Microsoft Corp plans to weigh into the wearable computing market with a smartwatch, Forbes reported on Thursday.
The US technology company has tapped the talent behind its gesture-sensing Kinect accessory for Xbox game consoles to help make a sensor-loaded smartwatch, according to Forbes.
Smartwatch capabilities were said to include fitness features, such as measuring and tracking heart rates.
Like the growing array of “wearable computing” devices, Microsoft’s creation will be designed to sync wirelessly with applications on smartphones, Forbes said.
Last month, market tracker International Data Corp (IDC) predicted sales of wearable tech items would triple this year to 19 million units worldwide, growing to 111.9 million by 2018.
IDC said the wearable sector is still led by fitness trackers, such as the Jawbone UP and Fitbit devices.
“The increased buzz has prompted more vendors to announce their intentions to enter this market,” IDC research manager Ramon Llamas said in a statement released with the forecast. “Most importantly, end users have warmed to their simplicity in terms of design and functionality, making their value easy to understand and use.”
Apple Inc is also rumored to be working on an “iWatch,” although the iPod, iPad, iPhone and Macintosh computer maker has not commented.
Meanwhile, Google Inc recently opened its Glass “explorer” program to anyone in the US with US$1,500 to spend on the Internet-connected eyewear.
In related news, Microsoft said on Thursday it has partnered with business services software star Salesforce.com as part of its push into the Internet “cloud.”
San Francisco-based Salesforce is a cloud computing poster child, winning big by offering programs for managing marketing teams or other company operations as services hosted online.
Salesforce compatibility and capabilities will be woven into the Microsoft Office 365 suite offered as part of its cloud platform. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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