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Samsung's S Health app now supports all Android phones
With an endless stream of fitness wearables hitting the market, it's easy to forget that your smartphone comes packed with sensors that can do exactly the same job. Samsung makes smartphones and smartwatches, so building a dedicated wellbeing app, known as S Health, to collate everything made complete sense. While the app hit the Play Store back in April, the company only made it available to select Galaxy handsets. Luckily, that changes today, meaning anyone with an Android device to see what it's all about.
Samsung's wearable blitz may not be over: here comes the 'S-Circle'
Compared to the glitz surrounding its latest Gear smartwatches, Samsung's more basic fitness bands have so far failed to garner much attention. The electronics giant doesn't seem to be giving up on this cheaper sort of wearable, however, because an unannounced model called the "S-Circle" has just cropped up at the FCC, having already appeared at the Bluetooth SIG a while back. The FCC paperwork confirms the device's model number (EI-AN900A) and description as an "activity tracker," as well as its inclusion of Bluetooth Low-Energy, and all of this points to it being a member of the same family as the S Band (shown above) and Heart Rate Monitor Band that launched with the Galaxy S4 last year. There's at least some chance that the S-Circle will combine these functions into a single low-cost device, transmitting both movement and heart rate data to Samsung's S-Health app, but that's just optimistic speculation on our part. Either way, it looks like Galaxy S5 owners who care more about muscle tone than Moschino may have the option of another accessory pretty soon.
Samsung launches S Health services: Monitors weight, blood sugar and graphs it all
Samsung mentioned its S Health app in passing during the grand unveiling of the Galaxy S III -- presumably due to the glut of similarly S-suffixed apps and services that were also unveiled. The service has now apparently launched in Samsung's homeland, alongside more details of what it'll offer. This includes a raft of metric-measuring charts, as well as the ability to connect through Bluetooth and USB to health devices like heart-rate monitors and connectivity-friendly scales. The app will record and even graph your health ups and downs, aiming to help "regulate" what you eat and gauge exactly how much you exercise. It has now launch on Samsung's App hub and will make its way to the US and five to-be-confirmed European countries soon. Let Samsung explain the "warm emotional experience" in a Google-translated release right after the break. Update: We've just received the English version of the PR, which adds that the app is now live in the UK, alongside an initial list of compatible health devices. Take a look after the break.
Samsung launches new services for the Galaxy S III: Music Hub, S Health and more
Samsung has just taken the wraps off of its highly anticipated Galaxy S III and, in a move similar to Nokia's efforts with the Lumia line, decided to package extra services and features to further differentiate itself from the competition. Mentioned onstage were the S Health "personal wellness app" and an enhanced Music Hub cloud service with access to over 17 million tracks and an iTunes Match-sounding "Scan and Match" feature. Music Hub will launch in seven countries, while the matching feature is supported in six of those. There's also a hub for Games that promises quick tie ins to social gaming and a Video Hub with TV and movies. One other new feature is support for MirrorLink enabled headunits that should bring access to all of these things even while you're driving your car. Finally, there's NFC-based mobile payment support that should get some use among visitors to the Olympic games this summer.