The Verge - Health and fitness of CES 2013

Invasion of the body trackers: take me to your leader

2013-01-11T23:00:52Z

There's no doubt about it — CES 2013 marked the point where fitness- and health-tracking devices became a legitimate affair. The category until now has been dominated by a few success stories — Fitbit, FuelBand, and so on — and true to CES form we're seeing a lot more companies attempting to cash in. After all, "people in America, frankly, are really fat" as Fitbit CEO James Park told The Verge in an interview yesterday; the obesity problem has been a hot-button issue for decades, and companies and startups are now attempting to leverage the rise of smartphones to capitalize on the epidemic. According to Travis Bogard, VP of product for Jawbone which produces the Up fitness band, these devices make sense because "people know more...

Mio Alpha is a less cumbersome heart rate watch for athletes

2013-01-11T01:27:21Z

It's not hard to find fitness trackers here at CES (just take a look around the South Hall), but one that has caught our eye outside of the usual suspects is the Mio Alpha. The company is here with its heart rate watch after a successful Kickstarter campaign this summer, and we've just had the chance to use the product for ourselves.

Watches that monitor heart rate aren't new, but what's different about the Alpha is that it can accurately take continuous readings during intense workouts (e.g. running up to 12mph) without the need for a chest strap. To measure heart rate, the Alpha shines a green light that's reflected off the capillaries in the top of your wrist. The watch then monitors how much light is reflected back to pull a...

Spot the difference: LG unveils Nike+ FuelBand-inspired Smart Activity Tracker

2013-01-10T00:09:25Z

Fitness and lifestyle products are a major theme at CES, and LG's clearly eager to get on board the trend — its booth has a new prototype called the Smart Activity Tracker. As you'll no doubt have noticed, it bears more than a slight resemblance to Nike's FuelBand, sporting a similar dot matrix-style display and matte black rubber finish.

Despite this, it does actually have some cool features of its own — the band is controlled by a touchscreen, which should make it easier to control than the FuelBand, and the Bluetooth syncing does some neat tricks like showing contact information when a call is coming in. LG wouldn't speak to pricing, but it's planned for release this summer.

iBitz fitness tracker encourages kids to exercise by caring for a virtual pet (hands-on)

2013-01-09T21:54:24Z

Amid concerns that the world's youth are becoming increasingly unhealthy, GeoPalz is releasing a new fitness tracking system for families that — like so many others — is primarily aimed at making exercise fun for kids. The colorful iBitz pedometer syncs with an iOS app using Bluetooth 4.0, and tracks your steps for the day. For adults, GeoPalz has designed a standard fitness tracking app, called Unity, which we're told also allows parents to track the progress of any kids devices synced with the app. Unfortunately, we weren't able to spend time with the Unity app, which is still in development. The kids version, PowerKey, lets children use their steps to tend to a pet in a manner reminiscent of the Tamagotchi, feeding it and...

Hands on with Fitbit's new Flex wristband fitness tracker

2013-01-08T00:12:23Z

We just spent some time with the Fitbit Flex, the company's latest wristband-style fitness tracker. Announced earlier today, the device syncs in realtime with iOS hardware (and select Android handsets soon), and there's also an included USB dongle that will automatically upload your activity data to a nearby PC or Mac. Getting set up is simple enough; you just pop the tiny white tracker unit into a soft, colored wristband and go about your day. Aside from its core fitness monitoring, the Flex will also track the quality of your sleep each night and you can set alarms to wake you in the morning. Flex is water resistant and shower-ready; the company says it put the device through a number of tests to prove its mettle. Two sizes of the Flex...

Fitbit Flex wristband with Bluetooth could be the best activity tracker yet

2013-01-07T14:06:05Z

Fitbit is here in Las Vegas to announce its new $99.95 Flex wristband activity tracker. Better yet, the Flex syncs wirelessly with your iPhone giving you real time access to your data — easily trumping the Jawbone Up and Nike FuelBand bracelets in terms of connectivity. And later this month or early February, Fitbit's trackers will also sync with Samsung's Galaxy S III and Note II Android devices via Bluetooth 4.0, with more devices "available soon." The device also ships with a Bluetooth 4.0 USB dongle to sync with a PC or Mac whenever the Flex is in range. The $99.95 Flex rounds out the company's fitness tracking portfolio that also includes the $99.95 One and $59.95 Zip clip-ons and Aria Wi-Fi scale.

The Flex wristband is a most...

Fitbug Orb tries to take down activity tracker rivals with Bluetooth scale and blood pressure monitor

2013-01-07T00:33:25Z

We're sure to see plenty of activity trackers here at CES, and tonight one smaller company here is releasing a new line of equipment to try and win over a few users. The company's called Fitbug — yes, they compete with Fitbit — and it has a new Bluetooth tracker called the Orb. If you've used a Fitbit One or a Jawbone Up you'll be familiar with what's on offer with the Orb, though Fitbug does change it up by offering three different syncing modes — one for real-time updates for use during workouts, another for syncing in 30-minute intervals, and a last that updates on demand.

The Orb offers many of the same features that we've seen on other devices, like like keeping track of how many steps you've taken, how far you've traveled,...

BodyMedia Core 2 personal fitness and health monitor hands-on

2013-01-07T00:21:44Z

We're at CES Unveiled in Las Vegas, and just had a chance to take a look at BodyMedia's new Core 2 health and fitness monitor. The company is hailing the device's sleek form factor — it's much smaller than its older Link and Core monitors — and its new size allows it to quickly change appearance with snap-on faceplates, armbands, and cuffs. The smaller size alsop BodyMedia says the Core 2, like its existing devices, can capture over 5,000 data points per minute with a variety of sensors that can detect a user's temperature, heart rate, and other biometric data. The Core 2 will release in August, and while the company doesn't have a firm price yet, it says it should be comparable to its Link and Core devices, which top out at $119.

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