FBI “Backdoor” Means Weaker Encryption and Data Breaches
Last week, news broke of the recall of 1.4 million Fiat Chrysler vehicles due to software flaws that allowed hackers to remotely control the cars, cutting brakes and shutting down the engine. Days later, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) hit Chrysler with a $105 million fine for legal violations like misleading and obstructing regulators, inadequate and lagging repairs, and dragging their feet to alert car owners. While the fine is not tied to any one specific recall, it [...]
Wearable Tech 101: Location Services
Tracking steps is a relatively easy thing to do for a wearable: at its core, a step-counter counts bounces. But just like in Inception, we can go deeper into the world of movement tracking. The wearables on your arm, clipped to your belt, and in your pocket all require a little help from above if they want to get a true read on the distance you traveled during a run, hike, walk, bike, etc. For that, we can thank some old [...]
Wearable of the Week: Jawbone
In my introductory post for We Wear It, I said that part of our goal for the 99 days is to help people learn about the wide variety of wearable devices that are available, their various capabilities, how they work for different lifestyles, and how all of this health and fitness data fits into the policy picture. In other words, it’s more than just steps. Wearable: Jawbone Up Move, Jawbone Up 2, Jawbone Up 3, Jawbone Up 4 Who’s Wearing [...]
Wearable of The Week: Wahoo TICKR X
I've been lucky enough this summer to test our more fitness-/workout-oriented wearables for We Wear It. These particular devices were born to run..or bike, or swim (three things that I occasionally do); some of them don't even count steps the way a Fitbit or iPhone does. The Wahoo TICKR X is one of those: it isn't a wellness wearable in the classic sense; its job is more about tracking your workouts and helping you get fitter, faster, and stronger. Who’s Been Wearing [...]
Wearables of the Week: Fitbit
In my introductory post for We Wear It, I said that part of our goal for the 99 days is to help people learn about the wide variety of wearable devices that are available, their various capabilities, how they work for different lifestyles, and how all of this health and fitness data fits into the policy picture. In other words, it’s more than just steps. This week, let’s talk about the wearable with which most people are familiar: Fitbit. Wearables: [...]
Patients + Apps = Improved Care
Part of the goal of testing all these wearables for We Wear It is to best understand how apps and devices help us live healthier lifestyles. That includes monitoring heart rate, tracking hydration, diet, exercise, etc. Our challenge this week is about using apps that allow us to integrate the data they collect (like calorie or exercise information) with the data our wearbles are collecting to get a more complete picture of our health and fitness routine. A lot of people [...]