Hasta La Gadget!

We liked the Fitbit One activity tracker, but there was some convenience lacking. While its pebble-like form-factor was very discreet, it meant you always had to take it out and put it in a special arm band if you wanted to monitor your sleep, then return it to your pants in the morning. And which pants did you forget them in this time? More »

BodyMedia has revealed its latest health-monitoring system, the CORE 2, the company’s attempt to slim down its sensor-strap to help wearers slim-down too. Smaller than Apple’s iPod nano, and yet accommodating four sensors and Bluetooth Smart Ready 4.0, the CORE 2 – previewed in prototype form at CES 2013 this week – can funnel fitness stats directly to your smartphone and tablet.

Temperature, heat flux, galvanic skin response, and a 3-axis accelerometer are all squeezed inside a compact dongle that can be worn on an arm strap or elsewhere on the body. Each sensor tracks data at 5,000 records per minute, and the CORE 2 can be paired with an optional heart-rate monitor strap.

All of the data collected will be sent to the BodyMedia mobile app, using low-power Bluetooth 4.0 (on devices that support it) to keep the information up to date minute-to-minute. That’s in contrast to rival systems like Jawbone’s UP, which only synchronize when you plug them in.

Those stats will also be uploaded to the web-based Activity Manager, complete with a FIT coach which can make suggestions for exercise, diet, and other elements. That guidance will be given as easy-to-understand instructions – such as “Hop on the treadmill and walk for about 1 hour at a speed of 4 mph and you can hit your calorie burn goal today” – to reduce confusion.

What you see in our photos now, however, is going to get even smaller by the time the CORE 2 goes on sale. BodyMedia tells us that the fitness device will end up being the size of a quarter, once the company’s engineers have had their way. There’ll be interchangeable fascias, too, when the CORE 2 hits shelves in August 2013; pricing tbc.

BodyMedia CORE 2 hands-on is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Not to be confused with a similar product, the UK-based Fitbug has unveiled a collection of new connected health gadgets here at CES. The Fitbug orb is button-sized tracker that measures calories, distance and even pace. The pedometer tech inside also monitors your sleeping pattern. Connectivity wise, it can hook up to iOS devices including the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch (5th generation), iPad (3rd and 4th generation) and the iPad Mini, while Android support will be limited to Samsung’s Galaxy S III. There’s three sync modes: Push, for instant updates, beaconing means you can send data at intervals throughout the day, or stream data to monitor your pace. It’s Fitbug’s first device to offer sleep tracking and will monitor your nighttime movements like we saw on Jawbone’s Up. It launches in white, black and pink and can be housed in a watch strap or its own neck pendant. It launches on Fitbug’s own retail site priced at £45 ($73). The Fitbug Wow Bluetooth-enable scales will connect to a similar list of iOS devices, although there’s no word on Android compatibility yet. You can monitor weight-loss (or gain) through the company’s refreshed website too, and the device will launch in March priced at £70 (£114) or £100 ($163), including the company’s Air activity tracker.

Filed under: Wearables

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BodyMedia’s line of armbands has been helping folks monitor their health for years, and today the company has announced a new, smaller and more fashionable member of the family. Called the CORE 2, it packs a three-axis accelerometer, plus temperature, heat flux and galvanic skin response sensors to measure all kinds of biometric data. Those internals gather over 5,000 bits of data every minute to track how hard you exercise and how many calories you burn when doing so. It doesn’t take nights off either, as the band also tracks sleeping patterns to give wearers a full 24/7/365 picture of their health.

Using Bluetooth 4.0, those biometrics get passed on to BodyMedia’s existing mobile apps and web portal to track your fitness over time, create custom workouts and recommend dietary adjustments to help your body be the best it can be. What really sets the CORE 2 apart from other fitness bands is that it has interchangeable faceplates, straps and cuffs, so folks can tailor the bracelet’s appearance to match their outfit. Unfortunately, the CORE 2 isn’t yet ready for sale just yet, so we don’t know when it’ll be available or how much it’ll cost. However, fitness fashionistas stay tuned — we’ll be seeing it in person here at CES, so there’ll be more pictures coming your way this week.

Continue reading BodyMedia’s CORE 2 armband tracks your health, or lack thereof

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The ever popular health and fitness tracking iPhone app RunKeeper has been updated to version 3.0 today. The update includes an all-new design that aims to make the user interface cleaner and simpler to use, it also comes with new features that make it easy to share your progress with friends and family.

Indeed, the user interface is a lot cleaner this time around. The team behind the app ended up cleaning up a lot of the code by scrapping the bold colors and text for a cleaner design that’s easier to read and navigate. They also wanted to design the app to showcase more of your personal fitness story, and they hope that the new look motivates its users even more.

One of the main selling points of RunKeeper is that the app makes it easy to set a goal and track your progress towards that goal, while also interacting and competing with friends right from the app. They’ve made it even easier by adding a few more features to the app, such as in-app photo features that allow you to take pictures before, during, and after workouts and share those with friends on Facebook or Twitter.

You now also enable live activity tracking, which allows friends and family to follow your progress in real-time and cheer you on as they do so. The company has more plans in the future for the app, including an update for the Android version of RunKeeper, but the company says they’ll have more features to come in 2013.

RunKeeper is a free download, and the update is available now in the iTunes App Store.

RunKeeper for iPhone updates with redesign and live activity tracking is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.