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When wearable computing meets the Pilates shirt

SEATTLE -- Technology giants such as Google and apparel makers such as Nike are pouring millions into wearable computing, betting that it's one of the next untapped frontiers in consumer electronics.

Runners slip sensors into their shoes to track how far they've gone. Insomniacs wear wristbands to monitor their sleep habits. Skiers don goggles with heads-up displays to see how fast they're moving.

But wearable computing remains a niche business. Even as the cost and size of the sensors the devices use has dropped, and the ability to transmit the data those sensors collect to smartphones has … Read more

A design firm dares to reinvent the printer

When it comes to innovation, the printer is the high-tech industry's version of the paper clip. Sure, people keep trying to improve it, but no one is going to tag you the next Steve Jobs for improving printer efficiency.

In recent years, printer makers have added all sorts of features, everything from memory card readers to wireless network connectivity. But the peripheral is such an afterthought in a consumer-electronics world enamored with new gadgets that the humor Web site The Onion recently joked that new Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook was going to set the company's sights on printers.… Read more