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Fitness Tracker

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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OMsignal OMbra smart sports bra shirt women wearable fitnesstech
Sports, Wearable Technology

OMsignal Announces Smart Biometric Sports Bra

January 6, 2016

OMsignal OMbra smart sports bra shirt women wearable fitnesstech

OMsignal has been promising a solution for women looking to use the company’s smart shirt. The problem has been that the sensors integrated into the OMsignal smart shirt are only designed to work when properly fitted to a man’s body. Instead of introducing a new version of the shirt for women, the company has done one better and has managed to integrate the same technology into a sports bra, the OMbra. This results in a product that is seemingly superior to the men’s shirt; most guys probably do not wear a compression shirt, but women are more than likely donning a sports bra when they exercise. Despite the reduced size versus the shirt, no features were shed. The OMbra records heart rate information, breathing data, and activity metrics to a small black box attached to the garment. The black box can then either wirelessly transmits the data to your phone in real time or store it for retrieval later. The OMbra will ship this spring alongside a new app called OMrun. The new app offers information catered to runners including running economy and breathing rhythm.  

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by Doug Parker
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Misfit Ray Fitness Activity Tracker New Design Watch Necklace
Wearable Technology

The Misfit Ray Is The Company’s First Radically New Wearable

January 5, 2016

Misfit Ray Fitness Activity Tracker New Design Watch Necklace

Notice anything different about the new Misfit Ray – that’s right, it’s not round. The Misfit Ray represents a major move beyond the disc-like design of the Shine and Flash. Shaped like a AAA battery, only shorter and slightly wider, the new wearable is a radicle redesign from a company that thus far hasn’t veered from its original design. The new shape means new ways of wearing the device, which also means new accessories. Misfit envisions wearing the Ray on your wrist with either a leather, woven fabric, or rubber band. The Ray can also be worn around your neck, attached on one end (like a pendant) to either a metal or woven fabric necklace. Unfortunately, if you were expecting anything else new from the device you will be disappointed. But that isn’t all bad news; Misfits have a fantastic 6 month battery life that is continued in the new activity tracker. Ray also borrows some of the Shine 2’s best new features including vibrating notifications utilizing a multicolor LED light and a capacitive touch surface to do things such as take a photo or control your music. The Ray ships this Spring and is currently available for preorder for $99.99. The price also includes a TPU rubber wristband. For $119.99 you can preorder the Ray with a leather band.

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by Doug Parker
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Fitbit Blaze Color Touch Screen Fitness Activity Tracker Smartwatch
Watches

Fitbit Announces Blaze Touchscreen Fitness Wearable

January 5, 2016

Fitbit Blaze Color Touch Screen Fitness Activity Tracker Smartwatch

It is no secret that Fitbit had a huge Holiday season this year. Following the Christmas holiday, the free Fitbit app jumped into the top 15 of the App Store, where it remains almost 2 weeks later. This is a pretty solid predictor of just how many Fitbits were gifted. While the publicly traded company seems to be maintaining its popularity, their devices are starting to feel a bit dated. Their most connected device (the Surge) still has a monochrome display and is clearly marketed (and priced) for the running enthusiast. The company’s other offerings are a huge step down in connectivity, offering, at best, a tiny, single line, text display.  To kick off the new year, Fitbit has upped the ante and is introducing the new Fitbit Blaze. The Blaze is a color touchscreen device designed for fitness and everyday use. It offers several watch faces, rich notifications, music controls, a heart rate monitor, activity tracking, and auto sleep and workout tracking. The device also is able to utilize your phone’s GPS to track your runs and offers guided workouts via the company’s FitStar service. Blaze is basically a small square module that can be popped out and moved between bands; it ships with a rubber sports band but you can purchase additional straps including leather and link metal ones. The $199.95 device is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows Phone and has a 5 day battery life. You can preorder the Blaze now and it is expected to hit retail shelves in March.  

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by Doug Parker
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2015 Gift Guide Fitness Wearables Sports Best featured
Gift Guide

2015 Gift Guide: Fitness Wearables

December 17, 2015

2015 Gift Guide Fitness Wearables Sports Best

While activity trackers are great to make sure you removing around enough, they don’t do a very good job when it comes to sports. Over the past few years we have seen a sharp jump in devices specifically made for athletic endeavors. These devices are incredible because of the depth of metrics they provide. Users are able to gain an understanding of what they are doing right and what could be improved. But most of these devices are less a wearable and more of an accessory – the Zepp sensor attaches to your baseball bat, the Qlipp sensor attaches to your tennis racket, the Arccos system attaches to your golf clubs, and the Adidas Micoach Smart Ball is a sensor laden soccer ball. This year though, we finally started seeing wearable devices cover new ground in fitness and sports. Below we take a look at a few of our favorite fitness wearables from the past year.  

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by Doug Parker
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