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Misfit's Vapor X smartwatch boasts longer battery life and Spotify
The latest smartwatch from Misfit is hoping to overcome the pain of limited wearable battery life. Enter the Vapor X, which offers a more power efficient processor and a battery saving mode to keep it going for longer.
Ask Engadget: Which hybrid smartwatch should I buy?
The support shared among readers in the comments section is one of the things we love most about the Engadget community. Over the years, we've known you to offer sage advice on everything from Chromecasts and cameras to drones and smartphones. In fact, our community's knowledge and insights are a reason why many of you participate in the comments. We truly value the time and detail you all spend in responding to questions from your fellow tech-obsessed commenters, which is why we've decided to bring back the much-missed "Ask Engadget" column. This week's question comes to us from a reader who wants advice on which wearable to buy as a gift. Weigh in with your advice in the comments -- and feel free to send your own questions along to ask@engadget.com! I love the look of hybrid smartwatches. What's the best one you guys have seen?
Misfit's $250 Vapor 2 smartwatch adds GPS and NFC
Misfit's Vapor 2 touchscreen smartwatch is ready to join the company's line of fashionable fitness trackers. Unlike the original, the Wear OS-powered Vapor 2 will be equipped with GPS and NFC, making it appealing for those who like the option of leaving their phone at home during workouts. Misfit also upgraded the smartwatch's optical heart sensor which tracks active and resting heart rates.
Misfit's $150 slimmed-down hybrid watch is now available
You can now add Misfit Path, the brand's slimmest hybrid watch yet, to the list of options to choose from if you're looking to buy a high-tech arm candy. The wearable is now available for sale on Misfit's website and will set you back at least $150, depending on the variant you choose and the number of interchangeable (16mm) silicon straps you buy. While the Path's 38mm watchface makes it look like a regular timepiece, it has features its traditional counterparts can't offer.
Misfit slims down its hybrid watch to make the Path
Misfit already makes hybrid smartwatches, but believes that one of the barriers between them and their adoption by the masses is their size. That's why the company has produced the Misfit Path, its slimmest hybrid with a 38mm case size, that offers activity tracking, vibrating alarms and movement reminders.
Misfit's latest hybrid smartwatch focuses on classic style
If it wasn't already evident that Misfit is on a fashion kick with its smartwatches, it is now. The Fossil-owned badge has unveiled a new hybrid smartwatch, the Command, that promises to track your fitness while looking appropriate for formal wear. It delivers notifications and tracks activity (including step count, calories, distance and sleep) much like the Phase did, just without screaming "I am tech." The steel bracelet model in particular wouldn't be out of place at a formal event, even if people won't mistake it for a Montblanc.
Misfit's Vapor Android Wear watch goes on sale October 31st
Nobody can say that Misfit Vapor is vaporware anymore. The smartwatch will finally be available for purchase on October 31st from Misfit's website, though its email subscribers will have the chance to get one earlier than that. We first saw Vapor at CES 2017 back in January when it was still running the company's custom software. A few months later, Misfit changed its tune and switched its proprietary OS with Android Wear 2.0 -- that's the version we're getting on the 31st.
The smartwatch market is actually performing pretty well
While the wearables field is proving a tough space for many companies, smartwatches are apparently doing quite well. In a report from International Data Corporation on this year's second quarter earnings, sales numbers show that wearables are up 10.3 percent year over year. That number includes a small -- nearly one percent -- but notable first time drop in annual growth for basic wearables, like most Fitbit trackers, that don't run third party apps. On the other side of that, though, smartwatch growth topped 60 percent this quarter compared to the same time last year.
Misfit delays its Android Wear smartwatch to October
Misfit said that its Vapor smartwatch would arrive this summer, but the season's nearly over and it has yet to put the device on your wrist. What gives? Well, there's been a delay... although you won't have to wait too much longer. The company tells us that the Android Wear device is now slated to ship in October, 9 months after its CES debut. Misfit tells us that it moved the release because it has "high expectations" for the Vapor and wants to "refine every detail" until the device is "truly outstanding." In other words, the Vapor still had some rough spots as the end-of-summer deadline approached.
Customize your Misfit wearable to match your sense of style
The fashion and wearable industries clash like plaid and stripes, because tech companies are not that savvy on style and vice-versa. Misfit has some of the better-designed trackers and smartwatches out there, but it's making a bigger grab for the fashion crowd with a new service called Make Your Misfit. If you order the Phase, Ray, Shine 2 or upcoming Android Wear Vapor smartwatch, you can mix and match from a wide variety of device and strap colors, then quickly see how that looks.
Apple just bought a popular sleep tracker
Those rumors of Apple Watch sleep tracking just got more tangible. Apple has acquired Beddit, a company whose business revolves around a sleep monitoring device as well as companion iOS and Watch apps. The fate of Beddit's products isn't clear (we've reached out to both Apple and Beddit), but they're surviving for now -- the only difference is that you're now subject to Apple's privacy policy instead of Beddit's own. Neither side has discussed future plans, but the implications are clear.
Misfit's Flare is a $60 no-frills fitness tracker
If you're in the market for a bare-bones fitness tracker, Misfit has just unveiled the $60 Flare. It can track your steps, distance, calories and sleep quality, and you can program the touch-sensitive face to start and stop music or do a few other functions. Don't expect any fancy call or message notifications, movement reminders or other frills, though -- for that, you'll need to step up to Misfit's $100 Ray or Shine 2 trackers.
Misfit's Vapor will run Android Wear instead of its own OS
Android Wear smartwatches are saddled with the problem that the tech companies making them suck at fashion design. So it's good news that one of the better-looking smartwatches out there, the Misfit Vapor, will run Android Wear 2.0 instead of the custom software we saw at CES 2017.
Fossil will give you 300 new smartwatch options in 2017
Fossil swore that it would introduce smartwatches across all its brands, and it's definitely making good on that promise... although the result is a tad overwhelming. The company has announced that it's launching 300 (!) hybrid and touchscreen styles in 2017, and that includes brands that are both introducing their very first wearables as well as veterans jumping into the Android Wear arena. When all is said and done, most of Fossil's labels will have at least some kind of smartwatch on store shelves. We won't go into every single model (do you have a few hours?), but there are some definite highlights.
Vapor is Misfit's first touchscreen smartwatch
While the wearable market isn't as hot as it used to be, Misfit is still holding strong with its lineup of fitness trackers, including the recently launched hybrid Phase watch. And now, it finally has a touchscreen smartwatch, the newly announced Vapor. It looks like a traditional round watch -- something plenty of other companies are aiming for -- but it's a bit more refined than than other smartwatches I've worn. Vapor packs in all of the health tracking features you've come to expect from Misfit, with the addition of built-in GPS and heart-rate tracking. Best of all: It will sell for a reasonable $199.
An app update turns this smart pen into a 3D scanner
A smartpen that could already digitally measure pretty much anything will soon also be able to scan objects in 3D. Developed by Instrumments, a company made up of former Misfit creators, the impressive 01 pen will be getting a new app, adding the 3D functionality next Spring. This Pro App will enable users to roll the 01 pen over 3D objects, capturing contours and wirelessly logging and sharing the 3D data.
The Misfit Phase is yet another connected analog watch
Misfit may not be the first (or even tenth) name that comes to mind when you think about sophisticated design, but its acquisition by the Fossil group last year may have taught it a thing or two about style. The company just debuted the Misfit Phase, an eye-catching analog watch that tracks your steps and sleep habitss and shows your progress toward various fitness goals. Like other smartwatches, it will alert you to incoming calls, messages and app notifications.
Fossil unveils 7 more wearables, including Android Wear watches
When Fossil teased plans to have over 100 wearable devices on store shelves this year, it wasn't clowning around. On top of the abundance of devices it has unveiled so far, it's announcing seven more today. Leading the pack are two Android Wear smartwatches, the multi-finished Q Wander (above) and the slightly tougher Q Marshal. Both are available with 44mm and 46mm circular cases, wireless charging and choices of strap and body styles. They sell at the same $275 starting price as last year's Q Founder, so they might be viable choices if rivals like the Huawei Watch or Moto 360 aren't your cup of tea.
Misfit dives into smart, wireless headphones with Specter
Last year Misfit, a company best known for the attractive Shine health tracker, surprised us all when it introduced a smart light bulb at CES. And this year it's got another shocker: A smart wireless headphone dubbed Specter. It's got all of the usual fitness and sleep tracking technology as Misfit's other gear, but from speaking with reps it doesn't sound like the company intends it to be a primary activity tracker. Instead, Misfit could eventually use Specter's accelerometer for other applications. It's also compatible with Link, the company's app for programming a wide variety of functionality, like taking a selfie with your phone.
Misfit Ray: A stylish wearable that complements your watch
Yes, Misfit has another health tracker for your wrist. But unlike the company's iconic Shine (now in its second version), this one won't take attention away from your fancy wristwatch. It's a longer, less round device called the Misfit Ray. It's more reminiscent of those wristbands you've seen on the impossibly cool people you can't help but judge yourself against at coffee shops, rather than a traditional wrist wearable.
