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.
Withings has never been a budget minded company – the company’s first activity tracking watch (the Activité) sells for a staggering $450. Therefore, when Go was announced, we knew it would not be cheap. While the device is on the high end for an activity tracker, it is still less expensive than several Misfit models and arguably offers a higher level of functionality due to the screen. Dollar for dollar, we are impressed with what the Withings Go offers. I am not sure how much of an audience there continues to be for devices that only track your activity, but for those people looking for such a product, the Go deserves strong consideration.
