Trends with Benefits: Tech trends to watch for in 2017

By Greg Nibler Published January 23, 2017

Would you implant a chip in your body for convenience?: At CES 2017, DT’s Drew Prindle went above and beyond what most of us would do. Live from our coverage, he had two different chips implanted in his hand! Today we’ll follow up and tell you what they do, if they are actually working and maybe he can explain why he did it.

What tech will you buy in 2017?: This is going to be a huge year for technological advancements. With OLED wallpaper televisions, Alexa everywhere, self-driving cars and much more, we’ll tell you about what we expect in 2017. What are you most looking forward to?

Each week, we gather a round table of tech experts from the Digital Trends staff, along with the occasional celebrity guest, to discuss all things tech. Topics range from the big tech stories of the week to predicting the future, all while maintaining a somewhat civil decorum.

At 2:45 pm Pacific we answer your questions live.

Please subscribe and share Trends with Benefits and send in your questions to podcast@digitaltrends.com. We also broadcast the show live on YouTube every Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Pacific

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Greg has worked as a Host, Producer, and Writer in radio and television since the early 2000s, working for such companies as…

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Wearables

Samsung wants its upcoming Galaxy Watch to be your AI health companion

Ahead of its July 22 Unpacked event, Samsung has teased AI-driven health tracking and upgraded internals for its upcoming smartwatches.

A person wearing the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra showing the Ultra Analogue watch face.

Samsung's July 22 Galaxy Unpacked event won't be all about new foldables. The company has also started teasing its next-gen smartwatches, and its pitch leans heavily on AI. In a newsroom post published ahead of the event, Samsung promises "a whole new level of effortless wellness," describing the upcoming watches as an "AI-powered health companion."

From tracking to interpreting

Wearables

You can paint this wearable on your skin like a tattoo to monitor your heart and brain activity

This tattoo makes you look cooler - and it could save your life too

Painted electrodes on skin

Wearable health trackers have become smaller, smarter and more capable over the years, but they've also remained surprisingly… boring. Whether it's a smartwatch, a chest strap or a sticky ECG patch, most health sensors still rely on bulky hardware that can peel off, irritate the skin or become less accurate once you start sweating. Additionally, there is a shift of technology from plastic wearables/trackers to clothes, which seemingly do the same thing as well. But that is not the story today.

Researchers at Penn State think they've found a far more elegant solution. Instead of sticking another sensor onto your skin, why not simply paint one?

Wearables

Pebble is finally catching up on Time 2 orders, and I appreciate the transparency

Here's exactly when your Pebble Time 2 ships, plus what Pebble is doing for the small percentage of watches arriving with hardware problems.

Electronics, Digital Watch, Wristwatch

If you've been refreshing your order tracking page for months, Pebble just gave you an actual date to mark on your calendar. The company's July mega-update reveals exactly when the remaining Pebble Time 2 pre-orders will finally ship.

Beyond shipping updates, the July report also offers a clear look at how the company is handling its return to the smartwatch market.