It’s a good news, bad news kind of thing. Good news is that the Mi Band 2 fitness tracker will be available with an LED screen to consumers June 7, according to Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. Bad news is that it will be available only to Chinese consumers. However, other Xiaomi products have launched China-only and were seen in other markets within months of the Chinese launch. The … [Read more...]
Garmin Rounds Out Holiday Line with New Scale and Tracker
Garmin last week rolled out three new GPS watches; this week, it finish its introductions with a new vivosmart tracker and a connected scale. The vivosmart HR (the missing capital letter is how they want it spelled) is an update to its current touchscreen fitness tracker. The major change is the incorporation of an internally developed always-on heart rate monitor -- the … [Read more...]
CNET Says Apple Watch Step Counter Is Super Accurate, If…
The Apple Watch is a beautiful piece of kit with ground-breaking functionality and UI, but lost in all the shouting is a simple question: how is it as a fitness tracker, which is the core function of most smart watches? The answer is: pretty good, if you take some care. CNET took that care and documented it. Out of the box, reporter Dan Graziano found, step counter … [Read more...]
Credible Details Emerge on Healthbook, Apple’s Coming Fitness Tracking Software
We tend to be skeptics about pre-release speculation and leaks, but 9to5 Mac appears to have gotten the goods on Healthbook, Apple's entry into the fitness tracking (and, by extension, wearables) business. The article includes extensive clear screenshots which show the direction of the iOS software and, presumably, its companion hardware. Healthbook, which looks a great deal … [Read more...]
Healbe GoBe Claims to Read Glucose Levels Through Skin
Most fitness tracker wrist bands show a (bad) estimate of calories expended, based on how much you move. Healby's GoBe, an IndieGoGo project, does that, but also claims to track caloric intake and expenditure by monitoring your glucose levels through your skin. The GoBe's wristband is admittedly not svelte, but it does a lot: monitor movement, track blood pressure and heart … [Read more...]