Beyond the Smartwatch: Three Wearable Technology Trends to Watch

As the smartwatch market matures, the capabilities of alternative wearables continue to expand. In the coming years, alternative form factors could begin tempting consumers away. Not only could these devices provide more value – they also have the potential to access new biometrics. The wearable technology industry is being driven by the demand for more data – but is faced with hitting maturity during an era of economic contraction. This article summarizes what life could look like beyond the smartwatch boom, with three trends to watch.

The Audio Engineering Society is promoting a new conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality (AVAR) to be held August 15–17 at the DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, WA. The fourth AES International AVAR Conference will feature keynotes from Sennheiser, Brandenburg Labs and Hear XR, as well as presentations from leading researchers and industry experts. Among many topics, the comprehensive program will explore spatial audio, 3D sound field navigation, room acoustics synthesis and best practices for VR/AR production.

Sennheiser has taken a majority sharehold in Dear Reality GmbH. The German company specialized in spatial audio algorithms and VR/AR audio software will continue to operate as a separate company based in Düsseldorf and Dear Reality confirms that its existing customers will be able to rely on existing dearVR products, while looking forward to new joint VR/AR workflows developed in collaboration with Sennheiser. Uwe Cremering, responsible for AMBEO Immersive Audio at Sennheiser, will support the company as a third CEO alongside founders Achim Fell and Christian Sander.