Compact, stylish, premium – those are words most commonly associated with Samsung’s Galaxy Buds. At unpacked, the company looked to add one more word to list – comfortable – with their new Galaxy Buds2. The new Galaxy Buds2 continues to inherit many of the features and design cues that made the previous Galaxy Buds Pro and Galaxy Buds Live some of the most popular earbuds on the market.
Source: Samsung
The wireless earbuds continue to sport a similar case as its predecessors – with one major exception: it only comes in white. Samsung has relegated the expression of colour in the Galaxy Buds2 to the insides of the case. The white exterior is accented on the inside by four colours: Lavender, Green, Black and White. The white exterior literally protecting it like a shell.
The Galaxy Buds2 is also smaller than before. Samsung is saying that the Buds2 will be comfortable for prolonged use. In their announcement, they claim that it can be worn for a day.
Source: Samsung
Of course, like the Buds Live and the Buds Pro, the Buds2 comes with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and AKG Tuned sound. The new earbuds sport dynamic two-way speakers which is claimed to be able to deliver clear highs and boomy bass. It also comes with a new machine learning-based solution for better, clearer voice quality over calls.
Pricing & Availability
The Galaxy Buds2 will be available in four colour options: graphite, white, olive and lavender. It will be retailing for USD$149.99*.
They will also be available in a special Thom Browne limited edition.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch4 series is a revolutionary device for more than one reason. The Galaxy Watch4 series is the first Wear OS 3 enabled device. According to Samsung, the new smartwatch OS brings the best of Wear OS and the company’s own TizenOS to the smartwatch experience. Wear OS powered by Samsung makes the Galaxy Watch4 series the most compatible and open Galaxy Watch yet.
Source: Samsung
The new Watch4 series comes in two flavours – the Galaxy Watch4 and the Galaxy Watch4 Classic. Just like its operating system, the Watch4 series is preserving adaptability and customization. It adopts the form factor of what was once the Galaxy Watch Active. It touts the signature digital bezel which allows users to easily navigate the circular interface. However, if that’s not your drift, the Classic brings back the signature rotating bezel which gives it a navigator watch appearance.
The Watch4 is also the first smartwatch to come with a 5nm processor with the Samsung Exynos W920. The dual-core processor promises longer battery life with better power efficiency. It is paired with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The hardware combination promises smooth performance with the optimisations that come with the Wear OS 3. There will also be options for LTE connectivity on the Watch4. This comes in addition to the GPS, NFC and WiFi connectivity.
Source: Samsung
You’ll be able to interact with the Galaxy Watch4 series through the digital or rotating bezel. In addition, the Classic comes with a Super AMOLED display in 46mm and 42mm sizes. The former comes with a 1.4-inch display while the latter has a 1.2-inch display. The Watch4, on the other hand, comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes; screen sizes remain the same as the Watch4 Classic. You will also be able to interact via voice with Bixby.
Staying Healthy with Samsung’s BioActive Sensor in the Galaxy Watch4 series
The smartwatch is more than a watch. It becomes a valuable companion in our journeys to keep healthy. It’s even more important now, in the current global climate. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch4 series is equipped with Samsung’s BioActive Sensor. The BioActive Sensor is a unified sensor capable of measuring heart rate and electrical heart and bioelectrical impedance. This sensor allows users to monitor their heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (pO2), pulse and even get an ECG (electrocardiogram).
With such a powerful sensor in the Galaxy Watch4 series, Samsung is also buckling down on their Galaxy Health app. The app is now more powerful with more features and more information than ever before. Users are even able to collaborate and get healthier together with their friends or communities via the app. The Watch4 series is also able to track over 40 different types of exercises.
Source: Samsung
Samsung has even made conscious design choices to enable better tracking. The Watch4 series is thinner and the straps allow it to be in closer contact with the skin to allow better, more accurate tracking. It also has IP68 water and dust resistance with MIL-STD-810G durability to keep up with your workouts. You can even express yourself with the interchangeable straps and watch faces.
Pricing & Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Watch4 series will be available for pre-order in select markets starting August 11, 2021. It will be available in retail on August 27, 2021.
The Galaxy Watch4 will be available in 40mm and 44mm sizes. It will be priced from USD$249.99 (MYR1,059.85*) for the Bluetooth version while the LTE version will be priced from USD$299.99 (MYR1,271.83*)
Source: Samsung
The Galaxy Watch4 Classic will be available in 42mm and 46mm sizes. Prices will start from USD$349.99 (MYR1,483.82*) for the Bluetooth version and USD$399.99 (MYR1,695.80*) for the LTE model.
A limited-edition Thom Browne version of the Galaxy Watch4 with a special rhodium plating will also be available in late September 2021..
Official Specifications
Source: Samsung
*USD to MYR conversions taken from xe.com at the rate of USD$1= MYR4.23955 on 12 August 2021 at 11:30pm.
Keeping yourself fit is more important than ever. At these trying times, exercising is not just about keeping yourself physically fit anymore though. Exercising has also become a way to keep yourself mentally. Keeping yourself fit is also about keeping tack about how you are doing through your exercise journey. In that case, you need a fitness tracker.
What do you get though? The market is not exactly starved for choice. The fitness tracker market is a huge one since the first smartwatches launches off the shelves. What we are saying is that there are plenty of choice and different budgets to work with, when it comes to fitness trackers.
Garmin just launched their new Forerunner 55 smart fitness trackers. The Forerunner 55 is a new smart fitness tracker, but it retains all the classic, rugged, and functional look that is signature of the Forerunner series. It is a little bigger than the Forerunner 45 though, to fit larger wrist and for people who want bigger displays. It also features a few new things over the Forerunner 45.
Source: Garmin
They call the Forerunner 55 a running GPS smartwatch. While it is slightly larger at 42cm, the display size stayed the same at 1.04 inches. The 208 by 208-pixel touch sensitive display is encased in a 5 ATM water resistant rating so you can take it for a swim.
Launched in tandem with the annual Global Running Day, the Garmin Forerunner 55 boasts two weeks in battery life; a signature of a Garmin smartwatch. Because it is made for runners also, there is built-in GPS for runners to track their running pace and path. It also tracks your heart rate in real-time, which is useful not only when you run. If you wear it to sleep, it also tracks your sleep as well.
The Garmin Forerunner is also your health coach and tracker. It can keep track on even your calories if you let it. You get personalised workout suggestions from the forerunner 55. PacePro built into the Garmin Forerunner 55 could also guide runners customise their run patterns on their selected course, or distance. It will also time your run so that you know what to aim for in the future.
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
Source: Garmin
The Garmin Forerunner is not just a running tracker though. It will also track other activities including swimming, Pilates, Yoga, or even HIIT exercises. Just so that you do not hurt yourself, the Garmin Forerunner tells you your optimum recovery time to ensure that you get enough rest before then next push.
The Garmin Forerunner 55 is now available on Lazada, Shopee, AECO e-store, and all Garmin authorised resellers. Available in black, grey, white, or aqua colour options, the Garmin Forerunner will set you back MYR 960. More information on the Garmin Forerunner 55 can be found on Garmin’s website.
Healthcare is getting more personal and as a result, medical professionals require more data than ever to effectively treat diseases. That said, individuals are also becoming more health conscious and have been tracking and collecting data such as sleep times, heart rate, blood oxygenation and more through wearables like the Apple watch. Apple is taking the next step in enhancing their Health app to allow even better insights and secure data sharing.
With the latest update to the Apple Health app on iOS, the company is making proactive strides to putting more actionable data into the hands of its users. The new update to health allows users to gain more insights with trend analysis. The new feature allows users to track and visualise data trends for 20 types of data. This includes cardio fitness, sleep and even resting heart rate. These trends allow Health app users to track and visualise health and lifestyle metrics that are important to them. The Trends feature will also proactively highlight changes in the data that may be significant to users. The changes will be highlighted and surfaced in a way that is easily understood.
Apple is also bringing a new feature called Walking Steadiness. The feature comes in the wake of an increasing number of cases where serious conditions and loss of independence resulting from a fall. A staggering 37 million cases were reported in April 2021 by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The new feature collects mobility data as users use their iPhones. The algorithms assess balance, stability and coordination using the motion sensors of the iPhone. Based on this data, it will return a classification OK, Low or Very Low. The app will then notify users if their steadiness drops below their preset levels and recommend curated, clinically validated visual exercises to increase strength and balance. Joining the steadiness feature is the respiratory rate measurement on the Apple Watch which will allow users to monitor their breathing even when asleep.
Apple’s greatest contribution to personalised health comes with its implementation of Health Sharing. The new feature allows users to share their data with others. While screen capping has always been an option on other platforms, Apple is allowing users to curate and allow visual access to the data to others. This means that users are able to keep an eye on their ageing parents or even share relevant data with their healthcare provider for better care and management of their conditions. It will also allow users to have better, more meaningful conversations with their doctors and allow more effective management. Apple is also including the ability to store vaccination records and tests in the app.
That said, Apple Health isn’t leaving privacy in the lurches. Apple is allowing granular control of the data collected in the Health app to the user. In fact, the company guarantees that the data collected remains private and secure. The data stored is encrypted securely even during sharing and is locked behind a passcode, Face ID or Touch ID on the phone itself. The company guarantees that it doesn’t have any access to the data even when the data is shared.
Acer has been really busy in the recent past expanding its portfolio to become a more well-rounded tech and lifestyle company. In recent years, the company has already introduced the Predator Shot, an energy drink targeted at gamers, the Predator Gaming Chair, a collaborative effort with OSIM, and even a brand new brand – Acerpure. The company isn’t just stopping there though. It looks like they are expanding into the healthcare segment and it’s happening really soon.
In an interview session with the media, President of Acer Pan Asia Pacific Operations, Mr Andrew Hou, unwittingly revealed that the company would be exploring opportunities in healthcare in the near future. Upon further investigation, we found that Acer has already set up a new subsidiary, Acer Healthcare. The company is listed in the Tracxn database and is noted to be founded in 2019. Acer has also set up an official website for Acer Healthcare.
Source: Channel News Asia / Mr Andrew Hou, President of Acer Pan Pacific Operations
It looks like Acer is looking to leverage its prowess in dealing with data and technology to help bridge the closing gap between technology and medicine. Acer Healthcare seems to be looking into using AI-powered devices to help with diagnosis and patient monitoring. The field has been growing in the past few years with multiple startups and companies exploring opportunities and new technologies that can help better diagnose patients.
Acer Healthcare has already released a product called VeriSee DR, an AI-assisted solution for diagnosing Diabetic Retinopathy – a condition that affects close to 130 million people worldwide. Using Acer’s VeriSee DR, the condition can be diagnosed by utilising AI to analyse pictures of patients’ ocular fundus (the interior of the eye) for signs of diabetic retinopathy. According to their website, the technology works with a 95% sensitivity with 90% specificity for diagnosis. In fact, Acer Healthcare has ongoing clinical trials with the VeriSee DR and has published research on it in multiple medical journals.
In addition to VeriSee DR, it looks like Acer Healthcare is focusing on research and development of new diagnostic technologies using AI. Of note are a few currently listed research projects which include the diagnosis of heart arrhythmia using AI analysis of data collected from continual detection using an Acer Leap Ware wearable device and the diagnosis of renal impairment through retinal fundus imaging. While it does seem like the company’s focus is on diagnostic technologies they are also working on technologies for medical record and referrals as well.
Google I/O 2021 is happening right now. The three-day conference kicked off with a bang though. To put it bluntly, Google I/O 2021 kicked off with a two-hour keynote highlighting everything coming from Google in 2021. While two hours do sound like a lot of drag, the announcements do sound mighty interesting though.
Google Workspace for Everyone
Source: Google
They kick off with something that everyone is concerned about in the period of pandemic, working from home. For that Google has something called Google Workspace. Google Workspace has been one of the most popular and thriving services since the world has gone into isolation with the looming pandemic situation. In 2021, the suite is updated with something called Smart Canvas.
Smart Canvas is a collaborative workspace within Google Workspace built for project management and keeping track of a project with your team members. It is kind of like a private chat or conversation within the larger organisation, but much cleaner. You can create and share Google Docs, Sheets, and even Slides within the group and work on the files together in real time.
Workspace is also now integrated with Google Meet, Google Doc, Google Sheet, and Google Slides. That also means that you can have a meeting on Google Meet within Google Workspace, share your files across the chat, and even edit the files together with your team in the Meets room. It is all about making remote collaborative work as seamless and organised as possible. Google also said Google Workspace will be available for free later in the year.
More in Google Search
Source: Google
Google search can also bring contents or search results that comes from other parts of the world in different languages with the integration of Google Translate algorithm and Google Lens as well. On top of that, Google is improving their language understanding and processing algorithm that should benefit more than just Google Translate, Google Lens, and regular Google Search.
They developed something called Wavenet, to make Google Assistant sound more natural and more contextual. They put that together with something they call Multitask Unified Model (MUM). All these makes Google Search and Google Lens the most powerful search and item identification tool ever.
The technologies that got mashed together means that Google search is not just single words anymore. It could be a sentence, a photo, and even both. The results can turn to be more than just web suggestions too. The result can turn out to be top suggestions, a place, and even connect you to merchants to buy what you need. If you set up your Google wallet correctly with all your merchant memberships as well, Google can connect you directly to deals that might be tied to your memberships too. There is a bit more to that too with Google Chrome, where you can track back your shopping carts on various sites even after you close the page.
Cleverer Google Maps
Source: Google
Google Maps is technically the most popular navigation app in the world. But that does not mean the app is flawless. There is always room for improvements.
Eco and Safe Driving
For example, Google introduces an ‘Eco Mode’ into the app. That basically means Google will take you through the most fuel efficient and economical route to get you to where you want and need to be. It may not be necessarily the fastest though, just keep that in mind.
They also introduced ‘safer driving’ routes for Google Maps. Obviously, that is what we call it, not what Google calls it. The idea is to navigate you to routes that might avoid traffic with sudden braking points and overall a smoother, clearer ride. All these are obviously done with Google’s navigation algorithm, traffic analysis, and GPS data such as speed or acceleration that Google Maps itself can see and work with in real-time.
Better Live View
Source: Google
They have expanded on Live View too in this case. Google Maps Live View does not just include navigation data in Augmented Reality anymore. It now shows you street names so that you can navigate better. It also now includes points of interest, landmarks, and you can pull up information regarding a place including its reviews directly from Maps app itself. Google Maps is also introducing Live View indoors now. It starts with the major train stations and airport in Zurich for now. The feature will be introduced to Tokyo also next month.
More Details
If you are getting yourself around by driving though, Google Maps is also a lot more detailed. Major intersections with road crossings and traffic lights will now show on maps so that you are better prepared. With Google’s understanding on your behaviour, your routine, and your usual routes, Google can also highlight relevant information, landmarks, or points of interest for you. A breakfast takeaway for example, on a Monday morning drive to work.
On top of all of that, Google Maps can now be a tool to help you plan your day not just on the road. Google Maps can track or predict how busy and packed an area will be at certain times just so you do not have to squeeze into the area at that time. You could plan to go another day for example, or just not go at all if it is not important. This is important in this day and age where social distancing is a recommended practice.
LaMDA
Source: Google
LaMDA is meant to be a conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI). Google says they have been using and testing it internally and it is powered by everything great about Google’s search engine and linguistic programming. In its demo, it sounds like an amazing piece of tech that could keep you having conversations with it from day to night.
It is programmed to know everything there is to know about our current world and situation. But it is not built to answer you with data necessarily. It is built to have natural conversations about the weather in general terms like “you might want to bring an umbrella in the afternoon”, rather than “there is a 78% chance of a light rain at 2.00 p.m.”.
While the answers that we saw from the demo does sound a little metallic and robotic at times, we cannot wait for LaMDA to be introduced into things like Workspace, YouTube, or even Google Maps. It is like having your own version of Iron Man’s JARVIS in your smartphone, or PC, or whatever you fancy.
More Organised Google Photos
Source: Google
Google Photos is a little bit more than just your photo gallery now though. It is now something you can use to create photo collages, to understand yourself better, and sort of your memory bank. Google’s image recognition recognises your photo patterns and puts all of them together to tell you that you tend to take photos of a certain context or a certain look. It tells you that you might be attracted to a certain sort of colour for example.
With Machine Learning (ML) as well, Google Photos can stitch multiple similar photos taken in succession to create a moving photo or video for you, even if there are gaps. Organisation and searching for your photos are even more intuitive too when you can find photos associated to certain celebrations for example.
Android 12 and Wear OS
Source: Google
Trust us when we say Android 12 is a huge overhaul of the Android OS. There is nearly no difference in terms of function, to be fair. Most of the changes are in the way things look and gets organised, and even customised. They call all this Material You design.
In terms of looks, things are a lot more intuitive, most organised, bigger, and a lot less cluttered. You get more control in how your User Interface (UI) looks in total as well. There are supposedly about 22% faster animation, they say.
You get more control over your own security and even privacy, and they are easier to access and understand with Privacy Dashboard. With the new UI as well, IoT controls are more front and center than before. There is a new improved remote app for your Android TV too.
Wear OS is getting a fresh lease of life too, thankfully. They want to make Wear OS a major smartwatch platform competitor to Apple’s WatchOS. To do that they managed to strike a partnership with their long-time partner, Samsung to bring Tizen and Wear OS together to make a more robust wearable operating system (OS) for everyone to use. Fitbit will also be introducing their own Wear OS later in the year and lend their expertise and know how in health and fitness into the upcoming Wear OS.
Your Safety, Privacy, and Protection Matters
Source: Google
Google has also improved their Google Password Manager. While the app still functions the same as before, you can now transfer password information from older devices. That also means that your passwords can be stored on-device instead of on-cloud. With Android’s on-device encryption nature, saving your managed passwords on your device could be a more secure option. With compromise alerts, you know when your accounts are accessed, and you can easily change passwords for whatever you have quickly via Password Manager.
Privacy Core
Google also introduced something called their Privacy Core. It is Google’s effort in giving control over information shared with Google back to its users. Supposedly as well, thanks to Privacy Core, you Live Caption sessions or translations will not be shared back to Google.
But security and privacy are more than that as well. It spreads to your search history, and even browsing history. Google is including an option now to delete ‘recent history’ on your Google Chrome.
Even in Google Maps, you can tell the app to not track your location history just so that the app does not collect your location data. You can allow Google Maps to track you accurately, or just give Google access to your approximate location now, in different apps. Not allowing Maps to track your data and build a history data also means that you are not going to get recommendations or suggestions from Google though. A worthy trade off, we think, for more privacy.
Better Health, Better Quality of Life
Source: Google
Since Google’s expansion and changing their own corporate name to Alphabet, they have been hugely involved in medical research. One of the places they have been pushing on is in the field of Mammograms. Google’s AI push into the platform means that screening for breast cancer is more accurate than ever. Their AI also helps doctors in understanding Mammograms and the severity in the diagnosis helping the health institutes prioritise different cases.
That is not all though. Dermatology is one huge field that could be expanded even using your own devices. Because this field has more to do with skin conditions, Google Lens can be an early diagnosis tool. You can take a photo of your skin conditions and Google can possibly identify what you have to a certain degree. Of course, nothing replaces a doctor in matters of treatments and full diagnosis, so Google can direct you towards a dermatologist near you via your browser. This feature will be available in the EU region by the end of the year 2021.
Project Starline
Source: Google
Speaking of health, we cannot ignore the current pandemic situation. We are all recommended to stay at home as much as possible and avoid as much human interaction as possible. The COVID-19 pandemic, while has brought humanity together more than ever, ironically has isolated us even more too.
Project Starline is a video chat tool that uses multiple cameras to create a 3D image model and project that 3D image to another part of the world. While that means that the file packages from that implementation are so bug that our regular internet speeds will not be able to cope, Google is working to compress the image files to a more sensible package size so that the images can be transferred using our regular internet connection.
The function of that is to implement a 3D video chat experience. While regular video chat today has progressed further than before, nothing replaces a physical presence and interaction. The idea with 3D projection calls looks to bridge that gap a little. Although you cannot touch the person still, having a 3D representation of a person is as close as you can get in having a physical presence in today’s world.
Google I/O 2021
Source: Google
To wrap up, Google announced that they are committing to shift their entire operation to carbon free energy sources by 2030. While Google has been proud of operating entirely on renewable energy, they are taking the first steps in relying on clean energy that does not leave any footprints. The commitment has led them to invest into Geothermal energy currently.
As promised by Google, the Google I/O 2021 is the largest ever. It is not just based on attendance though. It is also about the number of things that Google is introducing for 2021. It is also about Google’s commitments for the future, and we are excited, especially for Wear OS. For more information on what happened in Google I/O, you can check out Google’s Blog.
Android Wear or Wear OS as it was renamed a few years ago has been a little anaemic when it comes to updates; that is until NOW. Google took the stage at I/O 2021 to announce what could be the biggest and most important update to Wear OS: Google and Samsung are partnering to push Wear OS to the next level. The announcement confirms rumours which have been making their rounds for months.
Source: Google
The new partnership sees Samsung bring their know-how, expertise and features from their successful Tizen OS to Wear OS. As the companies put it, they are bringing “the best of their platforms together into one unified experience”. So what does this mean exactly? Well, the biggest change is that Samsung’s next Galaxy Watch will be shipping with Wear OS instead of Tizen OS. While this might seems like Samsung will be leaving their older watches behind, the company reassures its users that Galaxy Watch and other Tizen OS powered wearables will be receiving updates and support for at least 3 years after their launch.
Improvements Under the Hood
That aside, the new collaborative Wear OS approach also brings a slew of improvements that will not only be improving the user experience but also making developing for Wear OS a lot easier. The collaboration’s biggest improvement comes in its improved load time. Google is touting a whopping 30% improvement in app load times. In addition, Samsung and Google have made improvements to the lower layer of Wear OS to improve battery life. If you’ve used Wear OS smartwatches, you’d know that battery life can be an issue with them.
Source: Google
Google and Samsung have optimised background processes, making them more efficient and less intensive on the processors. In fact, processor-intensive processes like continuous heart rate monitoring have been optimised to use lower power cores to conserve power. This also opens the doors to more power-efficient features for wearable devices. Samsung has also helped with power efficiency with its bundled sensors which allow them to include more than one sensor in a single module.
More Diverse User Experience
Aside from improvements under the hood, the improvements are also creating a more diverse user experience. Manufacturers are now allowed to skin the operating system to have a more unified look across their devices. This also means that we might see slightly different experiences from manufacturers like Tag Heuer, Fossil and even Samsung will have their own design language when it comes to the user interface for their wearables. Google is expecting that the new customizability will result in a more diverse Wear OS ecosystem.
Google is also opening up more features in the OS to developers. Developers will be able to bring features like tiles to their apps. They have also integrated development for Wear OS into Android’s Development Studio. They are creating a more unified development experience across Android and Wear OS with a single touchpoint for development. Development is also made easier with Google’s Jetpack development suite which allows developers to call and implement API more readily. In addition, they are bringing Kotlin APIs to Wear OS.
Wear OS is also getting more focused on health with help from Samsung. Developers will be able to create new apps and improve their current apps with a more streamlined and simplified work flow. This comes thanks to the new Health Services platform which allows developers to retrieve data without building from scratch. Developers are able to take advantage of continuous data from the sensors and other contextual metrics without impacting the battery life of the device too much.
New Apps, Better Experience
Finally, these improvements directly impact how the OS performs and how accessible apps will be for the platform. The most direct improvements that users will be benefiting from is improved navigation on wearables. Google is bringing simple improvements like a double-tap to jump to your most recent app and even simpler swiping gestures to access your information.
Source: Google / Double Tap for Recent App
Source: Google / Tiles
Google is starting the ball rolling with updates coming to its core apps like Google Maps, Google Pay, Google Assistant and YouTube Music. The first change that will be coming to these apps is the adoption of the new “Material You” design. In addition, Google Maps will be getting better, more visible turn by turn navigation to help with using the app on the go. There are plans to take Google Maps offline. The same applies to YouTube Music as well. Google Assistant and Google Pay will be getting improvements as well. The latter will be making its way to 26 countries in the next few months while the former will become more user friendly on Wear.
It isn’t just Google that is improving its offerings. Spotify has revamped its experience on wearables; allowing users to seamlessly move on the go. The simplified interface allows users to not only control their music but also seamlessly switch between speakers and their Wear OS device. Other companies like Nike, Calm and Adidas have been working on revamping their experiences on OS. Fitbit will also join the Wear OS family. Wear OS apps will also be more visible on the Play Store with a dedicated section and recommendations.
The new Wear OS will be making its way to the market in the coming year. Current Wear OS devices find out if they are getting the big update in the coming months.
This article is written based on an email interview with Mr Chris Teo, CEO of Mednefits.
Automation seems to be all the rage nowadays; seeing implementations in a wide spectrum of industries. However, you’d never have thunk that automation could be the answer to one of the most pervasive issues that beleaguer companies – employee medical benefits. The current norm in administering medical benefits is through costly insurance plans which not only cover hospitalisation but also outpatient treatment. These plans can cause some undue financial strain on the company.
That said, automating the process through bridging companies and outpatient providers such as neighbourhood clinics could be the rosetta stone to solving the conundrum. With platforms like Mednefits, neighbourhood clinics and other smaller outpatient health providers can be linked directly to companies for the administration of these benefits. Platforms of the same creed allow companies to link directly with outpatient providers to better administer and optimise their spending for employee health benefits.
It may seem like we’ve gone a little too far into administering health benefits, but these platforms aren’t just about automating the administration thereof. They also allow clinics and outpatient providers to automate their own in-house administration processes. They will also empower these providers to adopt more current technologies in their day to day processes. Processes such as patient records and administration can be automated and digitized allowing them to focus on what matters – patient care. The hours spent on patient administration is also minimised with the implementation of automated registration. In addition, even when it comes to patient care, doctors can focus on treating the patient with automated voice notes.
In a system that has been ravaged by the current COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of automation technologies can actually be a boon for the medical arena – even in neighbourhood clinics. Using things like artificial intelligence (A.I.) to help with analysing, recording and even consolidating patient data into actionable insights. According to Chris Teo, CEO of Mednefits, “Prioritising digitalisation for tasks that can be automated gives more time for healthcare workers to put patients first.” It may seem like a wide sweeping statement, but when the majority of menial tasks have been automated, doctors running neighbourhood clinics can spend less time administrating their business and focus on delivering effective care to their patients.
How then do companies benefit? With platforms like Mednefits, human resource departments need not engage insurance companies. Instead, they deal with a pay per use system which allows them to pay according to employee usage. These platforms provide a more seamless experience when it comes to employee benefits. The need for long lists of panel clinics is eliminated through the use of the Mednefits app which automatically highlights nearby panel clinics when employees need to get an MC or doctor’s note. A simple click of an icon for all the information at their fingertips. Co-pay arrangements can also be eliminated.
That said, when it comes to implementing such automation systems, the issue of data privacy naturally comes up. In a world where it seems like we’re facing a data breach on a weekly basis, access to personal data – in this case, patient data – is a valid concern. However, according to Mr Teo, the digitization data of patient data can be isolated from platforms like Mednefits. In fact, he stresses that while the platform does bridge the gap between outpatient healthcare providers, it doesn’t give companies access to sensitive patient data. Companies will only be able to track items such as claims made at these outpatient facilities. That said, this doesn’t discount the need on both company and provider’s ends to properly ascertain that their data is protected.
Essentially, platforms like Mednefits aim to not only give companies better control of their spending when it comes to healthcare benefits for their employees. They aim to help streamline the process for both companies and outpatient healthcare providers to allow them to focus on building their respective businesses. That said, eliminating a costly middleman when it comes to healthcare also makes it more accessible to the masses. As such, automating and optimising is a seemingly win-win-win situation. As Mr Teo puts it, “By streamlining and automating the administration work in the provision, costs can be reduced while improving the patient experience as well as the reducing the employer’s workload.”
Fitbit has always been a company that has focused on being functional wearable; putting fitness and health tracking before form and style. However, with the new Fitbit Luxe, they’re turning that approach on its head. The Fitbit Luxe takes a hard turn left and focuses on marrying style with fitness to bring a chic, functional wearable that stays true to Fitbit’s own fitness first paradigm.
Source: Fitbit
Taking inspiration from a bracelet, the Luxe takes it queues in being a fine piece of jewellery. It comes with a metal unibody with a pristine finish making it seem like you’re wearing a refined, handcrafted bracelet. Within the body, Fitbit is packing the wearable with an abundance of sensors for all the health metrics you’re used to from a Fitbit. The Fitbit Luxe comes in three colours: graphite, platinum and soft gold with a soft, silicone band. The Luxe is also the first tracker from Fitbit which comes with an AMOLED touchscreen with a built-in ambient light sensor. This allows the display to automatically adapt to ensure you’re seeing all the information under all lighting conditions. The Luxe also comes with up to five days battery life on a single charge.
Source: Gorjana
Of course, Fitbit, being Fitbit, ups the ante with a collaboration with Gorjana. The new Fitbit Luxe Special Edition comes with a gold stainless steel Parker Link Bracelet designed exclusively for the Luxe. The link bracelet is also adjustable to fit most wrists. It also comes with a soft peony band for an additional look in your pocket. The bands are, of course, available as separate accessories.
The Luxe is only half the equation. Like other Fitbit wearables, the tracker works in tandem with the Fitbit app. The app brings a unified, accessible dashboard where the data collected by the Luxe is displayed in an easy to understand format. Everything from sleep tracking, steps tracking and active zone minutes can be viewed on the app. If you need additional metrics, the Luxe comes with a 6-month trial of Fitbit Premium which gives you access to more personalised data.
Pricing & Availability
The Fitbit Luxe will be available in Malaysia starting from June 2021 for MYR648 (USD$157.40). Pre-orders are open today in the U.S. where the Luxe is being sold at USD$149.95 (MYR617.31).
Fitbit’s health-centric devices have been some of the best fitness devices on the market to date. The company has successfully developed sensors and an intuitive interface that allows users to not only collect data but view them in a way that is easy to understand. However, in 2019, Fitbit saw the opportunity to bring even more insights to their users at a premium.
Fitbit Premium has been up and running since late 2019. It provides deeper insights into the data that is already collected by your Fitbit device – some of which could even be used to detect COVID-19 without the PCR test. Just recently, the company extended the availability of a limited version of Fitbit Premium available to users of the Versa 3 and Inspire 2. Now, it seems like that may be more behind that.
Source: Fitbit
Fitbit has recently sent out a customer survey which asks users to consider an cheaper tier of their Fitbit Premium service. According to Android Central, the theoretical new tier would be priced at USD$2.99 (MYR12.09); less than half the price of the current plan at USD$9.99 (MYR40.38). However, it seems like the offerings would be significantly less than the current Premium plan which offers not only user data but also guided workouts and more. The new plan would allow users to “see your activity, sleep, stress, and health metrics for the last month, year, forever with unlimited historical data.”
It seems like this may be Google gauging users’ valuation of the data and insights they get from Fitbit devices. This comes as no surprise as the sale of Fitbit to Google essentially limited what Google could do with the data collected from Fitbit devices. Senior Vice President of Devices and Services, Rick Osterloh, mentions the issue of data privacy and Google’s acquisition of Fitbit stating that the acquisition was about hardware and never the data.
PR asset of Fitbit Premium on Android, showing Today screen with insights. For placement into renders or lifestyle imagery only.
This deal has always been about devices, not data, and we’ve been clear since the beginning that we will protect Fitbit users’ privacy. We worked with global regulators on an approach which safeguards consumers’ privacy expectations, including a series of binding commitments that confirm Fitbit users’ health and wellness data won’t be used for Google ads and this data will be separated from other Google ads data.
Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President, Devices & Services at Google
However, Google being a data company understands that there is an inherent value to all the data being collected. Hence, this straw poll to see if users are willing to spend to get access to their data and insights is just an exercise of how much value users place in the data collected by their Fitbits.
That said, we have always been in the camp where users should be given access to their data regardless of a “Premium” fee – the other goodies in the premium subscription are definitely worth the investment, if you see the need or want to make better sense of the data that’s being collected.
