I tested the fitness tracker waters with the Pivotal Living 1 and stuck with it despite the bugs. Unfortunately, I forgot it wasn’t waterproof, and a dip in the pool brought on the death of the PL1. It’s time to replace it, and I’ve narrowed my choices down to the Fitbit Charge HR, Withings Activité Pop, or Garmin Vivosmart.
Last year we celebrated 20 years of ordering food online (pizza – surprised?), and by now most of us have ordered some sort of food online – and many have used smartphone apps to place and track orders. Now Domino’s (is leading the way by allowing customers to place and track their order via Pebble and Android Wear smartwatches.
Withings has just made two big announcements about three of their marquee products. First, they announced that their gorgeous Activité and Activité Pop activity tracking watches will be compatible with Android starting tomorrow, March 2nd. And second, they announced that their Withings Home monitoring device will soon offer the option to save 30 days of video footage in the cloud.
2015 promises to be a great year for wearable technology, with the Apple watch and Android wear coming out with great looking functional connected technology. One of the cool looking upcoming devices is the LG Watch Urbane, with a sapphire crystal, elements of Android and WebOS integrated and a feature set to make it something to get excited about!
There’s been a huge debate lately about wearable devices like Fitbit, Jawbone UP, smartwatches, etc. First, wareable.com pointed out most buyers of fitness trackers are ALREADY fit (and well-off), and then a study came out indicating wearables were no more accurate than the pedometer in your existing smartphone. So who’s using them and are they helping anyone?
Judie and I have been covering Martian Watches since they first debuted a few years ago. While smartwatches are still trying to find the sweet spot of form and functionality Martian Watches has stuck with its winning formula that leverages the capabilities already present in today’s smartphones and allowing access to them from your wrist.
Even before Apple announced their Apple Watch, much of the tech world was looking to wearables to be the next big thing. Everyone is looking to established technology companies, but there’s someone coming in from outside the tech world positioning themselves to dominate, especially with their latest acquisitions: Under Armour.
During CES 2015 I picked up a Withings Activité Pop; it hasn’t been off my wrist since. It is the anti-smartwatch, and it doesn’t try to do too much. At the other end of the spectrum is the Samsung Gear S; it tries to do it all, and thanks to Sprint, that even means replacing your smartphone!
Today Google announced the winding down of its Glass Explorer program. As you may know, this is the program where early adopters paid $1,500 for the privilege of looking like a cyborg while wearing experimental Google Glass. Though Google claims Glass is still on track for a consumer version (at some unknown time in the future), project prospects appear dim.
I wrote about the MOTA Smart Ring (what feels like) ages ago, and I finally got the chance to see one in action and slip it on my finger yesterday. It’s reasonably priced at a pre-order price of $99. What that gets you is notifications from all of your usual apps — messages, email, Facebook, etc.
We already reported on the new additions to Garmin’s vivo line-up, the vivofit 2 and vivoactive, which round up Garmin‘s consumer wearable line. But they also added to their higher end products with the Epix and Fenix 3. The Fenix 3 is the latest in the company’s multi-sport category, and Epix is intended as a wearable GPS for outdoor enthusiasts.
Lenovo has been on fire the last few years with some amazing consumer offerings. They’re expanding even further this year at CES, announcing 10 new devices, from YOGA tablets and laptops to ultraportables, smartphones, and even a smartwatch/fitness tracker. You can check out their full lineup at their CES 2015 site, but here are a few of my favorites!
I’ve always been a fan of Garmin products, considering them the ‘gold standard’ for running GPS watches. Their leap into fitness trackers in 2014 with the vivoFit and more recently the vivoSmart were highly successful and each is on a wrist in my household. Now they are announcing the ViVoActive Smart Fitness Watch that pretty much does it all!
I have professed my unabashed love for the Magellan Echo before, because of how it perfectly melds GPS watch capability while using your smartphone as the engine. I reviewed the Echo almost a year ago, and still use it regularly – because it just plain works. Now Magellan has introduced the follow-up Echo Fit at CES 2015!
I wrote about Wellograph when it was first announced in September, and have had one since they were first available. The rate of improvements has been incredible, so when I heard about the new stuff announced at CES, I thought ‘of course’, without surprise. The new functionality is definitely worth noting if you have considered buying a Wellograph.
The Apple Watch isn’t here yet, but Standzout is ready for early adopters with their new Bandstand. It’s an Apple Watch cradle that will let you charge the watch and two USB devices at once. There are no details yet on price or availability, but the mockup looks darn cool! Keep your eyes peeled to Standzout’s website for availability news!
If you like the look of a regular wristwatch but want the benefits of activity tracking, you’ve probably heard of the Withings Activité. It’s a beautiful Swiss watch with a second analog hand that indicates your activity levels, and syncs to your phone. But it’s a bit rich at $450, so Withings is aiming for the mainstream with a $149 Activité Pop!
Being a parent comes with a healthy side of worry. Are you feeding your child the right foods? Are you teaching them how to be a good person? Are they safe? SAFE Family is trying to address some of this with their new Paxie band wearable for children.
Ah, winter in the northeast. This season was made for crackling fires, warm apple cider, heated steering wheels, and… The 808 Soundcap. The Soundcap may sound a bit cheesy but, to be honest, I’m a fan. It promises to keep me warm AND let me enjoy my music this winter. And for just $19.99, it is a great last-minute stocking stuffer.
If you believe you can fly, then the VERT wearable jump rate monitor can measure how high. This device is the first sports wearable to measure and report jump rate data on iPhone, iPad, smart watches and other devices. with an accompanying app for iPhone or the VERTcoach team management app on iPad.
Timex was the watch of my youth. From the watch that ‘took a licking and kept on ticking’ to self-winding watches to the Ironman series that brought ruggedness to the digital age, Timex has been there. Now they have expanded the Timex Ironman line with a connected fitness tracker (X20) and a slimline GPS watch (X20 GPS).