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A Brazilian ANATEL certification filing lists 10 unannounced Garmin products with nearly identical model numbers, differing mainly by a single letter prefix. This pattern mirrors a similar Indonesian filing last month for a 'CIRQA Smart Ring' that was later removed from public view. The number and structure of variants suggest Garmin is preparing multiple sizes of a wearable device rather than a smartwatch.
A tech newsletter digest compiles several unrelated stories, including scammers using sextortion tactics within family group chats, an assessment of which wearable devices give the most reliable sleep data, and a reported change in leadership within Apple's executive ranks.
Sleep tracking devices like Oura and similar wearables often produce numbers that aren't precisely accurate, according to physicians. Despite this, doctors say the data can still help users identify personal patterns and trends in their sleep over time.
Apple will hold its annual iPhone launch event on Wednesday, September 9, where the company is expected to introduce a foldable iPhone with a passport-style fold—only the third major design overhaul in the device's nearly two-decade history. Alongside the new phone, Apple is also expected to reveal updated wearables and home products.
Oura, the Finland-founded, San Francisco-based maker of health-tracking smart rings, has filed paperwork with the SEC to go public on Nasdaq. The company has built a leading position in the wearable ring market as it moves toward becoming a publicly traded stock.
Ultrahuman, a rival to Oura in the smart ring market, secured $70 million from investors including Qualcomm Ventures, Labcorp, Alpha Wave and Blume to fund development of next-generation AI wearables. The company plans to use the funding to advance sensing, materials, electronics and algorithms, and is exploring a future ring that could work with devices like Meta's smart glasses for gesture control, according to chief business officer Bhuvan Srinivasan.
Meta is pushing an update that stops its AI glasses from recording if the indicator LED is covered mid-capture, closing a workaround where users could start filming and then hide the light afterward. Wearables executive Alex Himel confirmed the fix on Threads, saying it ensures the light reliably signals to bystanders when they're being filmed.
Smart ring maker Oura is said to be planning a U.S. IPO as soon as next month, aiming to raise up to $3 billion at a valuation exceeding $16 billion, according to Bloomberg. That figure would nearly double the $10.9 billion valuation the company received in its September Series E round, with existing investors expected to sell a significant portion of shares in the offering.