The Vert 2 activity tracker knows if you're making the effort
The original Vert wearable measured your height. The sequel knows how intense your workout or game was.
The original Vert was all about the jumping, and it was quite accurate measuring said jumping. The wearable is getting a 2016 refresh, with an expanded repertoire of metrics that not only includes the frequency of intense movements (sensors are accelerometers and gyros), but also the intensity of the movements themselves. It'll even distinguish between high and low intensity, giving you a total for both at the end. Surges of activity per minute is yet another metric on hand, and one that may prove useful as the company continues to get its wearable tech employed by the NCAA and ESPN for in-game analytics.
While there is a companion app for all the nitty gritty, there's also a digital LED display built into the device with all the numbers -- the wearable itself is an unassuming black nub that's typically positioned around the mid-section. It's the intensity function that's the exciting part: while the original Vert is often used in competitive sports, version 2.0 could also find a home with CrossFit addicts and solo gym goers looking to see if they're pushing themselves -- and how hard. (The Vert 2 offers a G total, to represent the amount of stress the body gets put through.) The company is collaborating with compression clothing firm Zensah this year, so you can expect to see compression sportswear with Vert integrated into the clothing. This could lead to more uses (and sports) for the Vert, as the tech can be held in different places on the body, say the leg or the arm, and offer wildly different movement metrics for a player or athlete. It'll launch in May 2016, at roughly the same price as the original: between $125 to $150.
