Right, let's get to it - welcome to And finally, your one stop shop for all the wearable tech news from the week.
It's been a hectic seven days, as we posted our impressions of the Huawei Watch GT, Fossil Sport and Misfit Vapor 2, and hurdled ever-closer to Black Friday. Alongside all this, there's been plenty of news hits and rumours circling the wearable sphere.
Below, we'll be catching you up on four lighter stories, as well providing a quick recap of all the biggest stories from the week. Dive in, why don't you.
A Fallout smartwatch for superfans
Remember that Rick and Morty smartwatch we told you about? Well, the same team behind that wearable is prepping to launch a smartwatch that's all about the post-apocalyptic RPG fave.
One61 Studio, who already make Batman, The Flash and Wonder Woman themed smartwatches, is prepping the newest addition to its collection with special themed Fallout watch faces in tow.
The iOS and Android-friendly Fallout smartwatch features a matte gunmetal watch case and 22mm watch bands. There's a 1.2-inch, 240 x 240 pixel resolution screen and smartwatch features include notification support, activity tracking, heart rate monitoring, music and camera controls and will deliver 18 hours of battery life.
It's going on sale on 20 November on the One61 Studio website priced at $149.99 if want this watch in your life.
Disney and Verizon team up for smartwatch
When Tim Cook stood on stage an unveiled the original Apple Watch, the world delivered a collective jaw-drop as Disney's Mickey Mouse showed off his new time-telling skills in an Apple Watch face. Tim was happy. Mickey, we thought, was happy.
But times have changed, and Mickey has seemingly grown tired of monogamy with the Cupertino giant. Sure, he'll still be around, telling the time and turning up for kids birthdays, but he's no longer going to be tied down by Apple.
To commemorate the character's 90th birthday, creator Disney has teamed up with Verizon and unveiled a special edition GizmoWatch, complete with the two bands shown above and unique wallpapers, icons and activity reward screens.
The watch itself will last for up to four days, connecting to Verizon's 4G LTE network so parents can contact their child via call or texts from 10 numbers while they run around, wild and somewhat free. In response, wearers can select from 20 selected messages. Activity tracking will also track the likes of steps and let users compete against friends, while the action can be paused at any time (say, for example, school hours) by parents.
The device is available in Verizon stores, online and through the My Verizon app for $179.99, with plans costing an additional $5 per month.
Google patent hints at notification wearable
We're still waiting for Google to blow us all away with the heavily-rumored Pixel Watch, or an alternative to head up its Wear OS platform, but a new patent has suggested the company may head in a different direction.
The filing, granted by the USPTO, details a wearable device that's able to buzz the user, displays colors or even emit heat when they receive a notification to a connected smartphone.
Crucially, this doesn't appear to feature a display, and therefore rules it out from being a Google smartwatch. However, interestingly, this also isn't a completely fresh idea, since this is an updated version of a patent first filed back in 2013.
And while this alone doesn't mean the device is nailed on to be released by the company - let's be real, a notification-only device would be a bit of a stunner - it does at least suggest the folks at Google are still daydreaming about the idea.
Wearables improve mental health says study
A study has revealed that more than half of wearable owners in the UK feel their mental health has improved since they began wearing a smartwatch or fitness tracker.
The Mintel research showed that 55% of buyers believe the device has improved their mental health, with this figure rising to 61% in 16 - 34-year-olds. Nearly 60% also indicated that they use their wearable every day, and 72% noting that they used their device to improve their physical health.
With the benefits of physical activity often found to correlate with mental wellbeing, it's certainly no surprise to see wearables help join the two together. As wearables continue their evolution into monitoring health, expect to see plenty more cases like this pop up.
Smart jacket and helmet sync with motorbike
Wearables and motorcycles have a notoriously turbulent relationship, with many startups trying and failing to deliver a convincing smart helmet in recent years.
British motorcycle manufacturer Arc wants to finally nail the concept, though, unveiling a connected helmet, the Zenith, alongside its new electric rider. The startup, funded by Jaguar Land Rover, indicates that the helmet will be able to provide information regarding speed and navigation, while the Origin smart jacket will be able to provide notification vibrations and alert riders to hazards, such as activity in a blind spot, through haptic amplifiers.
It all seems fairly ambitious, but it does make sense to match a device to a smart motorbike and even go one step further and link a jacket, too. Unfortunately, innovation doesn't come cheap, with the Vector bike, including the Zenith and Origin, starts at £90,000.
In case you missed it
We get it, you're a busy person. And while you'd love to keep up with all the latest happenings in the world of wearables, sometimes it's just not possible.
So, what happened this week? Well, perhaps the biggest story was the Spotify Apple Watch app finally rolling out. It's all still very basic stuff for now, but Watch owners finally join those sporting Samsung, Wear OS and Garmin devices in receiving playback from the music service.
Google wasn't to be left out of the party completely this week, as it announced its System: Version H update for Wear OS watches. While that title could easily be the name Radiohead's next album, the company actually says the it will represent a big improvement in battery life. Huzzah.
Want a story that raised a couple of eyebrows? Huawei AR smartglasses were confirmed this week by CEO Richard Yu, and will apparently launch within the next two years. Your move, everybody else.
How we test
Conor moved to Wareable Media Group in 2017, initially covering all the latest developments in smartwatches, fitness trackers, and VR. He made a name for himself writing about trying out translation earbuds on a first date and cycling with a wearable airbag, as well as covering the industry’s latest releases.
Following a stint as Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint, Conor returned to Wareable Media Group in 2022 as Editor-at-Large. Conor has become a wearables expert, and helps people get more from their wearable tech, via Wareable's considerable how-to-based guides.
He has also contributed to British GQ, Wired, Metro, The Independent, and The Mirror.