fitnesstracker
Latest
Garmin fitness trackers now have Strava's safety system
A slew of Garmin fitness trackers today have access to Beacon, Strava's safety feature that allows users to send their location to friends in real-time while they're out on a run, hike or bike. Strava is a social networking app built for athletes, and it launched the Beacon service for premium members in August. With today's news, Strava premium members can share data between Beacon and Garmin LiveTrack on the following devices: Fenix 3, Edge Explore 820, Edge 520, 820 and 1000, and Forerunner 230, 235, 630 and 735XT.
The Timex IQ+ Move is a glorified (but very pretty) fitness tracker
Fitness trackers and smartwatches have an image problem. Most of them are bulky or bland-looking, while some are borderline ostentatious. Plus, not everyone wants to ditch her Rolex or Omega for a device with a lit-up face that buzzes every five minutes. So companies have been trying to camouflage their smartwatches by embedding them in traditional, analog timepieces. Timex is proving it can appeal to old-timers with its second analog-tracker hybrid, which has a simpler design and is cheaper than its predecessor. The IQ+ Move comes in men's and women's sizes and designs for $150, and I've been wearing one for about a day. And, despite my misgivings about its scarcity of features, I've been won over by its classic design and excellent build.
The Huawei Fit feels cheaper than its $130 price
It's almost gift-giving season, and companies are scrambling to release products that will fill your loved ones' stockings later this year. And plenty of people are considering options for the fitness fiends in their lives. Huawei threw its name in the ring today with the newly unveiled Fit, an activity tracker (with some smartwatch characteristics) that constantly monitors your heart rate. It's also really thin and light, to the point where it feels chintzy. The device costs $129, which is $20 less than the Fitbit Charge 2. I've spent about two days with a preview unit of the Fit, and so far, I think there are better options on the market.
Moov made a heart rate sensor you wear on your head
When representatives from the fitness tracking company Moov first told me they had made a heart rate sensor that you wear on your head, I thought the idea was ridiculous. But after I saw the Moov HR Sweat headband and swim caps (Moov HR Swim), it all made a bit more sense. The new device sits firmly on your forehead to get what Moov says is a more accurate pulse reading than from your wrist or chest. It then relays that information to a companion app that coaches you to work out better.
The Misfit Phase is yet another connected analog watch
Misfit may not be the first (or even tenth) name that comes to mind when you think about sophisticated design, but its acquisition by the Fossil group last year may have taught it a thing or two about style. The company just debuted the Misfit Phase, an eye-catching analog watch that tracks your steps and sleep habitss and shows your progress toward various fitness goals. Like other smartwatches, it will alert you to incoming calls, messages and app notifications.
Microsoft discontinues its Band fitness wearable
The Microsoft Band is likely no more. While signs pointed to the wearable line's possible demise a few weeks ago, there was always the chance that the tech giant would flip its noncommittal stance and announce a Band 3. But the final nail seems to be in its coffin: As of today, every listing and mention of the fitness wearable has been completely removed from the company's Store site.
Your health insurance might score you an Apple Watch
Apple will exclusively provide its Watch, iPad and iPhone products to Aetna for new app-oriented fitness tracking program, the US insurance giant announced. A cornerstone of the project is health tracking, so Aetna will subsidize the cost of a Watch for select customers and offer it free to its 50,000-strong workforce starting next year. Apple will also help Aetna develop new apps around medication reminders, billing (with Apple Wallet) and care management.
Microsoft probably won't release a Band 3 this year
Microsoft has no plans to release a new Band this year and reportedly disbanded a team that was working on a port to Windows 10, according to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley. In response to a question about the device's future, it said it will continue to sell and support the current Microsoft Band 2, but was otherwise noncommittal. Sources inside the company, meanwhile, say that no new device is coming in 2016, and if one launches one after that, it'll still run custom firmware, not Windows 10.
TomTom's new fitness tracker can analyze your body composition
Today at IFA 2016, TomTom revealed a trio of new wearables, including its first fitness tracker. Unlike other similar devices, the new TomTom Touch has one feature that particularly stands out: it can analyze your body composition. That's something you typically only see on smart scales, so it's interesting to see TomTom bring this over to a fitness tracker. Not only does the Touch show you body fat and muscle percentage, but it also monitors your heart rate continuously, as well as count your calories and steps. Pictured above, the sleek wearable will hit stores in October for $130/£130.
Garmin's newest smartwatch slims down, but packs on features
After going high-end with the Fenix Chronos, Garmin is getting back to its core focus with the new Forerunner 35, a feature-packed smartwatch and all-day activity tracker. This latest addition to the Forerunner line packs GPS tracking, a high-contrast display and Garmin's Elevate wrist-based heart rate monitor into a sleek new design with up to nine days of battery life.
Fitbit's new Charge and Flex track every type of workout
It's no surprise that Fitbit's been planning a major update to its fitness trackers. And about time, too. The two-year-old Charge and three-year-old Flex are in dire need of a tune-up to help the company maintain (or grow) its narrow lead in the industry, after it lost a significant amount of market share to newer rivals. As a result, the new Charge 2 and Flex 2 boast a decent set of aesthetic and functional upgrades that could help take on the competition, including specific workout tracking (finally) and guided breathing exercises.
The Caeden Sona stress-fighting tracker caused me anxiety instead
It sounds like a great, if somewhat abstract, idea. The Caeden Sona is a gorgeous wristband with a heart rate monitor that constantly measures your pulse, in an attempt to gauge how you respond to stress. It then teaches you to build resilience to stress through daily focus and breathing exercises. I tried out the Sona for about a week and was ultimately so overwhelmed by its design flaws that I was, ironically, overcome by stress.
McDonald's pulls plug on Happy Meal activity trackers
McDonald's Happy Meals might be beloved for their included toys, but the food inside is just as unhealthy as most of the menu at the Golden Arches. As the Rio Olympics approached, the franchise hoped to reverse its kids combo's poor nutritional reputation by including an activity tracker in place of a normal toy. Unfortunately, reports of possible skin irritations prompted the chain to end the promotion early.
Fitbit's new Charge 2 and Flex 2 wearables leak
Fitbit's Charge and Flex sports trackers are two and three years old, respectively, so a recent trademark listing stoked rumors that new models would come soon. We can now see what the Flex 2 and Charge 2 probably look like, thanks to a leak from TechnoBuffalo. The smartwatch-like Charge 2 has a bigger screen and interchangeable bands in blue, violet and black. It also comes with a PurePulse heart rate monitor, and as before, it supports smartphone notifications and multi-sport tracking, according to the listing below.
Garmin's new fitness tracker is a more accurate Vivosmart HR
Garmin's been busy introducing a raft of new wearables in recent weeks. First, it was the Approach X40, then the Vivomove and, most recently, the Forerunner 735XT. Each one is geared toward different types, including golfers, runners and casual users who simply want to be more active. But Garmin isn't done yet. Today, it's taking the wraps off of its Vivosmart HR+, a fitness band with a built-in GPS sensor for more accurate distance and pace tracking.
Garmin's latest running watch tracks your suffering
Garmin's latest running watch can track multiple sports, measure your heart rate and even give you a "suffer score," but the price might make you gasp. The Forerunner 735XT now occupies the top of the company's run tracker lineup next to the two-year-old 920XT with the same $450 price. For that substantial sum, you do get a lot: it packs the company's Elevate heart rate monitor and is the first sports tracker with Strava's Suffer Score. That app measures your heart rate compared to a baseline, so casual or serious athletes can see how much they're pushing it.
Garmin's Vivomove is a stylish fitness watch
After introducing the Approach X40 last month, Garmin's back with another new wearable. This time it's the Vivomove, a stylish fitness tracker that looks like a traditional watch. The device tracks calories, steps and monitors your sleep patterns, although it lacks feature that might be important to some, including a heart-rate sensor. Garmin did add its Move Bar to the watch face, though, which will remind you to stay active throughout the day. Vivomove also comes with an impressive one-year battery life, as well as water resistance up to 50 meters.
Judge rules for Fitbit in patent dispute with Jawbone
Fitbit just won a legal ruling invalidating the patents Jawbone was using to block it from importing its foreign-made fitness bands to the US. The ruling reduces the chance for Fitbit to face an import ban from the US International Trade Commission, but Jawbone will move forward with a separate suit against Fitbit for stealing trade secrets.
Garmin's Approach X40 fitness tracker is made for golfers
Over the past few years, Garmin has focused on two different sets of wearables: activity trackers and watches for people who play golf on a regular basis. Now, with the Approach X40, the company is bringing the best of both worlds into one product. The new device features 1-inch touchscreen (similar to Garmin's Vivosmart band), a heart rate monitor and tracking for calories burned, distance and steps. It's also water-resistant and can handle a slew of smartphone notifications, such as incoming calls, emails, texts and calendar reminders.
Fitbit data led doctors to shock a patient's heart
Doctors made a decision to shock a man's heart back to rhythm based on his Fitbit data, showing that such devices can do far more than just track your exercise. The 42-year old patient arrive at an ER in Camden, New Jersey with an atrial fibrillation (a fast and irregular heartbeat), meaning he needed immediate medical treatment. But which kind? Using a defibrillator could trigger a stroke in some cases, but not using one could also trigger a stroke. Luckily they noticed he was wearing a Fitbit, and its data confirmed his abnormal heart rate happened around the same time he had a seizure.
