activity tracker
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One in five Americans wears a smartwatch or fitness tracker, Pew claims
If you've noticed devices on many people's wrists, you're not the only one -- new data suggests they're quite common. Pew Research Center has published a study indicating that just over one in five American adult respondents (21 percent) regularly uses a smartwatch or fitness tracker. It won't surprise you to hear that adoption is significantly higher among households with incomes of $75,000 or more (31 percent), but the gaps in areas like age, gender and ethnicity were smaller.
Alphabet is reportedly interested in buying Fitbit
Fitbit is apparently quite serious about exploring a sale. Reuters sources said Alphabet has "made an offer" to buy Fitbit for an as yet undetermined amount. The insiders warned there was no guarantee the talks would lead to a deal, but the indication of interest is still huge by itself. We've reached out to Alphabet and Fitbit for comment, although they declined to comment to Reuters.
Fitbit will play a key role in Singapore's public health program
Never mind getting a fitness tracker through your insurance company -- in Singapore, the government will encourage you to get one. Fitbit has unveiled a partnership with Singapore's Health Promotion Board on an initiative, Live Healthy SG, that will spur the city-state's residents to adopt fitness trackers. If you commit to a year's worth of Fitbit's Premium health coaching service and agree to share that data with the Board, you'll get a free Inspire HR tracker. The aim, as you might imagine, is to both keep Singaporeans in good shape and "enrich" the Board's health promos with useful info.
Here's why Netflix is tracking some Android users' physical activity
Netflix is tracking some users' physical activity, but it isn't exactly moving into Fitbit's territory. Details of the test first emerged when a security researcher said the Netflix app on his Android device requested access to his physical activity data. It might seem odd on the surface that Netflix would like to know when you're moving around, but there's some solid reasoning behind the move.
Your sleep tracker might make insomnia worse
Sleep tracking can help you determine if you're getting a good night's rest, but it might exacerbate your problems in some circumstances. Scientists talking to the New York Times have warned that sleep tracker apps and devices can worsen insomnia both through inaccurate data and by making your anxieties that much worse. In a study, for instance, it led to people both spending too much time in bed (to boost their sleep stats) and reporting non-existent conditions that resulted in wasted treatment.
The $70 Fitbit for kids is now available
Last summer, Fitbit introduced its kid-focussed fitness tracker, Ace. Now, the company is back with a new model, Ace 2, and it's dropped the price by $30. Fitbit teased Ace 2 in March, when it announced its Inspire and Inspire HR wearables, but the kid-friendly device is just now available and listed at $69.95.
HTC won't ship the Grip after all, but its fitness ambition lives on
Hey, remember that time HTC built a fitness tracker (with a little help from Under Armor) and showed it off in Barcelona? The one that was originally slated for a Spring launch? Well, we're knee-deep in Summer already, and the company just confirmed to us that it no longer plans to ship the Grip we've already seen. As a spokesperson put it, the company "decided to align Grip with the entire product portfolio for health and fitness launching later this year" after "extensive wear testing and user feedback." In other words, the exact Grip we saw in Spain won't hit the market, but something better will.
Engadget giveaway: win an iPad mini 3 courtesy of Blast Motion!
Is that cross fit regimen working? Perhaps that batting cage practice is paying off or you're lofting those dunks better than ever. Capturing the action on video will tell part of the story, but adding stats or instant slow-mo edits can add a whole new dimension. Blast Motion is a 3D motion capture sensor that works alongside video to help analyze performance by tracing factors like vertical height, rotation, acceleration and more through a variety of custom apps depending on your sport. It plays well with iOS, so the company provided us with one of Apple's iPad mini 3 slates along with Blast Motion's Athletic Performance package so one lucky Engadget reader can start getting their stunts on film. Metrics from all your jump shots, swings, leaps and flips are ready to view in chart form to help trace your progress over time and if you're particularly impressed with yourself, it's easy to share your exploits through social media. In order to take Blast Motion's sensor and a new iPad mini 3 for a spin, all you need to do head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning. Winner: congratulations to Chris C. of Torrance, CA.
Wellograph 2.0 adds sleep tracking to its stylish activity tracker
Wellograph's stylish, yet flawed activity tracker was one of the first wearables with a sapphire crystal display. Not one to rest upon its laurels, however, the company has spent the last few months revamping both the Wellograph's operating system and companion app for 2015. New features include sleep tracking, body readiness analysis and the unit will even identify how stressed you feel when your boss demands some TPS reports. In addition, there's a new social aspect that'll let you compete with your friends and enemies.
Polar's new fitness watch is a step up from a regular activity tracker
Can it really be a year since Polar rocked up at CES promising to change the world with its all-powerful V800? Yes, yes it can. This time around, however, the company is aiming its sights not at hardcore runners, but at people looking for a cheaper, yet more sophisticated activity tracker. Similar to the company's other budget fitness watches like the FT60, Polar's A300 ditches the GPS in favor of Loop-style 24/7 activity and sleep tracking.
Fitbit announces three new activity trackers, including a GPS watch
The last year has been a bit rough for Fitbit. The biggest thorn in its side has obviously been the allergic reactions to, and the subsequent recall of, its Force fitness tracker. Despite having spent the better part of 2014 without its flagship model on store shelves, the company still holds a lead over its competitors in market share. And now it's hoping to extend that lead with an all-out assault on the activity tracking market. Today the company is announcing not one, but three new devices that are set to be released over the next several months.
Avid Watch sports smartwatch launches on Kickstarter: A first look
Fitness wearables are the hot thing now, with a surprising number of new entrants rushing into the world where only Fitbit used to tread. Today, Vancouver-based AvidSport launched a Kickstarter campaign to get a new sports smartwatch called Avid Watch into production and in stores by April of 2015. What's different about Avid Watch? A lot of things. Sure, the watch itself has connectivity to your iPhone and there's an app for tracking your activity and changing settings -- many sports smartwatches have that capability. But the Avid Watch has built-in functions not only for running and walking, but cycling and golf as well. To enable tracking of your rides, runs, or golf rounds, Avid Watch comes with a separate wrist-borne device -- Avid Track -- so that you don't need to have your iPhone with you for GPS capabilities. With that short explanation out of the way, let's talk a bit about the pre-production device that I was able to test recently. Design The Avid Watch follows the tried and true design meme that seems to follow most smartwatches: it's a boxy little device, equipped out of the box with a flexible hypoallergenic silicone band. The band is about an inch wide and very comfortable on extended wear, and if you wish to, you can replace it with any other band you desire. The case of the watch is made of anodized aluminum, and there's a very useful display for telling you everything you'll need to know. That case is 1.48 inches wide at its widest point, and 1.67 inches high. It's about .48 inches thick. There are four buttons on the device - one on the top left side, three others spaced equally on the right side. While the left button is used to power the watch on and off, the buttons on the right are used to navigate the user interface. This makes it much easier to move through the various screens -- that was one of the major problems I had with Wellograph. Like Wellograph, the Avid Watch uses a monochrome display with a backlight that can be turned on with a push of the power button. The display is 1.26 inches diagonal, with 144 x 168 pixels resolution. The Avid Watch has a number of watch displays that you can choose from, and the watch is automatically set to your local time upon syncing it to your iPhone for the first time. The device also displays local weather by showing an icon (sun, cloud, etc...) and the temperature. I found the Avid Watch display to be much more readable under a variety of lighting conditions than the Wellograph. Unlike the Avid Watch, the Avid Track has no display and features a bright silicone band (yellow on my test device) and case with a black top. There's one button on the device that's used to pair it with your iPhone or Avid Watch, and an LED to indicate status (red for charging, blue for on/pairing). Both devices come with magnetic charging cables; the one for the watch is more like a dock, while the other simply latches to the back of the Avid Track. Let it be known that I am not a fan of magnetic charging cables ever since I had one latch onto another plugged-in USB cable, short out, and melt the cable... Let's hear it for inductive chargers! The battery is designed to last up to 41 days between charges if you're just using the Avid Watch as a timepiece. Use Bluetooth, and the battery life goes down to 4 days. In GPS mode (which I don't understand as the Watch doesn't have built-in GPS but uses Bluetooth to communicate with the iPhone or Avid Track), you'll get about 14 hours of life. Function Due to the short amount of time I had to test the device prior to writing this review, I can't say that I was able to give it the full workout. However, I was able to test its functionality as a step tracker and smartwatch, and even try the Avid Watch / Avid Track combo. I tested a pre-production unit, and on occasion it acted like one. For example, when I first tried to get the Avid Watch and Avid Track to pair via Bluetooth, they wouldn't connect. Other times, they synced almost immediately. My guess is that the first sync attempts were occurring inside my office where the GPS signal was nonexistent, and that was keeping things from working properly. As a smartwatch, the Avid Watch works as a wrist-mounted display to provide notifications. You'll see who calls are coming from, notifications of new mail or text messages, what's happening on your favorite social networks, reminders, and what's coming up on your calendar. One thing I could not figure out how to do is call up a history of the notifications for review. You can also do some rather fun things with the watch, like control music on your iPhone or use it as a remote shutter release for the camera on your phone. There's even a way to get your iPhone to buzz or chime if you've misplaced it, simply by pressing a button on the watch. With the accompanying RW700 app (free) on your iPhone, you're able to get a view of all of the workouts you've gone through, change settings, and send your tracked items to the Avidsport cloud. I was particularly fascinated with the golf function. According to the Avid Sports team, the watch comes with about 3,000 golf course layouts pre-loaded. For a specific hole, the Avid Watch calculates distance to the front, center and back of the green -- no more guessing. You can also use the device as an electronic scorecard by capturing stokes and penalties, then push the information to the RW700 app and on to the Avid Sport dashboard for further analysis. Upon linking the Avid Watch and Avid Track, then giving the devices a minute to think, I was greeted with a very accurate and complete list of local golf courses. Had I been on one of the courses -- and on the first hole -- I would have seen the distances to the green as well. What's the watch missing? As far as I can tell, there's no way for it to sense and track your heart rate (you can link a Bluetooth heart rate monitor to it, but that's yet another device). Although it can act as a notification device for a number of apps, it doesn't seem to have a developer API so that third-party developers can add new notifications -- perhaps that's done by the AvidSport team. There's also no sleep tracking capability, something that is popular with those who track their health religiously. To be honest, I'm confused about the entire idea of having a second "watch" (the Avid Track) for the GPS function. That idea is based on runners, cyclists, and golfers not wanting to carry their smartphones with them, yet this is something that most fitness fanatics have no problems doing since they want to listen to music or even take photos while out and about. By adding a second wrist device, the team is adding unneeded complexity to the design as the Watch has to be able to pair not only with the iPhone, but with another device as well. Although the Avid Watch/Avid Track combo is reasonably priced at CAD$189, not having the Avid Track would drop the price of the Watch alone into a realm that would be even more affordable. The Avid team does point out that you can still run without wearing Avid Track or pairing the device with a smartphone -- you just won't get a route record. Conclusion Since this is a Kickstarter campaign and there is obviously some work left to be done prior to the actual release of the product, I'm not going to provide one of our "star ratings" at this time. In summary, things I like about the Avid Watch include the easy-to-navigate user interface, the reasonable price point, the display clarity (especially in bright sunlight), and the multi-sport orientation. The main thing I'm not fond is the idea of wearing a second wristband to supply GPS, although that's a personal preference for me -- as we say in the blogging business, your mileage may vary if you don't always carry your smartphone with you. I noted during my recent review of the Wallograph that I wondered how anyone could even think about developing a smartwatch at this time when the twin gorillas in the room - Apple Watch and Android Wear -- are getting ready to unleash much more capable devices. Well, the Avid Watch is less expensive, and for a number of athletes it may be all they really need. As with all crowdfunding projects, the public will get to "vote" for the Avid Watch with their wallets. The team has a goal of raising CDN$150,000 in the next 30 days, and I wish them the best of luck - they're obviously talented, but just need a bit more time and money to polish up the rough edges. Especially if you're a golfer, the Avid Watch has a lot to offer.
MapMyFitness for iPhone lets you see all your activity in one place
The best thing about iOS 8 isn't continuity texting or a liberated keyboard -- it's that it'll give you rock hard abs. Which is exactly what you need if you're going to pull off any of Under Armour's skin-tight clothing. The sports brand wants to help you along with that, and has just updated its suite of apps (the popular MapMy... franchise it bought) to include unified activity tracking. This means if you have compatible hardware (like Jawbone's UP, or a Withings Pulse) or an iPhone with an M7/M8 chip in it, you can fold all your activity data into the one MapMyFitness app. This also means you won't get dupes any more if you were already tracking with the app and a tracker separately. Already working on those biceps by lifting your fancy new iPhone 6 Plus? Good, because the apps have also been given a digital nip and tuck to look extra buff on the new larger displays.
Misfit Flash is an affordable, fun, and waterproof wearable
If you think that the world of wearables turned all Apple last week with the announcement of the Watch, you're wrong. Over the past few days TUAW has received information about a number of new wearables, including one that is incredibly affordable. The new Misfit Flash (US$49.99) is the second wearable from the same folks who brought you the Shine. Misfit, of course, is the company co-founded by none other than ex-Apple-and-Pepsi CEO John Sculley along with Sonny Vu and Sridhar Iyengar. Despite its low price tag, Flash is relatively full-featured. It's made out of a soft-touch plastic for comfort and it's waterproof down to 30 meters (98 feet). As you well know, the much more pricey smartwatch from Apple isn't waterproof... While the Misfit Flash won't run apps like Apple's Watch will when it arrives next year, it will track your activity and sleep, tell you the time, and sync with the Misfit App on your iPhone. Flash comes in seven colors, including "lemon-lime Zest, funky Fuchsia, and minimalist Frost." Like the Shine, you'll never have to charge the Flash -- it uses a common watch/camera battery to run for up to six months. You'll be able to buy one at Best Buy, Target, Amazon.com, and Walmart starting in October, or you can pre-order one today.
Apple Watch monitors your activity and workouts with two separate apps
Does the Apple Watch spell doom for dedicated fitness devices from Fitbit, Withings and Jawbone? Certainly, it looks as if you won't need one if you own Apple's first wearable, since the device ships with a pair of apps specifically designed to track fitness. The first is Activity, which measures the quantity of your sitting, standing and movement on a daily basis. There are three "rings" on the display, and you make each one disappear by performing the requisite amount of movement for each one. For instance, the exercise ring will disappear if you've moved at a pace above a brisk walk for more than 30 minutes in a single day. The move ring, meanwhile, will disappear when you've burned off a predetermined quantity of calories, and the standing ring disappears if you get up and stand for a single minute each hour, for 12 hours. Apple claims that Activity will learn your daily patterns, and when it senses that you're chilling out on the couch, it will give you a Jawbone-esque reminder to get up off the couch -- just like your very own personal trainer.
How would you change the Fitbit Flex?
Fitbit is one of the most well respected names in the quantified-self space, so we expected a lot of the Fitbit Flex. When we put the device in front of Terrence O'Brien, he found that it wasn't the most feature-packed, or the flashiest, but certainly the most well-rounded device on the market. That was despite the fact that the Nike Fuelband had a better display and the Jawbone Up had a better mobile platform. One of the reasons, of course, that the Flex won out was its cheaper price, and you can rarely argue with that. What we'd like you all to do this week is to sign up to our product forums and discuss what, if Fitbit came knocking on your door, you'd change.
Activity tracker for seniors lets you know when something's wrong
We're always interested in wearables that go beyond just telling you how many steps you've walked in a day. CarePredict, for instance, is building a smartwatch that's designed to monitor the elderly while maintaining their independence. The Tempo is a wrist-worn sensor that keeps an eye on someone's activity patterns, and should it spot an anomaly, raise the alarm. It works by mapping out a general schedule of the day, and observing changes like an unusual mid-day nap or if someone has remained still in one room for too long. It'll even observe trends over a much longer period of time, so if someone's walking pace slows over a couple of weeks, you'll be able to see it and address any underlying issues.
SexFit is a pedometer for your penis
It was only a matter of time before wearable technology moved from people's heads and wrists and ventured downstairs. British adult retailer Bondara is leading the charge, showing off a prototype activity tracker and sex toy that goes on the gentleman's region. The SexFit is a ring that sits at the base of the penis, trapping blood for better, uh, erections, but also packs an accelerometer and Bluetooth module. That way, your in-and-out statistics will be shared with a companion app on a smartphone that'll tell you your thrust per minute and even the calories you've burned. Oh, and you can even share those figures with your shocked friends on social media.
Daily App: Fjuul is a unique activity tracker for your iPhone
Fjuul is a US$2.99 (briefly on sale for $0.99) health-related app that tracks your full body activity. The app runs in the background, and uses the iPhone sensors and your location to get a handle on what you are doing and how much exercise you are getting. Once you enter your body characteristics and age, the app calculates calories burned and allows you to set goals while you adjust your level of activity. "We've developed Fjuul using a scientific approach to activity tracking, with a focus on the intensity of someone's movements. With Fjuul, it doesn't matter whether you're training for a marathon or walking to or even moving in the shop – every move counts," said CEO and founder of Fjuul, Sascha Wischek. "We believe counting steps, duration or calories just isn't enough when it comes to measuring the impact activity is having on a person's health or levels of exercise. Fjuul understands each user and educates them about what their daily activity means, how it can be maintained or increased to have a positive effect on their overall health." When setting up Fjull you can create a free account or use your Facebook login. Enter your height, weight and age, and you can set a goal that includes things like burning off a hamburger, pasta or ice cream. Unlike a lot of fitness trackers, this app has a special emphasis on leisure activity, not just running or hiking. There is also a social component to the app, which allows you to compare your activities to friends and family who are also using the app. I set the app up and took a stroll. It seemed to pretty accurately gauge my activity, and even counted my steps. That was with the iPhone in my shirt pocket. Fjull runs in the background and I did not notice any heavy hit on battery life. Fjuul is not a substitute for expensive and cumbersome performance hardware, but it did seem to register my activity in a meaningful way. The data seemed constant from session to session, so it's going to be helpful as you use it more to achieve your goals. I would say the app should best be thought of as designed to measure casual activity. The only negative is when I shut Fjull down through Apple's multi-tasking gestures the app complained about being shut down. That seemed a bit over the top. A similar app worth looking at is the free Argus pedometer. While not an exact feature-for-feature match, it will track your motion throughout a day. Fjuul is an interesting approach to activity tracking, and comes at a fair price. The app requires iOS 7 or greater and it's optimized for the iPhone 5.
Garmin Vivofit review: a truly fitness-focused activity tracker
Keep moving. That's the message you'll get from anyone offering up fitness advice these days. It's snappy, simple and probably quite valid. The problem is that it can be hard to quantify how much activity is merely part of our basic existential requirements before we get to the part that counts as extra, life-enhancing exercise. As always, technology to the rescue. On this occasion, it's an activity tracker from a company with heritage in this space: Garmin. The product? The Vivofit fitness tracker.
