Wearables business buys up

OK Smart Wearables has finalised a deal with ROAM to acquire the development and design of over 100 new initiatives - from smart watches, phones, virtual reality devices, smart glasses, head-up displays and tablets to other wearable products. 

ROAM is an independent Australian wearables designer and developer, enjoying working relationships with IT leaders including Microsoft, Google, Apple, ZTE, IBM and Allocate Software. The company has developed solutions and concepts that will shape the future of consumer interaction with technology and believes its range of products will position Australia as a leading developer in the growing wearables sector.

The intention is to incorporate the ROAM business into OK Wearables and to use the ROAM brand as its exclusive. Under the arrangement, the OK Wearables Group will own the intellectual property, develop new technologies and foster a team of developers for the future release of wearable products.

Simon Kantor, the chief executive officer of ROAM, said, “We believe that this agreement with OK Wearables will allow our technology to be distributed globally ... it’s exactly what we needed to allow our business to grow and to increase development in the growing global wearable products sector.”

OK Wearables produces a range of SIM-card-based, network-ready smart watches and other wearables and has a large number of releases planned for 2015, including a ‘tradesman’s watch’ with an in-built laser for pointing and measuring functionality, a sports watch and an aged care safety watch.

The company has established markets in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia and intends to move into Singapore, Malaysia and the United States later in the year