Omate Rise to feature Alexa integrations so you can control your home from your wrist

By Lulu Chang Published August 30, 2016

You can now talk to Alexa from your wrist. It’s all thanks to a limited edition smartwatch from Omate that will feature an integration with Amazon’s popular voice assistant. The Omate Rise Limited Edition smartwatch, which is slated to be made available in December, comes off the heels of a successful Indiegogo campaign, in which Omate raised $241,753 for its wearable, hitting its funding goal in just 15 minutes.

If you’re one of the folks who backed the Omate last year, don’t worry — you’ll be getting Alexa capabilities with your smartwatch, too. A software update will allow beta testers to access the same Alexa features, which include access to over 2,000 Alexa skills. Wearers will be able to control smart home devices, chat with Alexa, and generally run their lives from their wrists. And better yet, you won’t even need to preface every request with, “Alexa.” Instead, all you need to do is “press, hold, talk, and release,” much like you would with a walkie-talkie. While it’s a bit unclear as to what exactly you’re pressing, it seems logical that Omate would add a physical button or Alexa app to its smartwatch for easy use.

Recommended Videos

“We built the Alexa Voice Service so companies like Omate could bring their customers truly magical voice experiences,” said Aaron Brown, director of Amazon Alexa. “We’re excited to see customers communicating with Alexa while on the go through Omate Rise later this year.”

While the Omate Rise isn’t the first smartwatch to be integrated with Alexa (the CoWatch did it first), it’s still a relatively unusual feature. Sure, other devices allow users to chat with Siri, but as Alexa gains popularity (and skills), this might be a new trend in wearables.

If you didn’t get your hands on an Omate Rise the first time around, the Limited Edition will go up on Indiegogo on September 1, with prices ranging from $199 to $249 depending on how quick you are to the draw. You can expect your watch at your doorstep by December, so if you want to get in front of Christmas this year, an Omate smartwatch may be your answer.

Former Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Topics

Wearables

The wearable on your wrist can predict blood pressure crisis events days in advance

A hypertensive crisis can lead to acute organ damage, and the abrupt spikes in blood pressure are also linked to stroke, kidney damage, fluid backup in the lungs, and heart attack. Research says wearable devices can provide a warning 3 days in advance.

Huawei Watch D3 Blood Pressure (6)

In the domain of wearable devices, we have reached a stage where they are available in a variety of form factors. You can go with a smartwatch, something a little more subtle like a smart band without a screen, or even a smart ring. And as the form factors have continued to evolve, so have the capabilities and the sensing hardware. What started with basic light-based heart rate tracking has now reached a stage where smartwatches are capable of tracking multiple metrics, such as taking electrocardiogram readings, tracking sleep, looking for signs of sleep apnea, or even detecting spikes in blood pressure levels.

Now, fresh research courtesy of the American Heart Association claims that these mass-market wearable devices can help predict episodes of dangerously high blood pressure, or hypertensive crisis, up to three days in advance. The research was conducted over a period of 12 months and involved more than 4,000 participants living with stage 2 high blood pressure.

Wearables

Wear OS is borrowing your phone’s status bar so you never lose track of time

Your smartwatch is finally getting the one thing it was weirdly missing.

The Pixel Watch on a person's wrist.

If you have ever opened an app on your Wear OS smartwatch and had no idea what time it was, Google is working on a fix. In October, the company launched a Wear OS canary emulator inside Android Studio. It lets developers try out new features and design tweaks well before Google ships them to anyone’s wrist.

The biggest addition in this build is a status bar that never leaves. It lives at the top edge of your round watch face, floats above whatever app you have open, and keeps the clock and your watch’s status icons in view.

Wearables

Samsung’s first AI glasses could arrive in December, but only in two countries

Samsung's Gemini-powered glasses might be arriving a little later than expected, and most countries will have to wait even longer.

Samsung AI Glasses

Samsung's first AI-powered smart glasses are finally getting closer to store shelves. According to a new report from South Korea's ChosunBiz, the company is planning to launch its Intelligent Eyewear in mid-December, and if you're waiting to get your hands on them outside the US or South Korea, you might be disappointed.

For those catching up, we reported earlier in October that Samsung was planning a November launch. However, the latest report suggests the release has been pushed back by a few weeks. Samsung hasn't officially confirmed the new date, and there's still no word on how much the glasses will cost.