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HTC and Under Armour's HealthBox hits the UK in June
Arguably the biggest unveiling at CES this year, at least for fitness fanatics, was the UA HealthBox by HTC and Under Armour. There's just one problem for Brits: all three gadgets won't be available until June, well after their US launch date of January 22nd. So if you're ready to buy an activity tracker, scale and heart rate monitor right now -- the basics for a "get fitter" New Year's resolution -- you might want to look at other options.
Under Armour and HTC built an entire fitness ecosystem
Under Armour is a king in the realm of sport apparel. But it's been laying the ground work for sometime now to become a bonafide technology company. It started some years ago with the E39 and eventually the company moved on to the Armour39, but both had fairly limited use cases. In late 2013 though, it started stockpiling fitness apps. For 2016 its bringing all the pieces together, including a partnership with HTC which is helping to design its hardware. But this isn't just another wearable, Under Armour is going all in and launching an entire ecosystem of apps and gadgets at once.
Under Armour's MyFitnessPal goes premium for fitness fanatics
Roughly three months ago, Under Armour snatched up Endomondo and MyFitnessPal for about half a billion bucks. Now, the sports apparel company is looking for a return on its investment by rolling out the first paid-for premium version of MyFitnessPal. This is no casual tracking service, to be clear -- this is meant for serious fitness buffs. For either $10 a month or $50 a year, users can build custom nutrition reports and dig through the minutia of their health data without being bothered by ads.
HTC's Grip fitness tracker is a promising, puzzling first step
We're not entirely sure why HTC decided it needed to make a fitness tracker, but it did, and it has. The end result is the HTC Grip, a device that looks more than a little like one of Nike's FuelBands, but does so, so much more. HTC gave us a peek at an early, incomplete version of the product in Barcelona, but here's the rub: I couldn't connect it to my phone in hopes of testing some of its more smartwatch-y features like notifications and canned responses. Still, venture on for a first peek at what HTC and its pals at Under Armour have cobbled together.
Under Armour spent half a billion dollars on two fitness apps
Under Armour just outed its own fitness-tracking app at last month's CES, but the company seems keen on continually improving its software arsenal. To do so, the Baltimore-based sports outfitter paid $85 million in early January Endomondo: an app for Android, iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry that keeps tabs on data from running, walking, cycling and other distance sports. Endomondo also plays nice with wearables from Jabra, Garmin, Fiitbit, Withings and more. But that's not all: Under Armour also announced alongside its Q4 earnings report that it had nabbed MyFitnessPal for $475 million, too.
Under Armour launches new fitness app, partners with HTC
Under Armour nabbed MapMyFitness in late 2013, and at this year's CES, one of the most recognizable names in sports gear is rolling out an app of its own. UA Record equips both Android and iOS devices with a daily graph of all activity, from steps to workouts and sleep. As you might expect, it'll play nice with wearables like the Jawbone Up, Withings Pulse and Garmin GPS watches. If you're using an iPhone 5s, 6 or 6 Plus, your phone can be leveraged as the tracking device. You can manually enter sleep info, and doing so, along with continually updating your weight, allows UA Record to analyze the whole lot and provide detailed analysis. There are social features built in too, so you can share those milestones and challenge your pals to see who's working the hardest.
Your soccer life, upgraded
Now that we've talked about how you could take your golf skills to another level, it's time to discuss a real sport (just kidding): football. The Beautiful Game has changed tremendously over the past few years, and that's largely due to the technology being used to make soccer equipment lighter, faster and smarter. This, of course, includes balls, footwear and other gear that's meant to help you improve your attributes on the field -- like the Adidas miCoach Smart Ball, for example. But it's not all about the players, young or old, since parents play a big role in the development process of their loved ones. As such, it's very important for them to save memories of their kids as they're growing up, both on and off the field. With that said, let's take a look at some items that might be suited for you, shall we?
Sprint's outdoor-ready Galaxy S5 Sport packs free fitness training
Americans: you no longer have to flock to AT&T to get a Galaxy S phone that can handle your outdoor adventures. Sprint has unveiled the Galaxy S5 Sport, a spin on the Galaxy S5 Active's formula that revolves around fitness. It's not as tough-looking as the Active, but it still offers both a grip-friendly shell and mechanical buttons that are easier to use when you're on a run. The real highlight, though, is the software. The Sport is the first phone with Sprint's Fit Live, an app and services bundle meant to get you moving. It includes a year's worth of Under Armour's MapMyFitness MVP, which brings custom audio coaching and training plans on top of the usual working stats. You'll also get half a year's worth of Spotify Premium music to amp yourself up, and there's an avalanche of health content that you can plaster across your home screen.
Under Armour acquires MapMyFitness to boost its exercise tracking arsenal
One of our main gripes with the Armour39 fitness tracker was the lack of polish on its iOS app and inability to access stats via web. Well, it seems Under Armour is getting serious about improving in those areas as the outfit has acquired MapMyFitness. With over 20 million users, the software currently gathers data for a large collection of wearables that includes both the Jawbone UP and the Nike FuleBand alongside MapMyRide for those who prefer pedal power. "We will build on the community of over 20 million registered users that MapMyFitness has cultivated in the connected fitness space, and together we will serve as a destination for the measurement and analytics needs of all athletes" UA CEO Kevin Plank said. The company will continue to operate out of its Austin, Texas offices after the $150 million deal which is set to be completed by the end of the year. Who knows, maybe we'll see Under Armour tackle in-game tracking on top of consumer options like Adidas has. Only time will tell.
Armour39 review: a fitness tracker for the wannabe elite athlete
Under Armour has always prided itself on the science and technology that goes into its sports apparel. But, let's be honest, the company could spend four times as much on R&D for a shirt as HTC did on the One, and it would still never generate the same fanfare. Sure, a heart rate monitor and app still aren't going to set the tech blog world on fire, but it could be the move that earns the company the respect it deserves. The Armour39 system combines a small Bluetooth LE-enabled pod with a distinctive chest strap and an app that tracks your level of exertion, awarding you WILLpower points. What the system isn't, however, is a "lifestyle" product or an "activity tracker." Under Armour is clearly going after those who fancy themselves athletes. Obviously, the question is whether or not the sportswear company has anything valuable to offer in the space. Does its new training platform actually encourage you to push yourself harder and is it really anything more than a FuelBand with an extra dose of testosterone? The answers are exactly where you'd expect them: after the break.%Gallery-190696%
Under Armour launches Armour39 performance tracking system, we go hands-on
Under Armour has always touted the scientific underpinnings of its sports apparel. From moisture wicking to heat trapping and everything in between, the company is quick to assert that it isn't just another athletic clothing company. But, performance enhancing shirts and pants have their limitations and, arguably, performance monitoring is a far more interesting and burgeoning field. In 2011 it dabbled with E39, a compression shirt with a space to insert a "bug" that included and accelerometer and heart rate monitor. Today, at an event in beautiful, chilly New York City, it officially unveiled the next evolution of that toe-dipping, Armour39. While there may be a shirt in the future, for now the system consists of a traditional chest strap, an iPhone app and an optional watch for those that don't like to carry their expensive smartphone with them on runs.
Under Armour's E39 performance shirt is electric (video)
If athletic events were accessorized with coffee, comfy pajamas, and a particular knack for sedentariness, well, we'd be champs. Alas, sports are more typically characterized by movement which, we're told, increases the participant's pulse, breathing, and likelihood of turning an arm into a tattooed sleeve. Nevertheless, we can't help but be intrigued by the Under Armour E39 ("E" for electric) compression shirt. The performance tee features a removable "bug" sensor equipped with a triaxial accelerometer, processor, and 2GB of storage flanked by additional monitors that measure the wearer's heart rate and breathing. A system provided by Zephyr can then analyze the athlete's individual movements and biometric data to help identify performance issues like when the body is moving out of sync thereby slowing down an athlete's linear speed. Scouts, coaches, and trainers can collect the data over Bluetooth from smartphones, tablets, or PCs to measure and potentially improve performance. An athlete measuring a low G-force for their particular sport could, for example, be put on a strength training regimen to help improve explosiveness. In the future, Under Armour sees the data being collected and analyzed in real-time allowing coaches to replace under performing players right on the field. The NFL has already equipped a handful of players with the E39 shirts during its annual Scouting Combine event -- the results of which you can see in the video after the break.
