New fitness tracker could actually make it big
Wearables seems to be the recurring theme of Samsung’s Mobile World Congress shindig this year (apart from S5 that is) as it today unveils a gung-ho fitness tracker, Gear Fit, on the back of two Tizen-based smartwatches yesterday, Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo.
But Gear Fit looks to be the real fitness deal.
It sports a 1.84-inch curved super AMOLED display screen (432X128) that bends to the shape of your wrist.
You can read texts, emails, take calls but the real pull with Gear Fit is it has a heart rate monitor, pulse checker in real time, monitors sleep, syncs with Samsung S Health app on your Sam mobile, schedule, alarm, S-planner, 3rd party apps.
It also has: Pedometer, Exercise, Timer, Stopwatch and is water resistant, Notifications (from your smartphone) and Media Controller.
Gear Fit is IP67 Dust and Water Resistant, 210mAh battery lasts 3-4 days, changeable straps come in Black, Orange and Mocha Grey, and Bluetooth v4.0.
“‘Gear Fit is a stronger offering than the Gear 2 line,” analysts Canalys tweeted.
But analysts believe “Samsung must market its display feature and avoid high pricing to compete with Fitbit.”
No word on price, but its likely the Koreans learned its lesson and will sell for less than the $369 asking price of original Gear.
“Samsung understands that the next generation of wearable mobile solutions must directly reflect of the diverse interests and needs of consumers,” said JK Shin, CEO, Samsung Mobile .
“Our Gear product portfolio continues to expand with unique devices for a wide range of lifestyles, including the new Gear Fit designed to help those consumers striving to live more fit and active lives without sacrificing their own personal style or their ability to stay connected on the go.”
