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Withings launches its first watch with heart rate monitoring
Much like it was mandatory to wear Loom Bands in 2014, if a fitness wearable can't track your heart rate then it's dead... dead, ya hear? Withings doesn't make fitness wearables so much as timepieces that just happen to track your activity, which justifies its decision to drag its feet on the heart rate sensor issue until now. That's now set to change with the Withings Steel HR, a follow-on to the Activité analog watch that gains an optical HR sensor and a new digital sub-display for smartphone notifications.
Withings' third analog fitness tracker is the $170 Activite Steel
Last year, French hardware maker Withings debuted the Activité, a $450 Swiss-made watch that also functioned as a fitness tracker. It then followed that up with the Activité Pop, a much lower-end version that cost only $150. Now Withings has come out with a wearable that sits somewhere in the middle: The $170 Withings Activité Steel. It isn't quite as luxurious as the Activité -- it has silicone straps instead of leather -- but it's certainly a lot classier than the Pop thanks to its stainless steel housing and chrome hands. The Steel also has a distinctive style all its own, opting for a white hand in the sub-dial instead of orange.
Withings' fitness watches automatically track your swimming
Most activity trackers and smartwatches won't monitor your swimming, and those that do usually require that you kick in a swimming mode before you dive in. Withings doesn't think you should have to switch things up just because you've left dry land, though. The health tech firm has added automatic swim detection to its Activité and Activité Pop watches, so you only need to start that breast stroke for it to register as a workout. You probably won't want to take your tracker on a deep scuba dive (both wearables are resistant down to 164 feet), but this could be very helpful if you'd rather hit the beach this summer than roast during a run.
Withings' Activité fitness watches now talk to your Android phone
If you've been aching to try Withings' Activité fitness watches but couldn't because you don't carry an iPhone, you can relax. The company has announced that both the original Activité and the Pop will support Android as of March 2nd. While the Health Mate app will largely go unchanged, you'll be glad to hear that Withings' data will plug into Google Fit so that you can easily share it between devices. Given that the Pop hasn't reached US stores yet, this is good timing -- you can pick up the new wristwear knowing that it will likely work with your handset of choice. Don't miss out on all the latest news, photos and liveblogs from MWC 2015. Follow along at our events page.
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Withings Activité activity trackers are beautiful, but limited
Forget notifications, forget apps, forget all of the noisy little distractions masquerading as help -- sometimes a wearable is at its best when it stays out of your way. As it turns out, that's just what French hardware house Withings had in mind when it built the Activité ($450) and Activité Pop ($150). In addition to that, though, these fitness bands have something perhaps even more important going for them: With their round faces and classic dials, they don't actually look like activity trackers. Indeed, they're not quite traditional fitness devices, nor are they full-on smartwatches, and I sort of love them for it. Just know that one of them probably isn't for you.
Withings launches a CCTV baby cam that'll monitor your air quality
It might have started out just making connected weighing scales, but Withings is now serious about making your home a healthy place to be. That's why the company has launched Home, a connected baby cam that also pulls double-duty to ensure that you're as healthy as you can be. The cause of some physical strife, so it claims, is VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds in the air. Thanks to the rise in double glazing and a desire to conserve energy, people aren't leaving their windows open as much as they should, leading to a deadly rise in these VOCs in the air.
Withings Activité is a fitness tracker disguised as a designer Swiss watch
Most fitness trackers look like they belong in the gym or on the race track, which is fine if you're working out, but not so great if you want to look your best at the board meeting or that fancy cocktail party. The Withings Activité, however, changes the notion of the fitness tracker entirely with an elegant design that's more reminiscent of a Rolex or a Hublot. That's because the Activité was actually created by a team of Parisian designers and Swiss watch-makers. Available in either black or silver, it's made out of stainless steel 316L and an "unbreakable" sapphire glass that also functions as a touch screen -- you can tap it to switch between modes. Included is a leather strap that's apparently sourced from a famous tannery in France, though you can swap it out with a plastic strap if you prefer. Outfitted with a classic round face and a traditional analog watch display, the Activité has two dials -- the primary one tells the time, while a smaller sub dial keeps track of your activity targets.
