Wearable Tech Show – A ‘new’ optical HRM and other stuff
Some of the OTHER stuff there was interesting in the WRONG kind of way
TomTom – New Spark3 / Runner3 Announced
Lots of announcements today of new stuff from TomTom. Let’s start with the SPARK 3 / RUNNER 3. The previous version in the UK was the similarly-looking RUNNER 2 which itself followed the UK’s original RUNNER product. The RUNNER 2 was released in the US as the SPARK (Sept 2015). To cut a long story…
Garmin joins with LIFEQ – what about TomTom?
The clever little optical sensor in TomTom’s highly successful Runner2/SPARK was developed by South African company LIFEQ – seen here on the right. Whilst we have all figured out by now that optical HR on the wrist has its limitations, TomTom’s implementation was good. Indeed, LIFEQ’s measurement solution is validated (here). All well and good. Presumably…
Samsung Gear Fit vs. Gear Fit2 – Infographic
Here is a quick head-to-head of the old and the new Gear Fit. Gear Fit2 is the sexy one on the right! Actually I always liked the first one too. Here is a closer first look at some of the Gear Fit2’s specs (link).
Opinion New Samsung Gear Fit2
Samsung have just announced what looks like a game-changer in the fitness band market. The successor to the Gear Fit is the cunningly named Gear Fit2. It’s a FITNESS watch rather than an out-and-out running watch. The clue is in the name. But Is It Twice the Gear or Twice the Fit? It is certainly NOT twice the…
Review – Fitbit Surge – GPS and Optical HR Fitness Watch
Most reviews are based on the original 2015 unit. Things have moved on with improvements to the device’s software. Let’s see how the improvements stack up approaching Summer 2016. You can find a much more detailed review (here). But first I’ll try to position the product for you so you understand where it really sits.…
MIO Slice and PAI at Wareable Technology 2016
MIO global were out in force at Wareable Tech 2016 ably supported by @action_PR and 2Pure – their UK distributor. As well as a large and well-attended stand they had a keynote presentation on PAI. More of that later. The MIO Slice + PAI was announced a while back. I was thinking that it’s been…
Review: Polar A360
Polar’s recently released A360 super smart band is a highly credible contender in the increasingly crowded market for sports-focussed activity trackers. Polar’s heritage as a company is for accurate sports devices. The A360 IS a sports device as well as a 24×7 activity tracker. It is a great device for its market space. However we…
World's Sexiest Smart SPORTS Watches?
Today I was prompted to put together this gallery of some, IMO, rather pretty sports watches by the announcement of the Garmin VIVOACTIVE HR. Possibly Garmin’s prettiest watch to date? I’m sure I’ve missed a few
Polar A360 vs HRM-RUN – HR Running Accuracy This Time
Some much better news today for the A360. This time running tests. OK they were fairly short runs but they followed a bit of bike work beforehand each time and were suitably sweaty and outdoors. Fairly cold, not windy and nice and flat. They were all into Z4 territory. This was a MUCH better than…
Polar A360 vs Garmin HRM-RUN – HR Accuracy In A Controlled Environment
I updated the A360 today with the new firmware v1.128. Even though HR improvements are not listed as part of the firmware release, I hoped for the best. I hoped to shed some light on a few tests I’ve been doing over the last couple of weeks. This test was on a turbo trainer. Cooled…
Review (ette) – Garmin Forerunner 630 – First Look
A year is a clichéd long time in politics and two years is a long time in the realm of sports gadgetry. Since 2013’s Forerunner 620, Garmin have made much progress with new features and functions across their range which have now made their way into the Forerunner 630 (FR630). Some totally new stuff has also…
Samsung SM-R350 – Internally referenced ‘Triathlon’
Don’t get excited, the snappily named SM-R150 is likely to be a mid-market band or low-end triathlon device. Source, below, Sammobile.com Samsung has released a bunch of wearable devices over the past couple of years including fitness trackers and smartwatches. The South Korean electronics giant recently released its first smartwatch – the Gear S2 – with a…
Why Garmin Shares Fell In October (2015)
FOOL.COM explain Garmin’s 40% 2015 share slide, below. Garmin are obviously a large and stable company. It’s just that the growth/decline is not what analysts thought it should be. The fitness business area within Garmin IS growing WELL but pricing is proving tricky. Yet fitbit continue to grow in some of the same markets Ie Activity trackers.…
Tag Heuer Carrera Connect Smart Watch
Android wear developed with Intel. Tag get into the connected game at £1000. My normal criticism of “I wouldn’t wear it 24×7” DOES NOT apply here. I would definitely wear it. Unlike the Apple Watch I suspect that TAG will commit to the longevity or ETERNITY of the product concept. It looks like they are…
Garmin 630 – Beauty Parade – All the official product images
Garmin UK shared their initial ‘official’ Forerunner 630 images with me a couple of hours ago. You can see some of them on Garmin’s website already and no doubt more will appear as time progresses. Anyway, if you have the time, sit back and admire the 630 in its full glory. You will also get an…
Polar A360 – It’s Official – Full Detailed Spec
Having just produced some speculation about the Polar A360 smart activity tracker/sports watch I’m pleased to say that it’s official. Here are the specs from the Press Release that you can pre-order at approx. GBP150: Polar A360 Fitness tracker with wrist-based heart rate This waterproof fitness tracker is the first to have both a wrist-based…
TomTom Runner 2 (aka Spark) – Optical HRM Built In
The impending and eagerly awaited TomTom Runner 2 (aka Spark) has a TomTom-built optical HRM. Is it any good? We don’t know is the answer for sure yet. However some pointers can be gleaned from looking at the promo shot/image attached to this post. The one in the official post is shown above and yet the…
Review: Microsoft BAND
This is a high quality, activity tracker that also supports proper low- to medium-level sporty activity with an inbuilt optical HR sensor. Positives: It looks great. It is compatible on iOS, Android and Windowsphone. It has optical HR AND it has GPS in the device. It has a high-resolution screen. The battery life is fantastic considering all…
Samsung SIMBAND – Proper Health & Sports Tracking?
Samsung today announced the SIMBAND. Features were stated to include at least the following: heart rate blood flow respiration galvanic skin response hydration gas and glucose concentrations blood substances carried in the surrounding air Along with today’s GOOGLE announcement (similar but less close to market) this probably marks the start of the next round of…
