Amazon's Alexa has made its way into augmented reality smart glasses. Paul Boris, Chief Operating Officer at Vuzix, showcases the company's integration of voice-technology into its glasses at CES in Las Vegas.
Vuzix, a supplier of smart glasses and augmented reality technologies, looks to launch the first pair of its kind during the second quarter of 2018. Users will be able to use their voice to activate Alexa and project information in the new field of view. Boris explains that the goal of the $1,000 smart glasses is to help people stay digitally connected while remaining present in the real world.
Vuzix isn't the first company to take on smart glasses. Google struggled with Google Glass, and many would say Snap's Spectacle product underperformed. Boris responds by describing how Vuzix's product is different and breaks down why now is the right time for his company to roll out a consumer product with Amazon Alexa integration.
Stocks closed lower Thursday with the tech-heavy Nasdaq in particular under pressure as investors dump tech stocks amid interest rate hike fears. This is the third session in a row that the Nasdaq has slipped. Meanwhile, rate-sensitive stocks gained one day after the Federal Reserve announced its more hawkish policy including three rate hikes this year. Kristina Hooper, Chief Global Market Strategist at Invesco, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss today's close, this week's Fed minutes and the central bank's new hawkish policy, and more.
Kim Grauer, Director of Research for Chainalysis, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she breaks down her recent study and says while scammers took a record $14 billion in crypto in 2021, the share of overall activity of those events are at an all-time low.
Jared Watkin, senior vice president, diabetes care, at Abbott Laboratories, joined Michelle Castillo from the CES 2022 floor to discuss the future of health tech, including Abbott's consumer-facing biowearable called Lingo. The accessory is supposed to send real-time biomarker information like glucose or ketone levels to the Lingo app for the wearer to review. "The idea is that it's a window into your body," Watkin said. "It gives you insight into what's going on in your body and the certain circumstances that you otherwise wouldn't be able to have."
Aaron Jefferson, VP of product at Luminar, joined Cheddar to discuss partnering with automaker Volvo to bring its LIDAR (light detection and ranging) tech into autonomous cars capable of safely driving on the highway. While companies like Tesla have come under fire due to safety issues with its self-driving technology, Jefferson noted how his company's tech differs. "Our LIDAR, its iris sensor that's really set for production, is able to sense, understand, and give the vehicle confidence to react accordingly such that you don't have these same types of issues," he said. The Ride Pilot technology in Volvo vehicles will be rolled out in California following safety testing.
The fintech app backed by billionaire Mark Cuban called Dave made its public debut on the Nasdaq Thursday via a SPAC merger. CEO and co-founder Jason Wilk spoke to Cheddar's Kristen Scholer about the IPO and how his company's services distinguish it from traditional banks. "Customers come to us because they're tired of paying $20 billion of overdraft fees, and they come to Dave, they download our app, and within minutes they can get access to $250 of no interest credit, which we give them through our own proprietary machine learning model," he told Cheddar.
Stephanie Linnartz, president of Marriott International, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about the launch of the Marriott Design Lab, a new facility within its Bethesda, Maryland, headquarters to explore innovative tech offerings for bolstering the guest experience. "It's all around figuring out how we can innovate in the guest room in the public space, looking at how we can use robotics, improve sustainability, etcetera," she said. Some short-term changes in the future Linnartz also noted is an expansion of the chain's mobile capabilities to make check-in and check-out an easier process for guests, as well as mobile room service, from the feedback it received during the pandemic.
Nike has initiated a lawsuit against athletic apparel retailer and competitor Lululemon over claims of patent infringement. The sneaker giant is claiming the technology in their rival's MIRROR home gym was patented back in 1983.
Adi Robertson, senior reporter at The Verge, joins Cheddar News to break down the battle between two NFT collections by Phunky Ape Yacht Club and PHAYC that are selling plagiarized Bored Ape Yacht Club designs.
Dan Diasio, EY Global Artificial Intelligence Consulting Leader, joins Cheddar News to discuss the role of artificial intelligence for everyday consumers, what hurdles are holding back for greater A.I. adoption, and advice for businesses using this emerging tech.
