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Garmin debuts action camera with voice control and 4K video
If you've been looking to buy an action camera, Garmin's latest one might be worth considering. The Virb Ultra 30 is feature-packed, with things like an LCD touchscreen, 4K video at up to 30 fps, 3-axis image stabilization and livestreaming to YouTube. Most notably though, this new shooter supports voice commands, letting you control it via phrases such as, "Okay Garmin, start recording." Similar to the Virb and Virb XE action cams, the Virb Ultra 30 also comes with GPS and other sensors that show you how far, fast and high your movements are. When you combine all of that, you get a strong alternative to products including GoPro's Hero4. Like what you see? It's available today for $500/£450.
The best tech for college athletes
Look, there's clearly more to college life than studying and partying. There's also sports! Before you hit the field, gym, rink or court it's probably worth taking stock of how you can improve your game with a little help from modern technology. An Apple Watch or Vivosmart can count steps and track your gym sessions, while Polo makes a smart shirt that offers seriously in depth data about your body's performance. There's also sensors that can help you do things like improve your swing in golf or baseball. And, of course, after a long day of training, there's nothing better than unwinding by watching your hometown team make a run at the World Series on MLB.tv. Oh, and don't forget to check out the rest of Engadget's back-to-school guide here.
Garmin's latest smartwatch is for athletes with deep pockets
Garmin is no stranger to the smartwatch game and now the company is adding another timepiece to its lineup. The Fenix Chronos is Garmin's high-end wearable that offers "a full multi-sport and navigational toolset," if you're willing to pay big bucks. First, the Fenix Chronos comes in either titanium or steel to complete the refined look. The company says that these materials offer a design that can make easily the switch from hiking and biking on a trail to attending a dressy event that evening. Both versions have a scratch-resistant sapphire lens and a 1.2-inch Chroma display with LED backlighting for high visibility at all times.
Without a new Apple Watch, smartwatch shipments decline in Q2
Until now, the smartwatch market had seen year-over-year growth each quarter since the devices made their debut. For Q2 2016 though, that wasn't the case. Global smartwatch shipments were down 32 percent, totaling 3.5 million gadgets during the period. That figure is down from 5.1 million of the wearables shipped during the second quarter of 2015. Apple still led the pack with 1.6 million units, but it was the only top-selling company to experience an annual decline. It's worth noting that Q2 2015 was when the Apple Watch launched and there hasn't been an updated model yet.
Garmin's new bike computers track riders in your pack
If you like to bike in groups, you know that it's not always easy to keep everyone together. What if your miniature peloton has to split, or someone wipes out and you don't notice? Garmin wants to put your mind at ease. It's unveiling two cycling computers, the Edge 820 (shown at left) and Edge Explore 820 (right), with a GroupTrack feature that shows where everyone is regardless of how far apart they are. You'll also get a preloaded Cycle Map with bike-friendly data, a 2.3-inch touchscreen (smaller than on the Edge 810) and support for Garmin Varia gear like the Vision headset.
Fitbit's lead in the wearable world shrinks due to newcomers
Fitbit has ruled the wearable roost for a while, but it's clear that the activity tracker maker can't become complacent. IDC has released estimates which show that Fitbit lost a significant amount of market share in the first quarter. While its shipments were up 25.4 percent (to 4.8 million), its share plunged from 32.6 percent a year ago to 24.5 percent at the start of 2016. Simply put, the market is much more crowded than it was a year ago -- it has to contend with the Apple Watch, China's BBK and Lifesense, as well as a slew of smaller brands jumping into the field.
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.
Garmin's 'Varia Vision' headset is the Google Glass of cycling
The thing about cycling is that it's only as complicated a pastime as you make it. An $80 Huffy performs the same basic function as a carbon-fiber street racer costing 100 times more, just with a lesser degree of effectiveness. Similarly, you can go the old-school way of glancing down at the cycling computer mounted on your handlebars whenever you want an update on your ride -- or you could strap this tiny $400 monitor from Garmin to the side of your face and get a continuous stream of telemetry data without taking your eyes off the road.
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.
The best fitness tracker
By Amy Roberts This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here. Over the course of 60 hours, we surveyed readers, interviewed industry and exercise-physiology experts, walked, ran (and ran some more), slept, grocery-shopped, jumping-jacked, swung kettlebells, and analyzed user experience to determine that the Garmin vívosmart HR is the best fitness tracker. It effectively collects the same data as top competitors from Fitbit and Jawbone but offers a larger, more legible touchscreen and more useful smartphone-notification options, as well as full waterproofing to 50 meters (other models are merely splash-resistant).
MWC Revisited: The most interesting wearables
Wearables failed to make much of a splash at MWC 2016. The category seemed to be an afterthought for many manufacturers -- such as HTC and Samsung -- which instead focused on smartphones and virtual reality products. Unlike in 2015, when we saw new smartwatches from Huawei, LG and others, Android Wear was mostly missing from this year's Barcelona show. Now, that's not to say the cause was completely lost, since there were a few wearables that grabbed our attention. Especially the one designed for cows, not people. Don't you agree?
Garmin's restyled Vivoactive is a big improvement
It's fair to say that we weren't blown away by the Vivoactive smartwatch last year. But Garmin's recently announced Vivoactive HR feels a lot better. Functionally, it shares a lot with its predecessor. It has a similar low-res color touchscreen LCD and comfortable watchband, the same built-in GPS, the same week-long battery (Garmin says eight days in activity tracking mode). But it's all in a smaller, more attractive package.
Garmin's latest wearables know what sport you're playing
Garmin has revealed the Vivoactive HR sports watch and Vivofit 3 activity tracker, which look like solid improvements over the previous models in both design and features. For the Vivoactive HR smartwatch, the biggest updatel is the built-in heart rate monitor that obviates the need for a chest strap. It's also received a complete style makeover and looks significantly nicer than the chunky square design of the original Vivoactive. Using the built-in GPS, it can track running, cycling, swimming, golfing, rowing and skiing/snowboarding, with custom settings for each sport.
Your fitness tracker probably has security issues
Ever wondered how secure you are with a fitness tracker on your wrist? The researchers at Open Effect have... and their answer is "not as much as you'd probably like." In their analysis, several common trackers have flaws that theoretically let attackers follow you or intercept data. Seven out of eight used static hardware identifiers that could allow location tracking over Bluetooth, for a start. Also, the companion apps from Garmin, Jawbone, Withings and Xiaomi have holes that not only expose data, but let evildoers fake fitness info -- a problem in lawsuits where that data could be crucial evidence.
Garmin's TruSwing golf sensor can help you improve your game
Data-tracking sensors are becoming popular across the world of sports. In golf, we've seen this type of technology before from startups like Zepp, which created a swing analyzer that attaches to a player's glove. And now, Garmin is ready to do something similar. The company has introduced its TruSwing, a small and lightweight gadget for golfers who want to know more details about their time on the course. When paired with Garmin's Connect Mobile app, available for iOS and Android, the accessory delivers 3D animations to give you instant feedback on your swing.
Garmin launches a fitness watch for watersports
Garmin has built a version of its Fenix 3 multi-sport fitness watch that's capable of being used for marine activity. The Quatix 3 takes everything you know and love about the aforementioned device and throws in a bundle of marine-friendly features. For instance, the device can stream data from compatible marine sensors directly to the watch face -- letting you keep an eye on things even when you can't be on the bridge. Users will also be able to remotely control their Virb action camera and Fusion marine stereo system from the wrist.
Garmin bike headset warns about traffic behind you
There are already bike-friendly smart headsets that will tell you how you're doing, but they won't usually say much about traffic. How are you supposed to know when a car is getting uncomfortably close? That's where Garmin thinks it can help. As part of a larger CES launch, it's unveiling a Varia Vision headset that not only gives you vital cycling data (directions, notifications and performance) but also teams up with the Varia Rearview Radar to warn about traffic behind you. In other words, you'll know about trouble right away, without losing focus. It won't be cheap when it ships this quarter for $400, but it could be justifiable if you regularly bike on busy streets.
Latest IDC wearable numbers show Xiaomi's continued surge
While there was no change in the top two spots for the Q3 2015 IDC wearable numbers, Xiaomi made a staggering jump. In terms of market share, Fitbit is still in the top spot with a 22 percent market share and 4.7 million units shipped in the quarter. The company's numbers were padded by the fact that a number employers are giving their workers Fitbit devices, including Target's order of 335,000. Apple remains at number two, where it debuted in Q2. Cupertino shipped 3.9 million units, aided by both the release of WatchOS 2 and its gadgets going on sale in more locales.
