Not a lot of lightweight fitness trackers are built for swimming, water and electronics being natural enemies, but Misfit and Speedo have teamed up to sell the Speedo Shine. Priced at $80 and available September 1, the Speedo edition of the well-known Shine will count pool laps and distance, and connect with Speedo's smartphone app. Like all Shines, the Speedo version will … [Read more...]
Misfit Publishes an SDK, Hopes to Populate an Ecosystem
As the wearables market emerges, hardware developers are increasingly opening up their platforms to software developers. Misfit, makers of the Shine fitness tracker, is the latest to publish a software development kit that it hopes will let its hardware interact with a universe of third-party software writers. Misfit's claiming a list of 30 partners who are using the SDK and … [Read more...]
Apple Touts Wearables With New TV Ad
Apple doesn't have its own wearable device (yet), and the iOS version with HealthKit software won't launch until the Fall. But it's started doing the groundwork to get the market ready. We were watching the first game of Stanley Cup finals last night -- go Rangers! -- and this ad showed up between the first and second … [Read more...]
Runkeeper CEO Says Fitness Trackers Are Dead; We’re Not So Sure
Business Insider is carrying a very thoughtful and provocative article by Runkeeper CEO Jason Jacobs. Jacobs says that standalone fitness trackers like the Nike FuelBand, the Fitbit Force, or the Misfit Shine, are fads -- and that the future belongs to smartphones and software. The argument -- that consumers consistently bias toward simplicity and not complexity -- is … [Read more...]
For the Record: Misfit Adds $15.2M Funding
Misfit Technologies, maker of the Shine motion tracker, has reportedly raised another round of $15.2 million, in addition to the $7.6 million raised in a founder's cycle and $800,000 raised on Indiegogo. The money will go for a new product, slated to ship in early 2014. … [Read more...]