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Apple labored over the perfect interface for its Watch Activity app
Apple's Watch designers did a lot of reps on the Workout and Activity apps before arriving at the final design, according to an internal memo dug up by 9to5 Mac. The company's in-house fitness guru Jay Blahnik detailed the design process of the Watch's key apps, saying, "We kept asking ourselves, 'What could we do to measure all-day activity that would be more useful than traditional all-day activity trackers?'" To arrive at the answer, the company decided to build both apps in-house, in order to "build our own knowledge base from the ground up" rather than using off-the-shelf software.
Razer's new fitness tracker cuts the screen, price
Last year at CES, Razer revealed the Nabu smart band aimed at gamers to track their fitness (or lack thereof) and send notifications via an OLED display. The model still isn't on sale in stores, but that hasn't stopped Razer from launching another model: the Nabu X. It said the goal with the new model was to "eliminate ... price and complexity," so it killed the display of the original model in favor of three simple LED indicators. That means no more message previews, but the new model does everything else: vibration and LED notifications, fitness tracking via a built-in accelerometer and social sharing using a Bluetooth-connected smartphone. It'll run 5-7 days on a charge, with 30 days of standby time.
Glassy Pro One wants to be the FuelBand for beachbums
Sportsbands or smartwatches try to be all things to all people, but are you going to pit a pricey smartwatch against 20-foot waves? Of course not, and that's where purpose-built devices come in like the Glassy Pro One sportsband for surfers. While far less versatile than a general sportsband, the new device will certainly give you the pertinent info: the number of waves, swell height, your surf speed and the duration of a ride. It can also tell you the weather in about 6,000 spots, help set goals, and of course let you brag about an epic session through the social functions. It's now up for pre-order at $279 in the US, joining Rip Curl's SearchGPS in a suddenly burgeoning surf watch market.
Meet Adidas' new smartband: the miCoach Fit Smart
It looks like Adidas is ready to launch a new fitness tracker called the miCoach Fit Smart, judging by leaks at the FCC, LegalForce and retailer Keller Sports. Product shots from the latter show a hybrid of Nike's FuelBand and Adidas' own miCoach Smart Run, with an LED dot display like the FuelBand rather than the Smart Run's color LCD display. However, the Fit Smart does retain a more watch-like profile with a new, quick-locking band of some kind. It'll clearly monitor your heart rate as well, perhaps via infrared with the green sensor pictured on the back of the device. The FCC page shows that it'll pack Bluetooth 4.0 LE, aka Bluetooth Smart, to communicate with your mobile device.
Government working with Fitbit to recall rash-inducing sportsbands
Fitbit quickly issued a voluntary recall for its Force sportsbands, even though it has yet to pinpoint the exact component that can trigger contact dermatitis. We may soon find out, though, since the firm is working with the Consumer Products Safety Commission to shed more light on the situation. To be fair, Fitbit's execs haven't been sitting on their hands -- they've been running tests and have results showing no problem with the device's battery or electrical system. As Consumerist notes, the government agency usually accompanies recalls with detailed reports, so this development could help us find out what actually went down. We might finally know not only what the rogue component(s) is -- if it's the nickel in the stainless steel, a material/adhesive used in the device's band or something else altogether -- but also how many users were affected. Fitbit hasn't notified all Force users of the issue yet, but promises to email everyone after finalizing its recall plan with the CPSC.
Jaybird's SB1 Sportsband Bluetooth headphones finally find their aesthetic calling
With product names like "Endorphin Rush," "Freedom," and "The Tiger Eyes" for its headphones, it's always been clear that Jaybird strives for a little bit more when it comes to the image associated with its listening devices. So naturally the imaginatively named "SB1 Sportsband" set of Bluetooth headphones would bring one of the classiest designs we've seen for that purpose, and certainly Jaybird's most stunning contribution to the market. The headphones boast about eight hours of stereo music use, feature moisture-protected music controls, and can even handle the odd call or two. They're shipping now for $89. [Thanks, Matt A.]
