Oura announces a new sleeker fitness ring and I want one!

Several months ago I had the opportunity to test and review a very slick fitness tracking device that had the form factor of a ring that you wear on your finger like an ordinary piece of jewelry. That was the original Oura ring and I really enjoyed using it but ended up shelving it due to the size. Now Oura is back with the second generation of their fitness and sleep tracking ring and oh boy, I am excited about it.

The new Oura Ring is now sized like a ring that I would actually want to wear because it’s less than half the size of the first generation Oura ring while still allowing for a seven day battery life. The titanium water resistant ring will be available in three styles and a choice of up to four colors depending on the style.

Like standard fitness tracking devices that you might wear on your wrist or clipped to your clothes, the Oura ring keeps track of your activity and steps. But this ring also helps to improve the quality of your sleep.

During the night, the new Oura ring tracks sleep quality, sleep stages (deep, REM, light and wakefulness), ECG level resting heart rate and heart rate variability as well as body temperature. With the new ring, users can also see their resting heart rate and heart rate variability on-demand during the day, for example during naps, meditation or breathing and relaxation exercises.

This is one of the first wearables available to consumers that offers advice on how to improve your unique circadian alignment. The circadian rhythm is your body’s built-in 24-hour clock that affects everything you do: when it would be optimal for you to sleep, rest, eat and move. The new Oura ring helps you find your optimal bedtime so you will have a more restorative sleep and good optimal recovery from daily stresses.

The second generation Oura ring can be preordered for $239 to $899 with shipping in April 2018. Visit ouraring.com for all the details.

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Oura announces a new sleeker fitness ring and I want one! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 3, 2017 at 11:35 am.

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Oura announces a new sleeker fitness ring and I want one!

Several months ago I had the opportunity to test and review a very slick fitness tracking device that had the form factor of a ring that you wear on your finger like an ordinary piece of jewelry. That was the original Oura ring and I really enjoyed using it but ended up shelving it due to the size. Now Oura is back with the second generation of their fitness and sleep tracking ring and oh boy, I am excited about it.

The new Oura Ring is now sized like a ring that I would actually want to wear because it’s less than half the size of the first generation Oura ring while still allowing for a seven day battery life. The titanium water resistant ring will be available in three styles and a choice of up to four colors depending on the style.

Like standard fitness tracking devices that you might wear on your wrist or clipped to your clothes, the Oura ring keeps track of your activity and steps. But this ring also helps to improve the quality of your sleep.

During the night, the new Oura ring tracks sleep quality, sleep stages (deep, REM, light and wakefulness), ECG level resting heart rate and heart rate variability as well as body temperature. With the new ring, users can also see their resting heart rate and heart rate variability on-demand during the day, for example during naps, meditation or breathing and relaxation exercises.

This is one of the first wearables available to consumers that offers advice on how to improve your unique circadian alignment. The circadian rhythm is your body’s built-in 24-hour clock that affects everything you do: when it would be optimal for you to sleep, rest, eat and move. The new Oura ring helps you find your optimal bedtime so you will have a more restorative sleep and good optimal recovery from daily stresses.

The second generation Oura ring can be preordered for $239 to $899 with shipping in April 2018. Visit ouraring.com for all the details.

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Oura announces a new sleeker fitness ring and I want one! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 3, 2017 at 11:35 am.

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Spire introduces new Spire Health Tag fitness biosensor

Do you remember the Spire activity tracker that I reviewed almost 3 years ago? Spire is back with a brand new fitness device called the Health Tag. The Health Tag biosensor that is designed to attach to your clothes instead of wearing it around your wrist like the majority of activity trackers on the market. The Health Tag uses advanced algorithms to provide real-time personalized health advice for sleep, stress levels, and your daily activity.

Spire Health Tags are available in packs of multiple tags so you can attach them to the clothes that you wear the most, such as bras, underwear, pajamas and exercise gear. Since there are multiple Health Tags, you don’t need to reattach them to a new shirt each day and you don’t even need to remove them when you wash and dry your clothes because they are waterproof and will survive the laundry cycle.

The small trackers don’t need to be recharged on a regular basis either because the built-in battery will last for almost 2 years!

The biosensor inside each Spire Health Tag tracks your physical activity (via heart rate) and sleep quality. It also tracks your breathing which reflects your stress and calmness levels. When the Health Tag senses that you need to do something it will send actionable reminders through the app to guide you through steps at specific times like:

“It took you 26% longer than usual to fall asleep last night. Got time for a quick breathing exercise before bed tonight?”
“Today you were 22% less active than usual—and 42% more tense than usual. What can you do to turn this around?”
“Awesome workout! You burned 246 cals with an average HR of 163 bpm. You fall asleep 16% faster after working out. Sleep well tonight!”

The Spire Health Tag is available in packs of 3 for $99, packs of 8 for $199, and packs of 15 for $299. You can order now from spire.io

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Spire introduces new Spire Health Tag fitness biosensor originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 16, 2017 at 12:00 pm.

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The body heat powered PowerWatch starts shipping to backers

A year ago we included the Matrix Industries PowerWatch Indiegogo campaign in one of our weekly Notable crowdfunding campaign posts. I remember being intrigued by this activity tracking watch that uses the body heat from your wrist to generate power to charge the watch’s internal battery. How does it work?

The PowerWatch uses a thermoelectric generator (TEG) that senses body heat and converts it into energy. TEGs need to have a hot side and a cold side to operate. The hot side is the circular black aluminum plate on the back of the watch. The cold side is the entire metal bezel and body of the watch. The hot and cold sides are separated from each other by a layer of insulating thermoplastic. The TEGs harvest the heat flowing from the hot side to the cold side and turn it into electricity.

“Research shows that the number one reason consumers stop using wearables is because they take them off to charge and forget that they exist,” continued Boukai. “The PowerWatch was designed and built with the consumer top of mind, functioning the way we want our wearables to function, without any lapses for charging. By reducing or eliminating the need for recharging, the PowerWatch is the first wearable to offer consumers this uninterrupted ability.”

Now, the watches are shipping to campaign backers and are also available for order today on PowerWatch.com, starting at $169, with the premium PowerWatch X set to ship before the end of the year.

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The body heat powered PowerWatch starts shipping to backers originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 13, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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The Ultimate Cuff for Apple Watch and Fitbit Charge 2

There are a variety of bands available from Apple for their Watch and an even bigger variety of bands from third-party vendors.  It seems that most of the third-party bands are simply lower-priced variations of the Apple offerings, though.  If you’re looking for a Watch band that is different and perhaps more stylish than anything you’ve seen thus far, take a look at the offerings from The Ultimate Cuff.  These metal cuff bands are available in 14K gold plate, 14K rose gold plate, and silver rhodium and are sized to fit the 38mm or 42mm Apple Watch Series 1, 2, and 3.  Prices range from $98 – $142 for the Apple Watch.  There are also a couple of Cuffs for the Fitbit Charge 2.

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The Ultimate Cuff for Apple Watch and Fitbit Charge 2 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 6, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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