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Garmin’s new Vivoactive watch can track your yoga sessions
Garmin has turned up at IFA with a whole host of new watches, including the flagship Venu and its Avengers-branded special editions. But the company has also taken the time to refresh its line of cheaper Vivoactive GPS watches. The new Vivoactive 4 and 4S models offer the same features you would expect from the series, with the addition of respiration tracking. Watches can now monitor your breathing when you're doing yoga — previously limited to when you wore a chest strap.
Garmin's vivoactive 3 smartwatch can now help you pay for things
Garmin is mostly known for fitness watches, but introduced something with the launch of its new vivoactive 3 smartwatch: Contactless payments. Several months after announcing this new feature would debut with the wearable, the company's Garmin Pay system is now live, allowing wearers to leave their wallets and phones at home when going out for a run.
Garmin's restyled Vivoactive is a big improvement
It's fair to say that we weren't blown away by the Vivoactive smartwatch last year. But Garmin's recently announced Vivoactive HR feels a lot better. Functionally, it shares a lot with its predecessor. It has a similar low-res color touchscreen LCD and comfortable watchband, the same built-in GPS, the same week-long battery (Garmin says eight days in activity tracking mode). But it's all in a smaller, more attractive package.
Garmin's Vivoactive fitness tracker isn't for everyone -- and that's okay
There may never be a wearable equivalent of the iPhone -- a must-have gadget that sparks a fundamental change in how we live. Instead, the future of wearables is all about niche products that may be right for some, but won't necessarily be everyone's cup of tea. That's my main takeaway after spending a few weeks with Garmin's Vivoactive ($250), which is yet another one of its wearable gadgets for people who make working out a way of life. Honestly, though, it's a thought I've had percolating for a while now, especially after Jawbone's disappointing Up3. The Vivoactive isn't a great smartwatch or activity tracker for most people, but for someone who demands a GPS-enabled wearable for tracking their runs, swims and just about anything involving movement, it might be ideal.
Garmin intros three smartwatches, all of them aimed at sports junkies
Credit where it's due: Garmin has managed to basically reinvent itself. Once the king of in-car GPS navigation, the company is now equally known for its sports watches and fitness trackers. Indeed, with the exception of a few low-end navigators no one cares about, Garmin is pretty much only showing wearable devices here at CES. In brief, this year's lineup runs the gamut, with prices starting at $250 and going all the way up to $600. Still, they all have this in common: They're equal parts smartwatch and fitness tracker.
