, 2015, Pebble Time became
3978-502: Is compatible with industry-standard 20 mm straps. At the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, Razer released the Nabu Watch, a dual-screen smartwatch. The first screen integrates an always-on illuminated backlit display and handles standard features such as date and time. The second OLED screen, activated by raising one's wrist, allows access to additional smart features. Luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer also released TAG Heuer Connected ,
4095-580: Is denied. The user cannot know if information is being stored securely, and it cannot be deleted. There is no control over whether the supplier views it or sells it on, for whatever purpose. In many cases, data collected is not encrypted when transmitted to the supplier. Which? did not specifically test the functionality of ultra-cheap watches, but noticed during their security audit that some could heart rate, blood oxygen measurements, and steps while not being worn or moved. They said that this "suggests [that] they are at best inaccurate and at worst useless". In
4212-464: Is due to the method that smartwatches use to monitor heart rate. An article published by the Healthcare Degree describes the most common method, in which devices use optical sensors to track the presence of blood in the wrist, indicating a heart beat. This type of lighting technique is cheaper and simple to use than other methods; however, because the green light used has shorter wavelengths , it
4329-428: Is less able to penetrate melanin , the pigment which causes darker skin. This can make heart rate tracking for darker-skinned individuals less accurate. Social consequences from the increase in popularity of smartwatches include data collection and data privacy concerns. Smartwatches are capable of collecting personal health data such as activity levels, heart rate , sleep patterns , and other metrics. This user data
4446-512: Is often collected and stored in the cloud, which can sometimes be accessed by companies and researchers, and used for many purposes. There have been many cases of data misuse. One instance published by the Warren Alpert Medical School involved Fitbit facing a lawsuit in 2011 for selling personal health data to advertisers without user consent. Another instance occurred when Strava allowed users to share their routes, which led to
4563-548: The Pebble Time , their second-generation Pebble smartwatch via its Kickstarter campaign. The Pebble Time Steel is a stainless steel variant of the Pebble Time smartwatch, available in multiple finishes: silver, black or gold with either a leather or steel band. Pebble claims it has a 10-day battery life. The Pebble Time Round is also made of stainless steel and 2.5d gorilla glass with five finishes. Pebble claims it has
4680-494: The SF-1 SNES TV (1990). All of these units are considered collectors items on the secondary market. One of the company's main inventors of LCD calculators was Tadashi Sasaki . In the 1970s and 1980s Sharp produced 8-bit home computers known as Sharp MZ and Sharp X1 based on Zilog Z80 , and even a 16/32-bit gaming computer X68000 based on Motorola 68000 . The PC (Pocket Computer) series of calculators produced by Sharp in
4797-540: The Sony Ericsson LiveView , a wearable watch device which was essentially an external Bluetooth display for an Android smartphone. Vyzin Electronics Private Limited launched a ZigBee enabled smart watch called VESAG, which featured cellular connectivity for remote health monitoring. Motorola released MOTOACTV on 6 November 2011. Pebble was a smartwatch funded via Kickstarter , which set
Pebble (watch) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4914-693: The United Kingdom , a Product Security and Telecoms Infrastructure Act was passed in December 2022, effective from 2024. The Act, which should cover smartwatches, specifies security standards that manufacturers, importers and distributors (including online marketplaces) of smart devices must meet. Due to faults in the design of current smartwatches, hardware and software designs have sometimes favored certain demographics. For example, smartwatches have more accurate tracking of data for individuals who have lighter skin, compared to individuals who have darker skin. This
5031-461: The inPulse smartwatch for BlackBerry devices), the company failed to attract traditional investors under their new Pebble brand name, so the company pursued crowd funding in April 2012. Migicovsky's company, Pebble Technology, launched a Kickstarter campaign on April 11, 2012 , with an initial fundraising target of $ 100,000. Backers spending $ 115 would receive a Pebble when they became available ($ 99 for
5148-432: The 1980s had BASIC programmability. Sharp introduced low-cost microwave ovens affordable for residential use in the late 1970s. Sharp was known as a mass marketed electronics manufacturer, known for quality, durability and affordability, however Sharp ventured into the high end stereo market in 1976 with the introduction of high end receivers, amplifiers, speakers, turntables and cassette recorders. The Optonica line as it
5265-623: The 1980s, most notably the "RC Series". The RC-1000 Wrist Terminal from Seiko Epson was released in 1984; it was the first Seiko model to interface with a computer and was priced at around £100. It featured 2 KB of storage, a two-line, 12-character display, and data transfer with a computer via an RS232C interface. It was powered by a computer on a chip , and was compatible with most of the popular PCs of that time, including Apple II, II+ and IIe, BBC Micro , Commodore 64, IBM PC, NEC 8201, Tandy Color Computer, Model 1000, 1200, 2000 and TRS-80 Model I, III, 4 and 4p. The RC-20 Wrist Computer
5382-557: The 2008 financial crisis and strong Yen (especially against Won) significantly lowered world demand for Japanese LCD panels. Furthermore, the switch to digital TV broadcasting was virtually completed in Japan by the middle of 2011. Via Japanese government issued coupons for digital TV sets, consumers were encouraged to purchase digital TV sets until March 2011. This hit the Japanese LCD TV market, reducing it almost by half from 2010. All of those events strongly hit Sharp's LCD business. As
5499-419: The 5th most successful Kickstarter at that time. The device made its public debut in early 2014. Consumer device analyst Avi Greengart, from research firm Current Analysis, suggested that 2013 may be the "year of the smartwatch", as "the components have gotten small enough and cheap enough" and many consumers own smartphones that are compatible with a wearable device. Wearable technology , such as Google Glass ,
5616-561: The AppMessage framework. As of February 2015, the PebbleKit SDK included APIs to access bluetooth messaging, background workers, the accelerometer, the compass, and supported C and JavaScript (with some limitations) for developing apps. Applications written using the second PebbleKit SDK were not backwards compatible with 1.x apps, and developers were required to port their apps to the second-gen firmware. The original Pebble Smartwatch
5733-506: The GPS receiver in a smartphone or tablet); display of RSS or JSON feeds; and hundreds of custom watch faces. The Pebble was announced to ship with several apps pre-installed, including a cycling app to measure speed, distance, and pace through GPS, and a golf rangefinder app supporting more than 25,000 courses. Not all announced apps were ready when the watch started shipping. CEO Eric Migicovsky announced on January 9, 2013, that updates for
5850-1015: The Hayakawa Metal Works Institute in Abeno-ku, Osaka , in 1924. Since 2016, it is majority owned by the Taiwan-based manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., better known as Foxconn . Sharp makes and has made throughout its history various different consumer electronic products, including kitchen appliances such as microwave ovens , cookers, washing machines and refrigerators ; home appliances such as solar cells , vacuum cleaners , air purifiers and lighting; home and office devices such as printers , computer displays , TV sets , camcorders , VCRs , as well as calculators and various audio products such as radios , audio systems and wireless speakers . Sharp's net sales reached 2.55 trillion yen in fiscal year 2022 (ending 29 February 2024), according to Statista . This represents
5967-579: The LCD displays produced at Sharp's plant in Sakai, Japan . In June 2012, Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou paid money for Sakai plant and got 50% ownership of the plant. However, since the announcement in March, Sharp's share price continued declining and reached JP¥192 on 3 August. Sharp deal's price was originally JP¥550 per share. Both companies agreed to renegotiate the share price, but they never came to an agreement. Sharp led
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#17330860900696084-559: The October–November 2016 timeframe. Among the new features was a heart rate monitor (On +HR models), microphone, and water resistance rated for 30 m (98 ft) depth, Which was 10m less than the original Pebble because of the Pebble 2's Microphone. Many new features were documented as part of the Kickstarter prospectus, while other technical specifications of the forthcoming products are not yet disclosed. The Pebble 2 product line added
6201-594: The Pebble using libpebble. This enabled experimental services on several Linux distros including Maemo , the OS used on the Nokia N900 . There was also a commercial app called Rockwatch for MeeGo , the OS used by the Nokia N9 , that provided services including managing the Pebble's firmware and apps running on the watch. Pebble Technology announced that an open Pebble software development kit (SDK) would be released before shipment of
6318-605: The Sharp brand name and all its channel resources in North and South America, except Brazil. This meant that Sharp has exited the TV market in the Americas (except Brazil ). It was a sign showing Sharp's rapid decline in that market, where it once was one of the leading manufacturers for LCD TVs a decade earlier. Sharp's television market share in North America was 4.6% in 2015. However Sharp remains
6435-523: The Sharp licensed brands." In February 2018, Sharp dropped the lawsuit against Hisense. In 2019 Sharp re-acquired its own brand for use on TV's in the US market. In March 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic , Sharp announced it would use a TV factory with high-end clean rooms to manufacture surgical masks. Sharp acquired the remaining shares of Dynabook from Toshiba in August 2020, making Dynabook Inc.
6552-471: The accidental revelation of several military base locations throughout the world. AsteroidOS is an open source firmware replacement for some Android Wear devices. Sharp Corporation Sharp Corporation ( シャープ株式会社 , Shāpu Kabushiki-gaisha ) is a Japanese electronics company. It is headquartered in Sakai , Osaka, and was founded by Tokuji Hayakawa in 1912 in Honjo, Tokyo , and established as
6669-560: The biggest television brand in the Japanese market. In October 2015 Sharp announced a smartphone that also works as a robot, called RoboHon. It would be sold in 2016 in Japan . Sharp began selling the world's first commercially available TV with a 8K resolution in October 2015. The 85-inch LV-85001 model costs JP¥16 million (US$ 133,000). Japanese public broadcaster NHK will have test broadcasts at 8K starting 2016, with regular services expected by
6786-436: The business market, Sharp also produces projectors and monitors and a variety of photocopiers and Laser Printers , in addition to electronic cash registers and Point of sale technologies . For the private security industry, Sharp produces an Automated Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A-UGV) named INTELLOS , which utilizes a navigation surveillance platform also developed by Sharp. The system combines automation, mobility, and
6903-604: The business-to-business sector including multi-function printers and energy solutions. In 2017 Sharp acquired a majority (56.7%) shareholding in Skytec UMC, which included the UMC Poland factory. On 8 November 2008, the United States Department of Justice announced that Sharp had agreed to pay $ 120 million (United States Dollar) as a criminal fine. According to the announcement, Sharp participated in conspiracies to fix
7020-491: The climate, produce greener products, and make their operations more sustainable. Greenpeace summarizes the corporation's environmental record thus: "Sharp supports a new renewable energy law in Japan but scores poor on all sustainable operations criteria". Sharp scored 3/10 and received most of its points on the Products criteria where the company was praised for the energy efficiency of its products with all of its TVs meeting
7137-775: The contours of the wrist, rather than sticking out as a traditional flat surface". The corporation commenced selling the Gear S smartwatch in October 2014, alongside the Gear Circle headset accessory. At IFA 2014, Sony Mobile announced the third generation of its smartwatch series, the Sony Smartwatch 3, powered by Android Wear. Fashion Entertainments' e-paper watch was also announced at the show. On 9 September 2014, Apple Inc. announced its first smartwatch, called Apple Watch, with an early 2015 release date. On 24 April 2015, Apple Watch began shipping worldwide. Apple's first wearable attempt
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#17330860900697254-521: The costs. Smartwatch A smartwatch is a portable wearable computer that resembles a wristwatch . Most modern smartwatches are operated via a touchscreen , and rely on mobile apps that run on a connected device (such as a smartphone ) in order to provide core functions. Early smartwatches were capable of performing basic functions like calculating , displaying digital time, translating text, and playing games. More recent models often offer features comparable to smartphones , including apps,
7371-565: The end of the decade for them to become more common. Two models were particularly notable: Motorola and Timex produced the Wrist Watch Pager, while AT&T Corporation and Seiko produced the MessageWatch. The Timex Datalink , introduced in 1994, was the first watch capable of transferring data wirelessly from a computer. Appointments and contacts created with Microsoft Schedule+ (the predecessor to MS Outlook) could be downloaded to
7488-485: The fewest points in the guide in the Sustainable Operations category, scoring no points for chemical management due to not communicating commitments made on phasing out hazardous substances in its supply chain. The guide also notes that Sharp had lacked any initiative to address the issue of conflict minerals and the exclusion of paper sourced from suppliers involved in illegal logging or deforestation. Sharp
7605-503: The first 200), effectively pre-ordering the $ 150 Pebble at a discounted price. Within two hours of going live, the project had met its $ 100,000 goal, and within six days, the project had become the most funded project in the history of Kickstarter to that point, raising over $ 4.7 million with 30 days left in the campaign. On May 10, 2012 , Pebble Technology announced they were limiting the number of pre-orders. On May 18, 2012 , funding closed with $ 10,266,845 pledged by 68,929 people. At
7722-531: The first smartphone watch with its own SIM card. The watch was "standalone", meaning it did not require tethering to a smartphone. Burg received the award for the Most Innovative Product at the Canton Fair in April 2009. Samsung also launched their S9110 Watch Phone, which featured a 1.76-inch (45 mm) color LCD display and was 11.98 millimetres (0.472 in) thin. Sony Ericsson launched
7839-399: The form of watches. The Data 2000 watch, named for its ability to store 2000 characters, came with an external keyboard for data entry. Data was synchronised from the keyboard to the watch via electromagnetic coupling (wireless docking). Its memory was small, at only 112 digits. It was released in 1984, in gold, silver, and black. These models were followed by many others from Seiko during
7956-605: The future of smartwatches: Acer's S.T. Liew stated in an interview with gadget website Pocket-Lint that he believed that companies should be researching wearable technology, and that it could grown to "billions of dollars' worth of industry". As of 4 September 2013, three new smartwatches had been launched: the Samsung Galaxy Gear , Sony SmartWatch 2 , and the Qualcomm Toq . PHTL, a company based in Dallas, Texas , completed
8073-487: The latest Energy Star standard. It also gained some points for having a relative long term target to reduce CO 2 emissions by two percent (per production unit) compared to the previous year, yet sets out no clear target for absolute reductions. The company was also praised for its public support for a clean energy policy, after advocating the Japanese Government to increase the use of renewable energy. Sharp scored
8190-399: The list of companies that were engaged in smartwatch development activities consisted of Acer , Apple, BlackBerry , Foxconn /Hon Hai, Google , LG , Microsoft , Qualcomm , Samsung, Sony , VESAG and Toshiba . Some notable omissions from this list include HP , HTC , Lenovo , and Nokia . Science and technology journalist Christopher Mims identified the following points in relation to
8307-667: The market share of mobile phones in the Japanese market in April 2012. Sharp announced it accepted a US$ 100 million investment from Samsung in March 2013. In 2013 Sharp developed the most efficient solar cell, converting a record 44.4% of sunlight into electricity. In 2013, Sharp Corporation was the tenth-largest, by market share, television manufacturer in the world. In Japan it has been a long-time leader. After years of huge losses in its overseas TV business, Sharp sold its Mexico TV factory to Chinese electronics manufacturer Hisense for $ 23.7 million in July 2015. The sale includes rights to use
8424-457: The market size of market watches include Apple Inc , Fossil Group Inc , Garmin Lt , Google LLC , Huawei Technologies Co , Samsung , and Xiaomi . Many smartwatch smartphone models manufactured in the 2010s are completely functional as standalone products. Some are used in sports and feature a GPS tracking unit that can record historical data. For example, after a workout, data can be uploaded onto
8541-425: The most funded Kickstarter ever with nearly $ 14 million funded, while having 24 days left in its campaign. At the end of the funding, March 27, 2015, Pebble Time received pledges of $ 20,338,986 from 78,471 backers. Pebble 2, the company's 3rd generation smartwatch, launched on Kickstarter on May 24, 2016, with an offer period of 36 days at discounted introductory pricing, and shipment of the new models anticipated in
8658-763: The name Sharp Electronics. Sharp was among the Top 100 R&D Spenders in a list published by the IEEE Spectrum magazine in 2002. Sharp's headquarters are at 1 Takumi-chō, Sakai-ku, Sakai, Japan. Until the relocation to Sakai in 2016, the headquarters were in Abeno-ku, Osaka where Hayakawa restarted the business in the 1920s. In 2007 Sharp opened a LCD manufacturing plant in Poland. The plant initially manufactured LCD modules using LCD panels imported from Sharp Japan. In September 2014, Sharp announced that Slovakian electronics company UMC ( Universal Media Corporation /Slovakia/ s.r.o. )
8775-484: The need to carry a paired smartphone. Tests by UK consumer organization Which? found that ultra-cheap smartwatches and fitness trackers sold online often had serious security flaws, including excessive data collection, insecure data storage, the inability to opt out of data collection, and a lack of a security lock function. Typically, a watch app can request permission to collect and store personally identifiable information, and apps can be rendered unusable if permission
8892-519: The original Pebble, the Pebble Steel , was announced at CES 2014 and released in February 2014. It had a thinner body, tactile metal buttons, and a Corning Gorilla Glass screen. In 2015, Pebble launched its second generation of smartwatches: the Pebble Time and Time Steel. The devices were similarly funded through Kickstarter, raising $ 20.3 million from over 75,000 backers and again breaking records for
9009-491: The previous two Pebble watches. It has a 150mAh battery. Alongside the Pebble Time Steel, Pebble announced its open hardware platform called "Smartstraps". This lets developers develop new third-party straps that connects to a special port at the back of the watch and can add new features like GPS, heart rate monitors, extended battery life and other things to the watch. This new platform prevents smartwatch bloat and making
9126-464: The price of TFT LCD panel for Dell's computer monitors and laptops (2001–2005), Motorola 's Razr phones (2005–2006) and Apple's iPod (2005–2006). On 18 December 2008, Japan Fair Trade Commission ordered Sharp to pay JP¥261 million (US$ 3 million) as criminal fine. According to the order, Sharp and Hitachi Display participated in the conspiracies to keep the price for TFT LCD panels for Nintendo DS and DS-Lite. The fine for Hitachi Displays
9243-514: The reputation of its brand, seeking an exit from its licensing agreement. Sharp accused the company of producing "shoddily manufactured" televisions under the Sharp name, including products they believed were in violation of U.S. safety standards for electromagnetic radiation , and the subject of deceptive advertising over their quality. Hisense denied that it engaged in these practices, and stated that it planned to defend itself in court and "will continue to manufacture and sell quality televisions under
9360-483: The result, the Sakai LCD plant suffered a reduced operating rate until Q3 2012. In June 2005 Sharp produced the largest LCD television at the time, with a display of 65 inches. It went on sale in August 2005 in Japan. From 2005 to 2010 Sharp was the biggest mobile phone brand in Japan. Since then it has been constantly switching places through financial quarters against rivals Fujitsu , Apple and Sony . Sharp acquired
9477-501: The site. In December 2016, Pebble officially announced that the company would be shut down, and would no longer manufacture or continue support for any devices, nor honor any existing warranties. Support for the Pebble app store, online forum, cloud development tool, voice recognition, and voice replies ceased in June 2018, although support for some online services was restored by the unofficial "Rebble" community. The original Pebble Smartwatch
9594-510: The time of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics . On 25 February 2016, Foxconn announced its intent to acquire a 66% controlling stake in Sharp for 700 billion yen (US$ 6.24 billion). However, the deal was briefly delayed due to unforeseen financial liabilities; on 30 March 2016, Foxconn announced that it had agreed to pay US$ 3.5 billion for the stake instead, Foxconn wished to use the purchase to expand into direct-to-consumer product sales rather than serving as
9711-791: The time, the product held the world record for the most money raised for a Kickstarter project. Pebble worked with consulting firm Dragon Innovation to identify suppliers and manufacturers. After overcoming manufacturing difficulties with the prototype design, Pebble started mass production with Foxlink Group in January 2013, initially producing 15,000 watches per week. Shipping was originally expected to begin in September 2012, but manufacturing difficulties were encountered. The first units began shipping on January 23, 2013 . Pebble shipped 300,000 units by December 2013 , over 400,000 by March 2014 , 450,000 as of July 2014, 1 million by December 31, 2014 , and 2 million by December 7, 2017. The watch featured
9828-422: The time. Two years later, in 1966, Sharp introduced its first IC calculator using 145 Mitsubishi Electric -made bipolar ICs, priced at JP¥350,000 (about US$ 1000). Its first LSI calculator was introduced in 1969. This was the first pocketable calculator priced at less than JP¥100,000 (less than US$ 300), and turned out to be a popular item. Also in the same era the company introduced the first microwave oven with
9945-469: The watch bulky like most of its competitors' smartwatches. The Pebble Time also included a new interface designed around a timeline, which is similar to what was found in Google Now on Android Wear . In December 2015, all remaining Pebbles got a firmware update, enabling support for the timeline and removing the maximum of 8 apps-restriction, letting additional apps load directly from the connected phone. It
10062-467: The watch via patterns of visible light , which were displayed by a computer monitor and then detected by the watch's optical sensor. In 1998, Steve Mann designed and built the world's first Linux wristwatch. He presented it at the IEEE ISSCC on 7 February 2000, where he was dubbed "the father of wearable computing". The watch later appeared on the cover of Linux Journal in July 2000, in which it
10179-416: The watch's operating system would be released every 2–3 weeks until all features were added. The Pebble's apps used data received from a connected phone for distance, speed, and range information. More apps were downloadable via a mobile phone or tablet, and a software development kit (SDK) was freely available. Pebble integrates with Android and iOS phones through a companion app to send notifications to
10296-715: The watch. Messaging and phone call apps were supported, in addition to most 3rd party applications. The watch's firmware operating system is based on the FreeRTOS kernel and uses Newlib , the STM32 Peripheral Library , the Ragel state machine compiler, and an unnamed UTF-8 Decoder. Gadgetbridge is an alternative companion application for Android. It is open source, does not require account creation, and supports features such as notifications, music playback and watch application installation/removal. Linux users can interface with
10413-401: The watches began. A proof-of-concept watchface SDK and documentation were released on April 12, 2013. Eventually, Pebble SDK version 1.0 was released was limited to development for watch faces, simple applications, and games. SDK version 2.0 (later renamed PebbleKit) was released on May 17, 2013, and added support for two-way communication between Pebbles and smartphones running iOS or Android via
10530-441: The worst financial record in its history, with a loss of JP¥376 billion (US$ 4.7 billion) in April 2012. In September, Sharp announced job cuts. In 2014, Sharp was able to stem losses and deliver a positive net income for its first quarter results. In March 2012 the Taiwan-based electronics company Hon Hai, trading as Foxconn , agreed to acquire a 10% stake in Sharp Corporation for US$ 806 million, and to purchase up to 50 percent of
10647-511: Was a standalone smartwatch that offered information at a glance, in comparison to other devices that required more immersion and interaction. The information included weather, news, stock prices, and sports scores, and was transmitted through FM waves. It was accessible through a yearly subscription that cost between $ 39 and $ 59. The Microsoft SPOT Watch had a monochrome 90×126 pixel screen. Fossil, Suunto, and Tissot also sold smartwatches using SPOT technology. For instance, Fossil's Abacus, which
10764-487: Was a variant of the Fossil Wrist PDA, retailed from $ 130 to $ 150. Sony Ericsson teamed up with Fossil and released the first watch, MBW-100, that connected to Bluetooth. This watch notified the user when receiving calls and text messages. The watch struggled to gain popularity, however, due to its exclusivity to Sony Ericsson phones. In 2009, Hermen van den Burg, CEO of Smartwatch and Burg Wearables, launched Burg ,
10881-791: Was acquiring an exclusive brand licence from Sharp and its European television and audio business UMC will also acquire Sharp's Polish factory. As part of the deal, Sharp will support the design and development of televisions sold by UMC under the Sharp brand. The same month, Sharp also announced a tie-up with Vestel in Europe for white goods. Vestel will sell Sharp-branded white goods (except air conditioners), such as refrigerators and microwave ovens manufactured by Sharp in Thailand and China. Sharp will also license its brand name to Vestel for volume home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and ovens. Sharp's remaining European business will then focus on
10998-541: Was again changed, in 1981, and moved mainly into digital high end, complete stereo systems with advanced technological features setting the trend towards the digital age. The line was discontinued after 1981, but the Optonica line was again re-introduced in the late 1980s for a high end line of television receivers and higher quality mass market audio products such as VCR's, surround sound receivers, CD cassette boom boxes, and portable cassette players. The first wall-mountable TV
11115-725: Was also made by Sharp for the Japanese market in November 2000. Recent products include the ViewCam, the Ultra-Lite notebook PC , the Zaurus personal digital assistant , Sidekick 3 , and the AQUOS flat-screen television. Sharp manufactures consumer electronic products, including LCD televisions , sold under the Aquos brand, mobile phones , microwave ovens , Home cinema and audio systems, air purification systems, fax machines and calculators . For
11232-406: Was called, consisted of high quality and technically advanced components, that was expanded in 1979, to cover a broader selection of high end equipment. During this run, Sharp introduced digital technology to some of the Optonica products, along with the traditional analogue products, and offered a complete selection of models ranging from low power high end receivers to very powerful models. The line
11349-459: Was changed to "Hayakawa Electric Industry Company". In 1953, Hayakawa Electric started producing the first Japan-made TV sets (the "Sharp TV3-14T"). In 1964, the company developed the world's first transistor calculator (the Sharp CS-10A), which was priced at JP ¥ 535,000 (US$ 1,400). It took Sharp several years to develop the product as they had no experience in making computing devices at
11466-540: Was created to extend support for the Pebble watches' online services that were discontinued on June 30, 2018. Pebble users and enthusiasts created the Rebble.io website in December 2016 following the announcement of Pebble's shutdown. Users can switch their devices from the original Pebble web services to the Rebble Web Services to restore some of the lost features; some features require a US$ 3 monthly subscription to cover
11583-476: Was designed based on a concept by Eric Migicovsky describing a watch that could display messages from a smartphone and select Android devices. Migicovsky successfully took his idea through the Y Combinator business incubator program, and unusually for a startup company at Y Combinator, Migicovsky's business actually generated revenue during the program. Migicovsky was able to raise US$ 375,000 from angel investors such as Tim Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson , but
11700-450: Was discontinued in 2005. In the same year, Microsoft announced its SPOT smartwatch, which it released in early 2004. SPOT stands for Smart Personal Objects Technology , an initiative by Microsoft to personalize household electronics and other everyday gadgets. For instance, the company demonstrated coffee makers, weather stations, and alarm clocks featuring built-in SPOT technology. The device
11817-638: Was expected to increase heavily by 2017 as advanced hypertargeting modules were introduced to the devices; companies aim to crate advertisements that are tailored for smartwatches. "Sport watch" functionality often includes activity tracker features, as included on GPS watches made for training, diving, and outdoor sports. Functions may include training programs (such as intervals), lap times, speed display, GPS tracking unit, route tracking, dive computer , heart rate monitor compatibility, Cadence sensor compatibility, and compatibility with sport transitions (as in triathlons ). Other watches can cooperate with
11934-677: Was focused on Pebble's software engineers and testers, and the acquisition of intellectual property such as the Pebble watch's operating system, watch apps, cloud services, and its patents. Further clarification on the transition timeline and efforts to render Pebble OS and its watchfaces/apps more self-sufficient was posted to the Pebble Dev Blog on December 14, 2016. Fitbit paid $ 23 million for Pebble's intellectual property, despite Pebble's debt and other obligations exceeding that. Fitbit did not take on Pebble's debt. The remainder of Pebble's assets, including product inventory and server equipment,
12051-471: Was introduced by Sharp in 1992. Sharp's Mobile Communications Division created the world's first commercial camera phone , the J-SH04 , in Japan in 2000. Since 2000, Sharp heavily invested in LCD panel manufacturing plants: Kameyama in 2004, Sakai in 2009. The Sakai plant is still the only 10th generation LCD manufacturing plant on the globe and its best fit for production of 60-inch or larger panels. However,
12168-408: Was met with considerable criticism during its pre-launch period, with many early technology reviews citing issues with battery life and hardware malfunctions. However, other outlets praised Apple for creating a device with the potential to compete with "traditional watches" instead of just smartwatches. The watch's screen only wakes when activated by lifting one's wrist, touching the screen, or pressing
12285-401: Was not initially enabled, but a firmware update in November 2013 enabled it. The watch is charged using a modified USB -cable that attaches magnetically to the watch, allowing it to maintain water resistance. The battery was reported in April 2012 to last seven days. Based on feedback from Kickstarter backers, the developers added water resistance to the device's feature set. The Pebble has
12402-473: Was not initially supported, but was later added through a firmware update in November 2013. The watch is charged through a modified USB -cable that attaches magnetically to the watch to maintain water resistance capability, with a reported seven-day battery life. Water-resistance was added during development based on feedback from Kickstarter backers. The Pebble has a waterproof rating of 5 atm , which means it can be submerged down to 40 metres (130 ft), and
12519-552: Was released in 1985, followed by the RC-4000 and RC-4500. During the 1980s, Casio began to market a successful line of "computer watches" in addition to its calculator watches , most notably the Casio data bank series. Casio and other companies also produced novelty "game watches", such as the Nelsonic game watches . Although pager watches were predicted in the early 1980s, it took until
12636-495: Was released to mixed reviews. The design was acclaimed for being innovative. CNET praised the design, readability, and water-resistance of the Pebble Steel, but criticized the limit of eight user-installed apps and the lack of a heart-rate monitor. Later watches in the Pebble series were described similarly: as simple and effective but lacking some features of competitors like the Apple Watch . On February 24, 2015, Pebble announced
12753-469: Was set to be sold off separately. Following the acquisition, Pebble's offices were closed and Fitbit held control over the use of the Pebble brand. The former Pebble engineers were relocated to Fitbit's offices in San Francisco. As a result, Pebble was forced to cancel shipments for its Pebble 2, Time 2, and Pebble Core smartwatches, refunding Kickstarter backers. An unofficial developer group called Rebble
12870-404: Was speculated to evolve into a business worth US$ 6 billion annually, and a July 2013 media report revealed that the majority of major consumer electronics manufacturers were undertaking work on a smartwatch device at the time of publication. The retail price of a smartwatch could be over US$ 300, plus data charges, while the minimum cost of smartphone-linked devices may be US$ 100. As of July 2013,
12987-502: Was sponsor on Red Star Belgrade shirts during their campaign in UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League . From 2001 to 2003, Sharp was the main shirt sponsor of Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. in the SFL. In June 2012, Sharp became name sponsor of a UCI World Tour cycling team, which thereupon became known as Garmin–Sharp . In September 2016, Sharp (in conjunction with Altodigital) signed
13104-468: Was tested in both fresh and salt water, allowing the user to shower, dive or swim while wearing the watch. As of February 2014, the Pebble app store contained over 1,000 applications. Applications included notification support for emails, calls, text messages and social media activity; stock prices; activity tracking (movement, sleep, estimates of calories burned); remote controls for smartphones, cameras and home appliances; turn-by-turn directions (using
13221-536: Was the Pulsar , introduced by the Hamilton Watch Company in 1972. The "Pulsar" became a brand name, and would later be acquired by Seiko in 1978. In 1982, a Pulsar watch (NL C01) was released which could store 24 digits, likely making it the first watch with user-programmable memory, or the first " memorybank " watch. With the introduction of personal computers in the 1980s, Seiko began to develop computers in
13338-502: Was the principal sponsor of Manchester United Football Club from 1983 until 2000, in one of the lengthiest and most lucrative sponsorship deals in English football . Sharp's logo was on the front of United's shirts over these 17 years, during which the team won seven Premier League titles, five FA Cups , one Football League Cup , one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup , and one UEFA Champions League title. During 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons, Sharp
13455-530: Was the topic of a featured article. Seiko launched the Ruputer in 1998 in Japan, a wristwatch computer with a 3.6 MHz processor. The Ruputer failed to achieve wide success due to its small, hard-to-read screen, cumbersome joystick method of navigation and text input, and poor battery life. Outside of Japan, this watch was distributed as the Matsucom onHand PC. Despite low demand, it was distributed until 2006, making it
13572-470: Was unable to raise additional funds. Discussing his inability to raise further funds, Migicovsky told the Los Angeles Times , "I wasn't extremely surprised... hardware is much harder to raise money for. We were hoping we could convince some people to our vision, but it didn't work out." After raising venture capital for the product under their former name, Allerta (which had already developed and sold
13689-488: Was waived by JFTC leniency program. However, Sharp disagreed with the JFTC order and announced it would begin an appeals procedure against it on 2 February 2009. On 31 July 2013, the JFTC dismissed Sharp's appeal. In November 2011 Sharp was ranked in 11th place by Greenpeace 's re-launched Guide to Greener Electronics that ranks 15 electronics manufacturers according to their policies and practices to reduce their impact on
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