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Fitbit Alta Public School New York City PSNY NYFW
Fashion, Wearable Technology

Fitbit Partnering With Public School On Line Of Accessories

February 18, 2016

Fitbit Alta Public School New York City PSNY NYFW

When Fitbit unveiled their new Alta fitness tracker a few weeks ago, it was clear that the company was beginning to take design and fashionability more seriously. Trading out the brand’s iconic rubber band featuring a barely noticeable screen, the Alta predominately features a monochrome touch screen which connects at either end to interchangeable bands. Even though the wearable ships with a rubber wrist band, you can purchase leather or metal bands. At NYFW, buzz worthy NYC fashion brand Public School New York included several “designed for the runway” Fitbit accessories among the looks walking the runway. All of the accessories were created by the designers specifically for the Alta. The idea was to show that tech doesn’t have to be this odd thing which is tacked on top of your outfit; wearables can be integrated into a seamless look for any occasion. Don’t camp out on the Fitbit or PSNY websites though waiting for these accessories to go on sale. Fitbit has stated that they were created specifically for NYFW to provide a feel of what the final products would be like when released later this year.  

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by Doug Parker
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Oral Roberts University Tulsa Oklahoma Christian Physical Fitness Requirement Fitbit Charge Activity Tracker
Wearable Technology

University Monitoring Students’ Activity With Fitbits

February 5, 2016

Oral Roberts University Tulsa Oklahoma Christian Physical Fitness Requirement Fitbit Charge Activity Tracker

Activity trackers are a great way to quantify your life and motivate you to move more, but how would you feel if you were graded based off of that information? Freshman at Oklahoma’s Oral Roberts University are about to find out; they will be among the first to have their fitness data tracked by a school – that information will then contribute directly towards their grades. Fitbit fitness trackers will be issued to first year students as part of the school’s required physical fitness course. Besides classroom teachings, the class has a weekly activity minimum that students must meet or exceed. Up until now students were held by the honor code to accurately manually monitor aerobic activities. Using a hand-logged journal not only was that likely tedious, but we would guess students were often a bit “generous” in what they recorded. Using a monitored account, the school will collect information on daily movement, weekly activity, and heart rate (but not weight). The requirements will be 10,000 steps a day and 150 minutes of activity per week at 60 to 80 percent of their range for heart rate. If a student doesn’t accomplish these minimums it will directly influence their grade.  

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by Doug Parker
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Fitbit Alta Connected Fitness Activity Tracker Notifications smartwatch
Wearable Technology

Fitbit Alta Is Company’s Most Connected Activity Tracker

February 3, 2016

Fitbit Alta Connected Fitness Activity Tracker Notifications smartwatch

Fitbit has had a huge past year; not only has the company gone public but it also has reached a point of popularity that counterfeits are being smuggled into the US. Last month at CES the wearable producer expanded their lineup with their first true smartwatch-like device, the Blaze. Now the company is revealing their most connected fitness tracker ever, the Fitbit Alta. While Fitbit makes compelling fitness trackers, anyone looking for smartwatch-like connectivity in a tracker needed to look at other brands. The new Alta model should solve that; if you have been in the market for a Fitbit, this is probably the device you have been waiting for!

The most notable change with the Fitbit Alta is the screen. Gone is the microscopic display that has almost become iconic for the brand. It has been replaced with a touch sensitive monochrome OLED display that is almost as large as the front of the wearable. This large screen finally enables Fitbit to have true push notifications including calls, texts, and calendar events. The are also multiple watch faces baked into the tracker which can be displayed either landscape or vertically. The watch face isn’t the only way Fitbit is allowing you to customize the device. The Alta promises to be the company’s most fashionable device to date. Despite a few notable partnerships, such as with designer Tory Burch, most Fitbits are relegated to the company’s rather unsightly rubber bands. The Alta has been designed to be easily swappable between bands with connectors on either end which allow interchangeable bands to slide on. While the Fitbit Alta will initially ship with the company’s traditional elastomer band, it has already announced both leather and metal bands are forthcoming and that there will be a line of gold and Tory Burch accessories for the Alta.

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by Doug Parker
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Under Armour HTC UA HealthBox Band Scale Heart Rate
Sports, Wearable Technology

Under Armour And HTC Launch Ecosystem Of Connected Devices

January 20, 2016

Under Armour HTC UA HealthBox Band Scale Heart Rate

While Under Armour has seen amazing growth in the sports apparel industry over the company’s 20 year existence, it has not found the same level of success with wearables. The company’s two previous efforts (the E39 and Armour39) amounted to nothing more than niche products. Perhaps they targeted the wrong audience, offered the wrong feature set, or were just too ugly – but Under Armour has hit the drawing board and is trying again, this time with the help of HTC. The new effort from Under Armour features a suite of connected devices designed to promote fitness, call UA HealthBox. While they each work well as individual product, Under Armour has designed them to be most beneficial as a set.

First up is an activity tracking band. Similar in looks to the Nike+ Fuelband and Garmin Vivosmart, the cleverly named UA Band tracks daily movement and sleep, has a heart rate monitor, allows you to log the type of workout you are doing, and connects to your phone for notifications and music control. The device is water proof up to 10 meters, has a touch sensitive monochrome PMOLED display, and a 5 day battery life. Unfortunately the $180 silicon / plastic fitness band is only available in black (with a few red accents) so if you are not a fan of the coloring, you are out of luck. The data recorded by the UA Band is fed via Bluetooth to the UA Record app  on your phone. This app is what Under Armour claims makes their suite of devices so special.  

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by Doug Parker
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Withings Go Activity Fitness Tracker e-ink e-paper button watch
Wearable Technology

Withings Introduces Budget Oriented e-Ink Wearable

January 8, 2016

Withings Go Activity Fitness Tracker e-ink e-paper button watch

Withings has announced a new fitness tracking wearable. The new button shaped device is the cheapest tracker yet from the company, which makes everything from connected blood pressure monitors, to sleep aid machines, to activity tracking watches. The new Withings Go is approximately the size of a coin and predominately features a round e-ink display. The device automatically tracks your movement and sleep, showing your progress via a dial on the screen. The only button on the Go is hidden beneath the display; simply tap on the display to switch from the “progress” view to a watch display. The new wearable reminds us a lot of Misfit’s devices, the Jawbone Up Move, and the Fitbit Zip. The main difference though is the e-ink display, which to us is a huge improvement over the competing devices; if you have ever tried to tell the time on a Misfit Flash or Shine, you will see the appeal! The Go uses a replaceable button-cell battery to achieve an 8 month battery life and it is waterproof up to 50 meters. In fact, the device can even recognize swim strokes and automatically record when you go swimming! When Go launches later in Q1, it will list for $69.95 and will be available in 5 colors, wearable as either a clip or a watch.  

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by Doug Parker
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Fossil Q54 Pilot Non Display Smartwatch Connected watch
Watches

Fossil Expanding Wearable Lineup Starting With Q54 Pilot

January 6, 2016

Fossil Q54 Pilot Non Display Smartwatch Connected watch

Clearly Fossil has been pleased with the reception of their Q line of wearable devices. Less than 3 months after the launch of 4 unique wearable lines, Fossil is already preparing to add more models to their lineup. First up is the upcoming Q54 Pilot. The “non-display” smartwatch is based off of the company’s classic looking Pilot 54 casing, which is extremely handsome in design. Besides looks, the new chronograph watch is pretty much identical to the existing Q Grant model. This means it tracks your daily activity and alerts you to notifications via vibration (Fossil calls it a “buzz”) and a discreet multicolor LED light. It will be available this Spring in either a leather version for $175 or a stainless version for $215. Later this year, Fossil will also introduce 2 new variations of the Q Dreamer, their women’s activity tracker. The company will add a faux tortoiseshell model and a shimmer horn acetate version. While there aren’t any images yet of the new Q Dreamer finishes, based off of other Fossil products that use the same materials, we expect them to be quite attractive. In case you need refreshing; the Q Dreamer is worn like a bracelet, alerts you to notifications (via LED and vibration), and tracks your daily activity. Both new variations will both launch this Summer and are expected to retail for $145.  

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by Doug Parker
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WiseWear Socialite Smart Bracelet Wearable Notifications Alarm Alert Safety
Jewelry

WiseWear Smart Bracelet Designed To Keep Women Safe

January 6, 2016

WiseWear Socialite Smart Bracelet Wearable Notifications Alarm Alert Safety

Walking alone at night is a stressful experience for a lot of women. The fear of an attack is real and rarely is there time to alert anyone if you need help. Some women carry around personal attack alarms or hold down the ‘dial’ button on their cell phone until they are safely home, but these solutions only work if you are anticipating something happening. WiseWear has developed a line a wearable smart bracelets, named Socialite, designed not only to help women track their activity and receive notifications but to also keep them safe. By simply tapping the device 3 times, a message is instantly sent to a preset list of contacts indicating you need help. The message also includes a map with your location marked. The bracelet can even trigger an audio recording of your surroundings. Looks wise, WiseWear has developed an extremely clever modular system so that it doesn’t look like you only own one bracelet. The brains of the wearable is in the bottom half of the bracelet. The top portion can be swapped out to create completely different looks. Currently the company has 3 designs which are all interchangeable and plans to release more in the future. You will just need to decide if you prefer all of your Socialite bracelets to be gold or silver. The Socialite costs $299.95, has a 3 day battery life, and is currently available for preorder in 3 styles. WiseWear has not yet posted pricing for additional modular styles. Head past the break to see all the looks.

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by Doug Parker
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