NokiaHealth
Latest
Withings revives and updates its Pulse fitness tracker
Just two months after Withings extricated itself from Nokia's grasp and it is already launching its second new wearable. Delving into its distant past, the company has decided to refresh its original fitness tracker, the Pulse, for a new generation. The Pulse HR is a Fitbit Charge-esque band that offers long battery life, smartphone notifications and, naturally, the ability to track your exercise.
How fitness- and health-tracking apps failed me during my pregnancy
I'm not a super fit person. I am considered a healthy weight, and I exercise simply because I enjoy eating and drinking whatever I want. For my type A personality, fitness and health tracking has been an incredible motivator. Being able to close all the rings on my Apple Watch is enough to get me on the treadmill desk or spin bike instead of just sitting with my laptop in front of the television. But since becoming pregnant with my first kid, all that's changed. I was determined to have a healthy pregnancy; while I'm not too particular about what I eat, I wanted to exercise regularly and gain a reasonable amount of weight. I figured my fitness-tracking apps would be a real help in monitoring my goals and progress. I was laughably wrong. Seven months in, I've stopped all fitness and weight tracking because these apps don't take my pregnancy into account.
Withings returns at a dark time for wearables
Withings, which briefly became Nokia Health, is now Withings again. Nokia bought the health-tracking business in 2016 and rebranded it, hoping to compete with Fitbit and even Apple. Amid a bad wearable-market slump, though, the division foundered. To make things worse for Nokia, it was also having other problems elsewhere, like with its costly Ozo camera. Withings co-founder Eric Carreel just bought the company back (for undisclosed terms) with plans to revive the original name and develop new products. But wearables have struggled to become the must-have gadgets they were once framed as, and without Nokia's resources, Withings will have a tough time.
Withings will return after buying out Nokia's health business
Withings is back in the hands of its original owner and will return as a brand. As expected, co-founder Eric Carreel, who sold the business to Nokia just two years ago, has completed the re-acquisition for undisclosed terms, Nokia and Withings announced. For now, Withings will sell existing branded Nokia Health products, including the Nokia Body Cardio scale, BPM+ blood pressure monitor and Health Mate app. However, the company plans to relaunch the Withings brand by the end of 2018, and develop and release new connected health products as well.
