Fitbit has quietly launched a pair of fitness trackers called the Fitbit Inspire and Inspire HR. Both models are made available through Fitbit Health Solutions for corporate customers who want to provide them to their employees as part of a wellness program. Both models offer fitness tracking capabilities, including heart rate tracking, sleep monitoring, and a waterproof design.
Honda's Walking Assist Device, a partial exoskeleton to help those with difficulties moving unsupported, has been given the green-light for release by US regulators. The wearable robotic gadget was given Premarket Notification by the US FDA, after clinical trials helped demonstrate it can significantly help in rehabilitation.
Mercedes-Benz and Garmin have teamed up on a new smartwatch, capable of feeding health data to the dashboard and figuring out less stressful routes, among other features. The Mercedes-Benz branded Garmin vivoactive 3 GPS smartwatch was revealed alongside the 2020 CLA Coupe at CES 2019 today, and while it may be much smaller than the car, it's just as tech-packed.
Earlier this month, Google pushed out the most recent update to its Google Fit fitness-tracking app, the latest of multiple big updates this year. Now the company is preparing to add 30-day challenge events, the first of which will go live on January 1, 2019. These events will enable users to earn Heart Points for completing activities.
The Apple Watch ECG app has landed, and the good news is that while my British heart may be cold, it's at least not showing signs of atrial fibrillation. Landing as a part of watchOS 5.1.2, the new heart health monitoring app was a key part of the Apple Watch Series 4 promise back when the latest-gen wearable was announced earlier in the year.
Earlier this year, Withings announced that it is once again an independent company after being part of Nokia Health since 2016. The freshly-independent company is wasting little time in getting new products out the door, and today, it's reviving its old Pulse brand for a new fitness tracker. The original Pulse launched way back in 2013, so unsurprisingly, this new entry in the line - dubbed simply Pulse HR - comes with a number of upgrades.
Huawei doesn’t seem to be interested in bringing any of its smartphones to the US anymore, even if it’s not legally banned from doing so, at least not yet. That doesn’t mean, however, that it has completely stepped out of the US mobile market. It still wants to leave its mark and its brand even if only on people’s wrists and feet. To that end, it is now making available its latest Huawei Band 3 Pro and Huawei Band 3e available for consumers in the US who prefer having a Huawei-branded fitness tracker on their body.
It seems that Apple has learned the art of teasing its fans and prolonging their waiting. It waited a month after its iPhone XS event to reveal its new iPad Pros. And now it might be waiting for yet another month to bring out another expected product, the next-gen AirPods. It might be close to launch, though, if certification and trademark filings are any indication. And if those sightings are correct, fans might be looking at a rather sophisticated piece of fitness equipment they can put in their ears.
During its peak, Pokemon GO has been credited for getting people off their butts and on their feet and walking around, sometimes even walking into things, unfortunately. But how much walking and activity did Pokemon GO really produce. Unfortunately, there’s really no way to get that past data and can only get it directly from tracking data from smartwatches or smartphones. To fix that, Niantic Labs is launching a new feature called Adventure Sync that records our steps, syncs with Apple and Android phones, and hatches eggs.
Huawei doesn't just have the new Mate 20 Pro today, it also has a pair of wearables that promise maximum fitness tracking flexibility without compromising on battery life. The new Huawei Watch GT and Huawei Band 3 Pro are two different aesthetic answers to a similar problem: what do you do if you want full GPS tracking for your workouts, but also want a wearable that lasts longer than a couple of hours?
The wearable market seems to have plateaued a bit, perhaps partly due to most users being satisfied with the trackers they already have. So what can fitness tracker makers do to increase sales? Make consumers realize they will need more. The Fitbit Charge 3 is an example, adding a new sleep tracking feature that won’t exactly guarantee you the most peaceful slumber but could at least help you understand why you’re not getting any.
Withings wrote the book on making a fitness wearable that wasn't an ugly hunk of rubber on your wrist: now, it wants the Steel HR Sport to do the same for smartwatches. Freshly returned to original co-founder Eric Carreel after a stint as Nokia Digital Health, this first product under new management argues you don't need to sacrifice classic watch style just to get modern smart features. In an Apple Watch Series 4 age, though, does Withings' nod to the analog past make too many compromises for its future?