More rumors point to a September arrival of an Apple wearable device. But don’t call it the “iWatch” just yet. James Martin/CNET Apple’s long-rumored entry into the wearable device market may happen at the company’s September iPhone event, according to a new report. Recode is reporting that the event, typically reserved for the company’s annual …

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says the company has “a chance to set the direction and make the product category finally viable.” Getty Images Apple co-founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak has confidence the company can do with wearable devices what the iPhone did to smartphones back in 2007: make them compelling to a mass market. But when it comes to wearables — …

A July 29, 2014 Samsung patent rendering for an “ornamental design for an electronic device.” US Patent and Trademark Office Motorola’s round-faced Moto 360 won’t be the only high-profile circular smartwatch for long. South Korean electronics maker Samsung is developing a round smartwatch as part of its Gear line of wearables, Samsung blog SamMobile reported on Monday. Samsung is expected …

Shara Tibken/CNET Intel’s upcoming wave of wearable technology won’t be aimed at helping the chip maker establish itself in the budding consumer electronics’ space now filling up with smartwatches and fitness bands. Rather, Intel’s devices will serve a grander purpose: helping research on and treatment of neurodegenerative brain disease. Intel announced Wednesday a partnership with the Michael J. Fox Foundation …

No one is surprised by this. Screenshot by Nick Statt/CNET Durability testing has been a hallmark of the smartphone era since the introduction of the first Apple iPhone in 2007, and it’s usually in the form of the drop test given that’s the most common wear-and-tear our handsets suffer with everyday use. That hasn’t stopped some more outlandish efforts, like …

GoTenna is a pocket-size communication tool that lets smartphones talk to one another without cell service. GoTenna Our modern, wired society often romanticizes going off the grid. Pack-toting hikers bravely venture into areas without electricity or — gasp! — cell service, unfortunately inhibiting the posting of that picture-perfect Instagram shot. While few discount the benefits of unplugging now and again, …

Sarah Tew/CNET SAN FRANCISCO — Raise your hand if you’ve ever plunked down $100 to $200 on a wearable device, perhaps a Fitbit or a Jawbone wrist-worn activity tracker, and then months later found it deposited in a drawer, without a charge and as despondent-looking as a last-generation cell phone. Even at the Wearable Technologies Conference held here this week, …

Adidas’ new Fit Smart activity tracker will be available August 17 for $199. Josh Miller/CNET Can a wearable device that doesn’t do everything and more — but does only one thing and does it well — survive in a sea of more powerful and stylish gadgets? Adidas wants to find out. Wearable tech, essentially mini-computers and sensors we sport against …

The Razer Nabu is a wearable fitness tracker with a twist — it’s made by a gaming hardware company. Scott Stein/CNET The Razer Nabu wearable fitness tracker begins shipping to beta testers on Thursday, and you can still get your very own device for $1. The only catch: you’re competing with 250,000 other people. The gaming and accessory device maker …

Wrist-worn wearable fitness trackers including the Fitbit Flex (left), Samsung Gear Fit (center), and Nike FuelBand. Sarah Tew/CNET Wearable technology is top of mind for large tech companies hoping to cash in on the rising trend of strapping devices to our wrists that count steps, track sleep, and communicate with our smartphones. Now, Microsoft may be getting off the sidelines …