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Withings' latest fitness watch has a built-in ECG
Smartwatches have long sought a killer app to make them something more than a toy for nerds and fitness fans. It may be that looking after our hearts, and keeping us out of the emergency room, is exactly what the devices were born to do. Withings is getting in on the action with its own timepiece that, like the new Apple Watch, can offer its users an on-the-spot ECG.
Ask Engadget: Which hybrid smartwatch should I buy?
The support shared among readers in the comments section is one of the things we love most about the Engadget community. Over the years, we've known you to offer sage advice on everything from Chromecasts and cameras to drones and smartphones. In fact, our community's knowledge and insights are a reason why many of you participate in the comments. We truly value the time and detail you all spend in responding to questions from your fellow tech-obsessed commenters, which is why we've decided to bring back the much-missed "Ask Engadget" column. This week's question comes to us from a reader who wants advice on which wearable to buy as a gift. Weigh in with your advice in the comments -- and feel free to send your own questions along to ask@engadget.com! I love the look of hybrid smartwatches. What's the best one you guys have seen?
The best smartwatches and fitness trackers to give as gifts
With the arrival of Apple Watch Series 4 and Google's redesigned Wear OS platform, this is a great year to give the gift of smartwatches. If money is no object, Apple's latest-generation wearable ($399 and up) is a good all-around choice for anyone in your life who carries an iPhone. It has a bigger screen than its predecessors, longer battery life and expanded heart-rate monitoring features that let the wearer know if their BPM is too high or too low. You might also consider Samsung's similarly priced Galaxy Watch instead of the Series 4 if you're buying for an Android user (especially consummate Samsung fans).
Withings revives and updates its Pulse fitness tracker
Just two months after Withings extricated itself from Nokia's grasp and it is already launching its second new wearable. Delving into its distant past, the company has decided to refresh its original fitness tracker, the Pulse, for a new generation. The Pulse HR is a Fitbit Charge-esque band that offers long battery life, smartphone notifications and, naturally, the ability to track your exercise.
Withings makes its comeback with the Steel HR Sport
In 2016, Nokia bought Withings, which was then renamed to Nokia Health as part of an overall strategy to re-enter the consumer market -- but that didn't quite work out as planned. The health and fitness industry is apparently a lot harder than it looks, and Nokia wanted out. As luck would have it, Withings co-founder Eric Carreel decided to buy it back, with big plans to revive the brand once more. Today, it's unveiling a new logo, a new website, a new app and, last but not least, a new product. That product would be the Steel HR Sport, which renews the company's focus on fitness.
How fitness- and health-tracking apps failed me during my pregnancy
I'm not a super fit person. I am considered a healthy weight, and I exercise simply because I enjoy eating and drinking whatever I want. For my type A personality, fitness and health tracking has been an incredible motivator. Being able to close all the rings on my Apple Watch is enough to get me on the treadmill desk or spin bike instead of just sitting with my laptop in front of the television. But since becoming pregnant with my first kid, all that's changed. I was determined to have a healthy pregnancy; while I'm not too particular about what I eat, I wanted to exercise regularly and gain a reasonable amount of weight. I figured my fitness-tracking apps would be a real help in monitoring my goals and progress. I was laughably wrong. Seven months in, I've stopped all fitness and weight tracking because these apps don't take my pregnancy into account.
Withings returns at a dark time for wearables
Withings, which briefly became Nokia Health, is now Withings again. Nokia bought the health-tracking business in 2016 and rebranded it, hoping to compete with Fitbit and even Apple. Amid a bad wearable-market slump, though, the division foundered. To make things worse for Nokia, it was also having other problems elsewhere, like with its costly Ozo camera. Withings co-founder Eric Carreel just bought the company back (for undisclosed terms) with plans to revive the original name and develop new products. But wearables have struggled to become the must-have gadgets they were once framed as, and without Nokia's resources, Withings will have a tough time.
Withings will return after buying out Nokia's health business
Withings is back in the hands of its original owner and will return as a brand. As expected, co-founder Eric Carreel, who sold the business to Nokia just two years ago, has completed the re-acquisition for undisclosed terms, Nokia and Withings announced. For now, Withings will sell existing branded Nokia Health products, including the Nokia Body Cardio scale, BPM+ blood pressure monitor and Health Mate app. However, the company plans to relaunch the Withings brand by the end of 2018, and develop and release new connected health products as well.
Nokia is selling its Health business back to the former owner
Nokia has has entered negotiations to sell its Digital Health business to its original owner, Withings co-founder Éric Carreel. The move is part of the company's plan to exit the consumer market and "focus on becoming a business-to-business and licensing company," it said. The company paid $191 million for Withings back in 2016, but recently announced that it had written off $175 million in goodwill, and would do a strategic review of its wearable businesses.
Nokia might give up on wearables (updated)
Less than two years after spending millions repositioning itself in the consumer health market, Nokia has announced a strategic review of its digital health business which comes after news that the company could shed up to 425 jobs in its home country of Finland. Nokia acquired French fitness tracker manufacturer Withings for $191 million in 2016 as part of its new digital health strategy WellCare, which is not dissimilar to Apple's HealthKit. The deal came amid a spate of acquisitions by Nokia, buoyed by investment from Microsoft following their Windows Phone agreement.
Nokia will disable the key feature of its priciest scale
Nokia has announced that it will be disabling the headline of feature of its Body Cardio scale in a software update. The scale was sold with the ability to track Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV), essentially measuring the speed at which your blood flows through your veins. The slower and more constant the speed, the healthier you are, and vice versa. In a statement, the company said that the feature "may require a different level of regulatory approval," possibly risking the wrath of regulators.
Nokia’s sleep sensor controls your smart home
Nokia has announced the Nokia Sleep, a bed sensor that sits under your mattress to provide you with data about what you get up to while unconscious. Like many of its rivals, the device will track your sleep duration, interruptions and the quality of the shut-eye you're getting each night. In addition, the pad integrates with IFTTT, letting you automate your smart home to operate in tandem with your rest periods. If you're having trouble sleeping, then you will also be entitled to try out an eight-week course on improving your sleep, designed by Dr. Christopher Winter.
Nokia launches new digital health products as Withings name fades
Nokia is ready to be a consumer brand again. Of course, to many, it never stopped. Even as its phone business changed hands to Microsoft and then to HMD Global, the Nokia brand never really died. So much so that HMD Global's latest line of phones still bear the Nokia name, despite having nothing to do with Nokia itself. But it was its purchase of Withings that signified Nokia's return to the consumer market. Now that time is here. As of today, the Withings name will be replaced by Nokia. And, to go along with this transition, Nokia is announcing three new products: a WiFi BMI scale, a soft-cuff blood pressure monitor and a revamped app.
Nokia and Apple end their patent fight and become health allies
Over recent months, Apple has been embroiled lawsuits related to patent licensing. While its fight with Qualcomm continues to rumble on, the company confirmed today that it's resolved one of its major disputes by signing a multi-year agreement with Nokia to utilize its intellectual property.
Withings' wearables will adopt the Nokia name this summer
So long, Withings. The health and fitness brand will be retired this summer as the team adopts the name of its new owner: Nokia. The company's smart(ish) watches, scales and home security cameras will still be around -- they'll simply have Nokia, rather than Withings written on their exterior. The rebrand is unsurprising, given Nokia's ambitions to move into the health tracking and analytics game. Withings was a $191 million jump-start for its HealthKit-style "WellCare" strategy, which involves consumer-facing fitness tracking and high quality data for medical professionals.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 23: Leaving Las Vegas
Editor in chief Michael Gorman, executive editor Christopher Trout and managing editor Dana Wollman join host Terrence O'Brien to give you one last update from the ground in Las Vegas. They talk about the history of sex at CES, it's quiet reemergence and all the most absurd gadgets from the show floor. Plus they settle once and for all who is the Flame Wars champion, and who will have something to prove in 2017.
ICYMI: CES brings smart brush, remote, fridge and odd cyborg
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: If you were looking for things to make your home life easier, you might need a camera that takes a photo of the inside of your fridge every time it is opened. Then you'll always know if someone drank the last of the milk and didn't tell you. You can check the photos in the app to see what you're out of and even get push notifications when your food is about expire (if you first manually add that information in). The FridgeCam by Smarter will cost $149.
Oh, hey, they have smart hairbrushes now
L'Oreal has been gently getting into the technology game, first by partnering with Dr. John Rogers on a skin-damage-tracking tattoo. Now the cosmetics giant has hooked up with Withings to develop a smart hairbrush that's designed to keep your scalp at its best. The Kérastase Hair Coach, as it's called, was apparently inspired by people's propensity to brush their hair too forcefully, causing long-term damage.
Engadget giveaway: Win an Activitè Steel fitness tracker courtesy of Withings!
If you want to ditch those notifications, but still have all that activity tracking data in a unassuming package, consider Withings' Activitè Steel. This is an all day wearable with a silicone strap and stainless steel casing that's water resistant up to 50ATM, so swimming and showering are on the menu. It works with the Health Mate app so you can see all your step, running, swimming and sleep stats, but can save data when your phone isn't along for the ride. Its activity recognition lets you live life as usual without having to tweak settings for specific activities and there's no charging needed -- the battery lasts up to eight months. Withings has provided us with three of these activity trackers for a trio of lucky readers this week, so you can keep an eye on fitness all through the holidays. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning a Withings Activitè Steel! Winners: Congratulations to Marty B. of Central Point, OR; Jeremy M. of Channahon, IL and Rafael B. of Phoenix, AZ!
IFA 2016 showed us how far wearables have come
The wearables world has come a long way in a very short time, and plenty of companies have had to learn their lessons out in public. The first devices they launched were often far, far too ugly to find mainstream acceptance, but now the fashion and wearables worlds are perfectly aligned. That's why we're taking a look at the devices that arrived at this year's IFA, and comparing it with their more embarrassing predecessors. Think of it like #throwbackthursday, except nobody's got one of those face-worn retainers you only see in '80s movies.
