HeartRateMonitor
Latest
LG Heart Rate Monitor Earphone review: good fitness gadget, poor earphones
Heart rate monitors are no longer the exclusive domain of fitness gadgets. The last 12 months have seen sensors make their way into smartphones and wearables, replacing for many of us the need for a standalone pulse monitor. The problem is a lot of these options have been unable to deliver accurate heart rate mesurements, partly because those sensors have to maintain contact with your skin; if they slip, then the readout skips. Maybe LG has the answer, then: Put heart rate monitoring technology into a pair of Bluetooth headphones. If you're like me and are constantly wired for sound during workouts, what could possibly be better? LG's Heart Rate Monitor earphones link to an iOS/Android app, with absolutely nothing burdening your wrists. LG's fitness app can even add your exercise sessions to a step counter, so long as you buy LG's optional Lifeband Touch fitness band. What's more, the app also integrates with other fitness apps like RunKeeper. It all sounds great on paper, but there's a problem: the headphones don't actually sound good. Let me explain.
OMsignal's biometric shirt watches you breathe, tells your smartphone about it
Most fitness wearables wrap around your wrist or clip to your belt, but the folks at OMsignal have distilled the category down to its most basic form: the shirt. "We've been wearing clothing all our lives," company CEO and founder Stéphane Marceau says. "It's the most natural and therefore the ultimate "wearable" medium." He's got a point, but that isn't what makes OMsignal's shirts special. The garment includes sensors that measure the wearer's heart rate, breathing and movement and pipes all that data to their smartphone via Bluetooth, which can calculate calories burned, workout intensity and other metrics. All this is powered by a removable data module, of course, which can hold a charge for about 30 workouts. Just make sure to remove it before you put the shirt through the wash. Unfortunately the garment isn't cheap (about $200 for pre-orders) -- and only Men's sizes are available at launch -- but the company hopes to create a women's collection soon.
Wahoo's new heart rate monitor also improves your running form
Many heart rate monitors can show that you're running quickly enough to get a good workout. However, they won't tell you that you're running properly -- which is why Wahoo has just unveiled the TICKR Run, a monitor that includes its own motion sensor. The wearable tracks not just your heartbeat and calories, but also your stride and overall smoothness; you should get a feel for the efficiency of your running style without having to use a separate foot pod.
TomTom's new GPS watches track your heart rate without a chest strap (update: US pricing)
Now that smartwatches have built-in heart rate monitors, it's not enough for GPS watch makers to require a chest strap for the same feature -- they've got to step up. TomTom, at least, is ready. It just revealed the Runner Cardio and Multi-Sport Cardio, both of which improve on the original Runner watch by combining position-based exercise tracking with an integrated optical heart rate sensor. The new wristwear lets you train based on intensity, ranging from low-tempo warmups to full-on sprints. If that's the kind of fitness monitoring you've been craving, you can pre-order the Runner Cardio and Multi-Sport Cardio for £250 ($416) and £280 ($466) respectively. Update: TomTom has since given out US pricing: it'll cost $269 for the Runner Cardio, and $299 for its Multi-Sport sibling.
Samsung's wearable blitz may not be over: here comes the 'S-Circle'
Compared to the glitz surrounding its latest Gear smartwatches, Samsung's more basic fitness bands have so far failed to garner much attention. The electronics giant doesn't seem to be giving up on this cheaper sort of wearable, however, because an unannounced model called the "S-Circle" has just cropped up at the FCC, having already appeared at the Bluetooth SIG a while back. The FCC paperwork confirms the device's model number (EI-AN900A) and description as an "activity tracker," as well as its inclusion of Bluetooth Low-Energy, and all of this points to it being a member of the same family as the S Band (shown above) and Heart Rate Monitor Band that launched with the Galaxy S4 last year. There's at least some chance that the S-Circle will combine these functions into a single low-cost device, transmitting both movement and heart rate data to Samsung's S-Health app, but that's just optimistic speculation on our part. Either way, it looks like Galaxy S5 owners who care more about muscle tone than Moschino may have the option of another accessory pretty soon.
Meet Samsung's new smartwatch family: the Gear 2, Neo and Fit
Samsung's new Gear smartwatches are no longer card-carrying members of its Android Galaxy. That's because Tizen, the company's open-sourced OS, has taken over the reins for the line begot by the barely five-month-old Galaxy Gear. And, in typical Samsung fashion, the company hasn't released just one new Gear, but three with very specific areas of focus: the fashionable Gear 2, the functional Gear Neo and fitness-focused Gear Fit. The newly announced trio was on display here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, giving us a chance to get acquainted with their particular quirks and let you know whether or not to free up some space on your wrist.
LG Lifeband touch and Heart Rate Monitor earphones aim to help you keep fit
Televisions aren't the only thing LG brought to CES this year -- it's lugged along a couple of wearable fitness devices, too. In fact, we've already seen one of them. The company's FuelBand competitor showcased at CES last year resurfaced as the Lifeband Touch, a fitness band with a swipe-friendly OLED touchscreen that displays physical activity info and calories burned. Naturally, it pairs up with Android and iOS devices to get incoming calls and text information, but if you want to make the most out of it, you'll need to pair it with the company's second CES wearable: a pair of Heart Rate Monitor earphones. Aside from functioning as normal earbuds, they can track heartbeats by measuring signals from the inner ear. The South Korean company has yet to set a release date for either device, but we'll update you when we hear more.
Wellograph is an activity tracker with good looks and fun graphs (hands-on)
One of the latest entrants to the crowded wearables market is an activity tracker that you might actually want to wear on a night out. The Wellograph, a device with a sapphire crystal display, features a heart rate monitor and an activity tracker, and -- gasp -- it's a standalone device, with no smartphone integration to speak of beyond syncing with Bluetooth 4.0. Sarasin Art Booppanon, CEO of Wellograph, told us his product stands out from other activity trackers by displaying information such as steps taken and heartbeats per minute in graph form (rather than simply displaying digits). Another distinguishing feature: the sapphire crystal display, allegedly the first to appear on a moderately priced consumer product. This type of screen is known for its scratch-resistance, and while that's not something we could easily put to the test here at CES Unveiled, we can tell you it looked (and felt) pretty sturdy.
Runtastic brings a GPS watch, fitness monitors and more to the US
Most app developers have few incentives to build their own hardware, let alone the resources. With 25 million mobile users, Runtastic has both -- so it only makes sense that the company is bringing a slate of complementary exercise gear to the US for the first time. The initial catalog won't shock cyclists and runners who have ever toyed with tracking their progress, but it's certainly complete. Along with Runtastic's take on a GPS watch ($150), there's also an app-friendly heart rate monitor ($70), a speed sensor ($60), an armband and a bike mount. While the peripherals only truly make sense for Runtastic loyalists, they're available today through Amazon -- and they might seal the deal for athletes who want a harmonious blend of hardware and software.
Heart Beat Rate Pro measures pulse with iPhone camera
Heart Beat Rate Pro (US$1.99) represents one of a new breed of iOS apps that measures your pulse using the iPhone's built-in camera. It works by holding your finger over the camera. With the built-in flash illuminated, the app counts your heart beats, automatically detecting your pulse. I tested the app on several subjects, simultaneously using a pulse oximeter reading for comparison. What I found was that for casual use, the app did a pretty good job, all things considered. There were, however, drawbacks compared to the pulseox. First, it took a lot longer to sync the signal. The fingertip unit could pick up a pulse in just a few seconds. The app took nearly a minute of synchronization and measurement. And, there were times when the app failed to sync, so couldn't measure the pulse at all. Second, the app was a lot less accurate moment-to-moment. Although the results were pretty good on average, the immediate measurements were sometimes off by a bit. The results improved over time, as the sync grew steadier. The values towards the end of each minute's trial were better than the ones at the start. For example, on one trial, I got a reading of the low 50s on a pulse that was actually in the 90s. It caught up by the end of the trial. Finally, I found that there's a bit of a trick on using the app. You need to have the subject hold the phone with one hand, placing his or her finger over the camera hole. Reversing this position provided insufficient coverage over the camera. In the end, this is a nice little app for runners and anyone else who does exercise. If you don't like standing with your finger over your wrist, counting while watching a second hand, it offers a workable alternative. For those who are really serious about self-monitoring, you might want to pick up a normal athlete's monitoring system or buy a pocket pulseox unit instead.
Zensorium launches Tinké cardiorespiratory health and stress monitor for iOS devices (video)
Planning a gluttonous holiday season and then a health kick in the New Year to balance it out? Well, when you start on the latter, you might want one of Zensorium's Tinké cardiorespiratory monitors to track your progress. The sensor is compatible with any of your old-fashioned 30-pin iOS devices (it'll work with the Lightning adapter, too), and with the press of a thumb, it can measure heart rate, blood oxygenation and respiratory rate using light. All this data is fed into the free companion app, which generates an overall fitness score called the "Vita Index" and logs it for later comparison. Stress levels can also be assessed, using fluctuations in your heart rate to score the "Zen Index." Sharing how unfit and stressed you are can be done via Facebook or Tinké's own network, which also allows you to compare results with other users worldwide. The monitor will set you back $119 and is available now from Zensorium (link below) in a choice of four colors. If you'd like to start improving your Zen Index right now, then check out the soothing acoustic sounds in the product walkthrough video below the fold.
MIO Alpha watch goes on sale for $199, touts high-grade heart monitoring on the run
As popular as heart rate monitors can be for runners looking to improve their health, they're often definitions of compromise that require bulky gear or direct finger contact to reliably find the heartbeat. MIO's newly available Alpha watch may be just the remedy for those who aren't content to bulk up or slow down to avoid that guesswork. The monitor uses an electro-optical cell and a pair of light beams to track the volume of blood under the wrist, and compensates for the usual jostling through a motion sensor; the result is a purportedly very high level of accuracy at up to a 12MPH pace without wearing ungainly extras. For most, the catch will be a narrow-purpose design that leaves GPS and other less cardiovascular measurements to a smartphone or bike computer paired through Bluetooth 4.0. Should most of your exercise involve striving for the perfect BPM, though, the $199 asking price for the Alpha (online for now, at retail in early 2013) could justify itself in short order.
Researchers create video game that monitors heart rate to keep children's anger in check
Nintendo may have left its Vitality Sensor by the wayside, but researchers at Boston Children's Hospital are using heart rate monitoring in a video game to teach children with anger issues how to temper their emotions. Dubbed RAGE (Regulate and Gain Emotional) Control, the game tasks players with blasting hostile spaceships while keeping their heart rate from exceeding a predefined limit. If a gamer's pulse rises above the ceiling, they'll lose the ability to shoot until they can ease their pulse back down. A group of 18 kids who received standard treatments and played the game for five, 15-minute-long sessions had better control of their heart rate and lower anger levels than a group that only used traditional treatments. Currently, a controlled clinical trial of RAGE Control is underway and there are plans to take the concept a step further with toys and games suited for younger children. Look out below for the full press release or tap the second source link for the team's paper in the Journal of Adolescent Psychiatry. [Image credit: Thirteen of Clubs, Flickr]
Prototype heart monitor collar could let sheep text their shepherd, tattle on creeping wolves
It's easy to imagine the lonely Swiss shepherd casually texting his pals during a long day in the field, but reading an SMS from his flock? More possible then you might think. A recent trial in Switzerland outfitted 10 sheep with heart monitoring collars and submitted them to a simulated wolf attack, causing their heart rate to jump from 60 / 80 BPM to 225. The team behind the experiment hope to pair the significant change in heart rate with a future device that releases a predator deterrent while simultaneously sending a text message to the local shepherd. Complete prototypes are being prepped for a 2013 trial in Switzerland and France, where wolf attacks are on the rise. The devices hopes to offer owners of smaller flocks an affordable alternative to keeping a sheepdog. [Image credit: Shutterstock]
Motorola discounts the MOTOACTV $100, hopes you're still in bikini slim-down mode
Still in the middle of your seasonal weight loss regimen? Well, if you're in the market for a new fitness wearable, Motorola has dropped the price on its MOTOACTV to $149.99 for the 8GB model, $199.99 for the 16GB version and $299.99 for the Multi-Sport Edition. Need a quick refresher? You can expect to keep track of your running, biking, golfing and other sporty exploits alongside GPS, MP3 playback, heart rate monitor and Bluetooth. You'll also be able to brag about those progress updates with your Facebook and Twitter mates alongside the $100 price cut. Ready to commit? Hit that source link below to do just that.
Sony patent proposal ponders planting physicians inside your plasma
Remember when Sony said it would "unify" its product lines and consider going into the medical device business? Well, we've unearthed this patent application from 2010 that does that just. A wireless wristband monitors your heart rate, vitals and blood glucose levels, and beams that information to your TV over infra-red. Your data will then update in real time for you to watch of an evening, if it's a choice between that and Gossip Girl, at least. Moreover, if your TV is web-connected, it could even send emergency messages to your local HMO if the conclusion of your favorite show / sporting event sends you into chest-clutching fits of apoplexy.
Recon Instruments touts SDK for GPS-enabled ski goggles, polar heart rate monitor compatibility in tow
Like clockwork, Recon Instruments is choosing CES once again to launch its next functionality improvement for those futuristic GPS-enabled ski goggles that we first saw in 2010. This year's revelation is the impending launch (May 2012, to be precise) of a software development kit for the Android-based MOD Live -- a little diddy we sat down with a few months back. Moreover, there's soon to be support with the Polar WearLink+ transmitter with Bluetooth. The MOD Live near-eye device enables skiers and riders to see a hodgepodge of instant (and useful) information, and with an SDK on the way, the amount of available data is sure to increase. We're told that the outfit's working with "strategic partners" to bring specific apps to the table, where users will see things like 2D graphics at up to 30fps, location / speed / altitude registers, time / jump analytics and free fall detection. Head on past the break for the full PR, and go ahead and book yourself a trip to the arctic in May; something tells us Whitefish, Montana's going to be mostly green by then.
Basis unveils web dashboard for Basis Band health tracker, makes it easy to see how unhealthy you are
The Basis Band is a health tracking watch with optical sensors that track your heart rate, an accelerometer to see how active you are, galvanic skin response to measure your perspiration, plus ambient and skin temperature sensors. All that data gets run through a few Basis algorithms to create a picture of your health that's displayed in the handy-dandy web portal you see above. The dashboard is meant to make your data digestible so you can create (and meet) your health goals, and there's both game mechanics and social media integration to keep you motivated. Of course, you can access the raw data if you're into tracking pulse rates and perspiration levels. We got a chance to speak with company CEO Jeff Holove about Basis, and he said it's meant to enable the every man to track his health during regular daily activities -- as opposed to similar products from Garmin and Polar that are aimed at athletes. If that sounds good to you, the Basis Band comes out in "early 2012" for $199, and the cloud service will be free for those who buy in. PR and a video are after the break.
Google Health's New Year's Resolution is to cease to exist, countdown begins to save your data
Back in June, Google announced that it would be 'retiring' Health effective January 1, 2012. Now, everything appears to be on-track for the shutdown, with Google sending out a final reminder to Health customers earlier today. You have until the stroke of midnight to access the service or port your data to a competitor -- after which point you'll no longer be able to view information saved to your account, though it'll remain available to download in .zip format for another year. Want to know more? Hit up the source link for the Google Health FAQ.
Wahoo Fitness' iPhone 4S-compatible Blue HR heart rate monitor ships in January for $80
Remember that Wahoo Fitness Bluetooth 4.0 heart rate monitor we showed you last month? Here she is again. The company's proper unveiling of the device will come at CES 2012, linking up exclusively (at first, anyway) with the iPhone 4S and other Bluetooth Smart Ready devices. By tapping into the Blue HR and harnessing your fitness app of choice (a nice touch, we must say), you'll have access to heart rate data, music playlists, phone, maps, etc., all in one place. It'll start shipping in January for $79.99, and we're told that the product will launch with "full support of several of Wahoo Fitness' app partners, who have been working with Wahoo's Open API to support the Blue HR." A few compatible apps have already filtered into the App Store, including MapMyFitness, RunKeeper, 321Run, Runmeter, and MotionX, and the company's expecting even more in 2012. Full PR is after the break, no galloping required.
