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Samsung's next Gear Fit will track your swimming (updated)
We liked Samsung's Gear Fit 2, but it had its limits. You couldn't use it to track your swimming, for starters. It's a good thing, then, that well-known leaker Evan Blass claims to have a training deck detailing a sequel that should be unveiled at Samsung's August 23rd event. The Gear Fit 2 Pro would look much like its predecessor, complete with that tall, curved display, but would include some big design upgrades. Most notably, it would add 5 ATM water resistance and that hoped-for swim tracking -- it'll sync up with the Speedo On app. Accordingly, the Pro switches from a snap-on strap to a watch-like buckle to prevent it from falling off in mid-backstroke.
FIFA envisions a future where players wear in-game fitness trackers
Like it or not, soccer is moving into the modern era. For the past few years FIFA, the sport's governing body, has been working with the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to bring experiments like goal line technology and Video Assistant Referee to the game. But IFAB, which is responsible for creating and approving the rules of soccer, doesn't intend to stop there. In 2015, the organization announced plans to develop a global standard for Electronic Performance Tracking Systems (EPTS), with the goal being to let players use wearable tech in official matches. A decision on when and how EPTS will be implemented is set to happen next March, IFAB Secretary Lukas Brud confirmed to Engadget in an interview.
Fitbit faces ill-timed lawsuits over haptic feedback
Fitbit is facing hard times between slowing fitness tracker sales and a reportedly floundering smartwatch project. Unfortunately, there's more bad news to add to the pile. Immersion is suing Fitbit in China and the US for allegedly violating multiple patents (three in each country) for haptic feedback. Supposedly, devices ranging from the original Flex to the Blaze all borrow Immersion's approach to vibrating a device in response to commands and for alerts. Fitbit rebuffed "numerous attempts" to strike a licensing deal, Immersion claims, so this is considered a last resort.
Jawbone’s demise heralds the end of the wearables industry
Sometimes deaths are sudden, but most company deaths are the opposite, with Jawbone's protracted terminus taking upward of a year. The company was an early pioneer in the consumer-wearables market and had raised close to a billion dollars in investment, but that wasn't enough to save it. Its end doesn't just mean the demise for one company, but signals the end of the great generation of wearables.
Polar's new fitness tracker constantly monitors your heart rate
Polar's latest fitness band called the A370 is a multi-tasker like the company's older wearables, and at $20 less than its predecessor, it's definitely the better choice. It monitors your heart rate every five minutes, whether you're resting or exercising, unlike the A360 that only does so during workouts. The device can even tell when you're active, so it can give you tips to be able to reach your activity goals. If you run for exercise, A370's accelerometer can estimate your running speed and distance. It also tracks the calories you lose, as well as connects to Polar's weighing scale if you want to use it primarily for losing weight.
Strava wants runners and cyclists to be bloggers too
Strava wants to be more than a simple tool for tracking your runs and bike rides. Much of the experience is focused on the "Feed," a place where you can share your training sessions and accomplishments (and view those recorded by other people). Normally, these bite-sized posts are limited to a small map, some basic stats and a short caption. Now, Strava is introducing "athlete posts," which are essentially full-blown blog posts. For now, the feature is exclusive to 36 Strava-approved athletes, however the company says it will roll out to the rest of the community "later this summer."
Fitbit says that Flex 2 didn't explode on its own
Wisconsin resident Dina Mitchell said she suffered second-degree burns on her arm after her Fitbit Flex 2 suddenly caught fire on Tuesday, while she was reading a book. Today, Fitbit says that didn't happen.
Acer's $139 fitness watch promises to monitor your stamina
Acer is adding to its stable of quirky fitness trackers that measure unusual health metrics with the newly unveiled Leap Ware. It follows the company's Liquid Leap lineup, which offered continuous heart rate monitoring and stress-measuring for less than $200. Although I was skeptical of the Ware's novelty stamina-tracking feature at first, I was convinced to give the device a more serious look once I strapped it on. The Ware is an attractive watch that's impressively slim and comfortable for its $139 asking price, and will be available at the end of June.
Acer is making yet another fitness wearable
After a series of underwhelming attempts at making fitness wearables that track uncommon metrics, Acer is at it again with its new Leap Ware watch. The company hasn't shared many details yet, but there's one thing the company was happy to mention: The Ware will monitor your stamina, along with "more-effective fitness" metrics and a scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass screen.
A Fitbit Flex 2 reportedly exploded on woman's arm
Dina Mitchell was reading a book on Tuesday in her Wisconsin home when the Fitbit Flex 2 on her wrist exploded, causing second-degree burns, she told ABC News. Mitchell reportedly tore the device off of her arm as it was still on fire, and doctors had to remove melted plastic and rubber from the wound. She said she had worn the Flex 2 for about two weeks before the explosion.
NFL players can track and sell their own health data
Professional athletes know that it's not just the matches and training sessions that matter: it's what you do in your downtime too. Whoop's wearable straps specialise in this area, tracking your movement, heart rate, and ambient temperature to better understand your health and recovery rate. Now, it's being adopted by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), which means straps will be handed out to every current and incoming player in the US. Whether they'll wear them is a mystery, but the hope is that they'll be used to track and optimize their training schedules, reducing injuries and improving in-game performance.
Fitbit's new sleep-tracking feature works well (most of the time)
It is a truth universally acknowledged that getting enough quality sleep is important for your well-being. The growth in the number of devices offering sleep-tracking features in recent years shows that companies are catching on. But sleep is a difficult metric to measure and understand, and most trackers these days can tell only when you've been asleep and awake. Fitbit's latest wearable goes one step further than the competition, incorporating your heart-rate data into its algorithms to estimate what sleep state you're in. The $150 Alta HR improves on the original, with a new heart rate monitor that constantly keeps tabs on your pulse. A software update that arrives on the Fitbit app today provides deeper analysis of how you're sleeping. The new feature sounds potentially helpful, but after a few days with the new Alta, I don't know if I can trust that it's accurate. I also wish it were more consistent and easier to understand.
Fitbit unveils a stylish Alta band with heart rate tracking
It's been around a year since Fitbit unveiled the Alta, its first stab at a wearable that's both thin and attractive. Now Fitbit is introducing a new model that delivers one of its most requested features: heart-rate tracking. The $150 Alta HR looks a lot like its predecessor, but turn it over and you'll see the telltale signs of a new sensor. As with other Fitbit devices, the Fitbit HR can give you real-time heart-rate measurements throughout the day, and the new feature will also help you more efficiently measure the calories you burn.
Report: Fitbit tried to buy wearable arch-rival Jawbone
Jawbone is clearly struggling, having scaled fitness tracker production way back and reportedly not paying a customer service provider. Part of its problems stem from a protracted legal dispute with FitBit, but according to the Financial Times, Jawbone's arch-rival actually tried to buy it last year. Fitbit offered to acquire Jawbone's assets and settle any legal battles, but the deal reportedly fell through because the price was too low for Jawbone and its backers.
Samsung's smartwatch lineup now works with your iPhone
Did you sigh wistfully at Samsung's Gear S3, knowing you couldn't use it because you have an iPhone? Relax. Samsung has launched new Gear S and Gear Fit apps that bring iOS compatibility to all of its current wrist-worn devices, including the Gear S3 (both Classic and Frontier), the Gear S2 and the Gear Fit 2. You won't see all the integration you would on an Android phone (let alone a Samsung phone), but you can receive notifications, manage apps and track your S Health data. Hardware features should work, too, so you can expect GPS and environmental sensors to play a part.
Garmin's outdoorsy Fenix5 smartwatches are pretty small
Smartwatches, especially those designed for the rigors of outdoor adventuring, tend to be on the beefy side. But at CES this week, Garmin announced three smaller-form-factor iterations to its Fenix smartwatch line called the Fenix5. At 1.6 inches to 2 inches in face diameter, they're up to a half-inch smaller around than the previous Fenix3 line.
Motiv crammed a full fitness tracker into a ring
Fitness trackers are a dime a dozen at this point, with Fitbit dominating the market. But as long as wearable gadgets have been in vogue, the concept of a "smart ring" has made the rounds in various forms. Here at CES, it looks like Motiv is the closest yet to cracking the puzzle of building a ring that's worth wearing. Motiv's ring is basically a tiny Fitbit: It packs in a heart rate sensor and can track your steps, sleep and "active minutes" with a goal of getting its users to be active for at least 150 minutes per week.
Fitbit drops its attempt to ban Jawbone device sales
For once, the he-said-she-said legal fight between Fitbit and Jawbone appears to be simmering down. Jawbone tells us in a statement (below) that Fitbit has dropped its US International Trade Commission patent case, which sought to ban sales of Jawbone devices in the country. If you ask Jawbone, this ends "baseless" allegations that were meant solely as a "burden." This doesn't mean that the company will respond in kind (its accusations of trade secret theft will see trial in 2017), but it's one less battle to worry about. But why did Fitbit change its mind?
Bloomberg: Fitbit acquisition will kill Pebble Time 2 and Core
According to Bloomberg, Fitbit is close to buying up Pebble for less than $40 million, which aligns with what we reported when info on the acquisition first came out. Since the fitness tracker maker is only interested in Pebble's software assets and Pebble is neck-deep in debt, though, the Time 2 and Core watches will no longer be released. While Pebble 2 has already started shipping out to Kickstarter backers, the company will reportedly cancel all Time 2 and Core shipments and will issue refunds through the crowdfunding website. Pebble's Time 2 is made of marine-grade stainless steel and has a much bigger screen than the original Time smartwatch, while Core is an Android-powered, non-watch GPS wearable for runners.
Demand for wearable tech is growing (but not for smartwatches)
If you were hoping the smartwatch market would bounce back from its recent slump when a slew of new models hit the market, you're about to be disappointed. IDC estimates that wearable device shipments grew ever so slightly (3.1 percent) in the third quarter of 2016, but that fitness trackers were almost exclusively responsible for the increase. Fitbit, Garmin and other activity band makers improved their shipments by the double digits, while the smartwatch world actually shrank.
