In our latest And Finally feature we round up all the stories and rumblings that didn't quite make the weekly news feed. From rumours that Asus might be limiting the ZenWatch to Fitbit's snub of Apple's HealthKit service, here's the rest of the week's wearable tech news.
Asus to only make 300 ZenWatches
The rumour mill has been turning this week that Asus, which is about to release the ZenWatch that it unveiled at IFA 2014, could only produce an initial batch of 300 smartwatches. In a crowded market, the small tester batch may be to test the water, or create a buzz of exclusivity as we've seen recently with the Moto 360 and OnePlus One smartphone.
Read more: Hands-on Asus ZenWatch review
Halo concept smartwatch is half analogue
A novel smartwatch concept has surfaced that blends analogue and digital. In its normal state Halo displays the time using good old analogue hands, but at the press of a button, the display switches to a digital interface that enables all the usual notifications and smarts.
Kyocera debuts unique smartwatch
Another concept we're not sure will ever see the light of day, the Kyocera Duo is a circular smartwatch that looks like a rugged Moto 360. The Kyocera Duo has a bezel based touch control, which enables users to use their finger or thumb to navigate menus.
Fitbit no plans for iOS 8
Fitbit is one of the biggest names in fitness tracking wearables, but the company doesn't seem to enamoured with iOS 8. On its forum the company confirmed it wouldn't be supporting Apple's new heath hub, and asked users what they expected from the service. It wrote:
"We do not currently have plans to integrate with HealthKit. It is an interesting new platform and we will watch as it matures, looking for opportunities to improve the Fitbit experience. At the moment, we're working on other exciting projects that we think will be valuable to users. The question we want you to keep in mind when providing feedback is: What do you imagine a HealthKit integration would entail and what do you expect to get out of it?"
Read more: Fitbit Flex tips, tricks and how to use
Wearable tech will add years to your life
Technology the future gazers at Gartner reckon that wearable technology will add a further six months to our life expectancy as we become more in tune with our wellbeing. With fitness trackers helping to promote healthier activities such as extra walking and calorie counting, it seems wearable tech could help us all live longer.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.