CES 2013: Fitness gets smarter

At the Consumer Electronics Show, currently taking place in Las Vegas, Withings has announced a new pocket-sized health-monitoring device designed to help users achieve their personal health and fitness goals.

Withings has announced its newest health-monitoring device, Smart Activity Tracker, a powerful and pocket-sized personal tracking tool designed to help users achieve their personal health and fitness goals. For the first time ever seen on an activity tracker, the Smart Activity Tracker adds pulse measurement to the number of steps taken, strides run, distances covered, calories burned, and quality of sleep. The device syncs via Bluetooth Smart with the Withings Health Mate App where all the data is collected and stored in real time.

The WHO warns that physical inactivity is now identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality (6% of deaths globally), and advises undertaking regular physical activity throughout the week. Awareness of one’s personal activity levels is an essential factor for leading a healthy lifestyle. Users of the Smart Activity Tracker can set up and send alerts to indicate inactivity or reminders to be active, directly to their smartphone. This feature is especially important to those that work behind a desk all day or are sedentary. It’s also an easy way of encouraging physical activity throughout the day in order to live a healthier life on a daily basis.

C√©dric Hutchings, CEO and co-founder of Withings says: ‚”Understanding how to analyse your fitness is the first step to improving it! The amount of technology that we’ve packed into this tiny sized and easy to use new-generation personal trainer will take us further into a new dimension of connected health and wellbeing where device, user and services are closely and permanently linked‚”.

No larger than a small memory stick, Smart Activity Tracker is designed to be unobtrusive. It can be inserted into a pocket or used with the included belt clip and/or armband. The front of the device features a fully functioning touch surface that will allow users to navigate from screen to screen and the back houses the heart rate sensor where users simply place their finger to take their readings. The device has a two week battery life and has an on-board micro USB port for recharging.

Smart Activity Monitor tracks not only the number of steps taken in a day, but differentiates moderate from vigorous activity. The device also calculates the number of stairs climbed and calories burned depending on the users’ body composition. The duration of sleep, plus the quality of that sleep is also calculated when the device is worn during sleep. By adding heart rate to the tracker, users can paint a larger picture of their total health by monitoring their resting heart rates and heart rates after physical activity.

The Withings Health Mate app collects all the information provided by the Smart Activity Tracker via Bluetooth and categorizes it into 3 different health categories-Activity, Heart and Sleep. This data can be easily shared with a physician, dietitian, sports coach, support group or social media network.

Technical Specifications:

• Connectivity: Bluetooth and Bluetooth Smart

• Dimensions: 43.3 x 22.1 x 8.3 mm

• Battery: Rechargeable with 2-week battery life

• Display: OLED touchscreen display

• Compatibility: Android devices, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad, iTouch 4 and 5

For more information on the Smart Activity Tracker, visit www.withings.com/en/Smart-Activity-Tracker

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