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Google Just Spent $40 Million For Fossil's Secret Smartwatch Tech (theverge.com)
Google and watchmaker Fossil Group today announced an agreement for the search giant to acquire some of Fossil's smartwatch technology and members of the research and development division responsible for creating it. From a report: The deal is worth roughly $40 million, and under the current terms Fossil will transfer a "portion" of its R&D team, the portion directly responsible for the intellectual property being sold, over to Google. As a result, Google will now have a dedicated team with hardware experience working internally on its WearOS software platform and potentially on new smartwatch designs as well.
Maybe they acquired some sort of wrist-based ECG technology that we can expect to see in a Google watch in two years or so.
Up and down. Definitely a wank.
"Fossil's Secret Smartwatch Tech "
No, just Fossil's Smartwatch Tech. There's nothing secret about it.
yay
As a result, Google will now have a dedicated team with hardware experience working internally on its WearOS software platform and potentially on new smartwatch designs as well.
One product that quickly comes to mind is Nest. Google paid quite a sum for it, then killed it.
If we look closely at its [current] messaging regime, we can only conclude that Google's business with Fossil will not buck the trend.
considering they just released the third generation of their thermostat product within the last month.
Just 'cause the limbs a-twitchin, don't mean it ain't dead friend.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
for millions of years!
... I know this from first-hand personal experience, from a high-water mark in the late 00's/early '10s with brand new north-dallas headquarters and google-esque company cafeteria with 4-star chef to oversee the various stations, followed first by the downsizing, the inevitable outsourcing of IT, the shedding of expensive senior professionals and managers, and now here we are - selling off for $40 million this last bit of smart watch tech, which only 5 (?) years ago Kosta Kartsotis was announing to all employees was "the future of Fossil". All of this is just the fire-sale before the collapse.
they likely just bought patents of a failing company.
Device Wearables have potential. My Apple Watch pair is very useful but stuck in iOS. A competitor like Android a growing market. Depends on the terms and what useful tech / resources Fossil owned but it is An area worthy of expansion and perhaps competition pushed the decision ( e.g. other bidders ).
This discussion got Trump post as 3rd post. Its got to be a record of some sort.
I agree. The price of $40 million is a liquidation of assets price. It's not a price indicating a valuable user base. Maybe there are some patents in there and a few worthwhile developers and designers.
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
Well so much for the 13th Amendment. Just how much of the 40 million are the people getting ?
I have no idea why Google would do this except if it were to get a patent that Fossil had. Fossil 'smart' watches aren't very smart, and aren't very useful, and don't do much. They're like smart watches for preschoolers.
Unless Fossil has some new watch CPU, what is the point? WearOS has been doomed by Qualcomm not providing any new watch CPU designs. That's why the only decent smartwatches are Apple's. While Fossil's hybrid watches are interesting, they are still only a small niche in the bigger but still niche smartwatch market.