Samsung smartwatch for tracking fanatics

[smackababy]

Calf-worn, blood vessel-sensing intensity sensor:

http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/31/bsxinsights-now-shipping/

Looks to be geared towards those wankers riding their toys in my lane. I hate it already!

 

[Kaido]

Looks to be geared towards those wankers riding their toys in my lane. I hate it already!

I love riding my bike, but we have some real jerks in my area...ride in the lane & block traffic, then go through red lights. C'mon now. These guys give the rest of us a bad name :thumbsdown:

The problem would easily be solved if all roads had bike lanes, but they don't. Plus I don't trust people driving cars to pay attention - I was almost killed by a lady putting on her makeup & drinking a coffee one morning, completely oblivious to the fact that she almost killed me, & quit riding for a long time after that because I'm a blood balloon on a bike & drivers are insulated in a 2,000-pound metal rollcage. Now I pretty much only ride before 5am to avoid the bulk of traffic. People are nuts & bikers are nuts man

 

[Kaido]

Wow, Asus just announced a super nice watch:

http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/13/asus-vivowatch-milan-design-week/

No pricing yet, but it has HRM, 10-day battery life, and is waterproof (IP67). Plus it looks really nice! The Jawbone Up3 delay was due to the waterproofing...it's not longer waterproof, just splash-resistant. If the Vivo Watch can handle basic iOS notifications (doesn't appear to run Android Wear) then I may have to get this one instead...very nice!

 

[smackababy]

This. If it can take iOS notification, I will certainly pick one up. So long as the price is around $100. Even if it just to play with.

 

[Kaido]

Jawbone announced a couple of new bands:

http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/16/jawbone-up2-up4/

Up2 = updated version of the Up24 (available today)
Up4 = same as Up3, just with NFC for mobile payments (available this summer)

Downside with the Up4...only supports Amex. And not just any Amex...only consumer credit cards (not corporate or pre-paid cards). Pretty silly considering Amex still isn't even accepted everywhere...

 

[Kaido]

Luna Sleep:

http://lunasleep.com/

Hardware sleep tracker. Any size bed attachment is under $300. Smart alarm, connects to other smarthome stuff, fits under bedsheets on any mattress design, tracks sleep (sleep phases, heart rate, breathing rate), and has temperature control on each side of the bed. Lots of integration:

http://lunasleep.com/integrations

It was originally an Indigogo project:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/luna-turn-your-bed-into-a-smartbed

Curious about the temperature control, if it's heating & cooling or what. Also a bit worried about it having a microphone (#nsa). Looks slick though!

 

[Kaido]

Sounds like Microsoft is unveiling the Band 2.0 next Tuesday, October 6th:

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/09/28/microsoft-band-price-drops-ahead-of-redesign.aspx

I actually really like the original Band. The vertical screen concept is cool. My brother has one & is a fan. Will be interesting to see what they do with the new one...I like second-gen hardware

 

[Kaido]

Neat new wearable from LifeTrak:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...ear-amphibious-fitness-tracker-300152523.html

Will be a Kickstarter project:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lifetrakzoom/zoom-worlds-first-amphibious-heart-rate-and-fitnes

Works on water & land, and has continuous heartrate monitoring with a battery life of 5 days. NICE.

Zoom is the only continuous wear fitness tracker that constantly monitors heart rate day and night, as well as during workouts on land and even in water. It not only assists with heart rate zone training during workouts, but also obtains the most accurate 24-hour calorie burn numbers. Additionally, it monitors steps, distance and sleep quality. Unlike other devices that require daily recharging, Zoom has a battery life of up to five days.

"Your heart rate is the single best indicator of your health and at LifeTrak, we believe if everyone were able to read their heart rate more accurately, they could live healthier lives. As a very active person, I've always wished I could monitor my own heart rate anywhere, all the time, but have found chest straps uncomfortable, wristbands limiting and am still looking for a viable solution for swimming. The fact that many athletes were looking for those same features is what inspired us to create Zoom," Mike Hosey, president of LifeTrak, said.

 

[RossMAN]

Luna Sleep:

http://lunasleep.com/

Hardware sleep tracker. Any size bed attachment is under $300. Smart alarm, connects to other smarthome stuff, fits under bedsheets on any mattress design, tracks sleep (sleep phases, heart rate, breathing rate), and has temperature control on each side of the bed. Lots of integration:

http://lunasleep.com/integrations

It was originally an Indigogo project:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/luna-turn-your-bed-into-a-smartbed

Curious about the temperature control, if it's heating & cooling or what. Also a bit worried about it having a microphone (#nsa). Looks slick though!

I want one. Will it play nice with memory foam which doesn't usually play nice with heated mattress pads/covers?

 

[Kaido]

I want one. Will it play nice with memory foam which doesn't usually play nice with heated mattress pads/covers?

You know, I'm still trying to find out more information about the temperature element. It doesn't say if it's heated or cooled or both or neither. It does say it works with any kind of bed, so I'd imagine it'd be safe for foamies. I think a bed chiller would be awesome for people who get too hot, which is an especially common problem for people with memory foam beds. I like that it has dual zones too, although that hasn't always worked out so well in the past (I slept on a Sleep Number bed for a week & found it horrifically uncomfortable).

 

[vi edit]

I've had my MS Band for about 6 months now, 3 months of that with fairly intensive training tracking. I love the thing. I'm a runner and I could never own another fitness tracker without GPS. To me that is what makes the band different than Fitbits or Jawbones or even the Apple Watch. It's on my wrist, I tap a few buttons and I've got a GPS lock. No need to lug a phone with me. I just get up and go.

Battery life is great. I use the "watch display" all day, do sleep tracking at night and then get up first thing in the morning and go run. I've done 8 mile runs with it after tracking sleep all night and battery life is still fine. All it needs is a 30 minute top off each day and it's happy.

The only real complaint I have is the screen sensitivity if my hands are sweaty. You have to "tap" the screen to end your workouts. If you are drenched in sweat after you did a PR level run you may miss that PR recording because it takes you 20 seconds of fumbling and cussing at the thing before it recognizes your taps.

They *could* address this through software. There's two physical buttons on the band. They could remap the end function to one of the buttons and be done with it. That is the best solution. If MS is reading this post...PLEASE DO THAT!

Other niggles is that yes, it's not an icon of ergonomic comfort. But after 2-3 weeks I barely know it's on. The notifications are a nice touch and there's a good amount of data stored on the dashboard site for MS health that you can track.

I'm curious to see what they did in Band 2.0 and how much they changed physically and functionally. At this point, the only other device that has somewhat caught my eye is the new Moto 360 Sport. It's got built in GPS and you can load music to it. Plus the GPS directions and more robust android wearable ecosystem has more going for it.

 

[RossMAN]

You know, I'm still trying to find out more information about the temperature element. It doesn't say if it's heated or cooled or both or neither. It does say it works with any kind of bed, so I'd imagine it'd be safe for foamies. I think a bed chiller would be awesome for people who get too hot, which is an especially common problem for people with memory foam beds. I like that it has dual zones too, although that hasn't always worked out so well in the past (I slept on a Sleep Number bed for a week & found it horrifically uncomfortable).

Does such a thing (bed chiller) already exist? Link(s)?

 

[Kaido]

Does such a thing (bed chiller) already exist? Link(s)?

Yup:

https://www.chilitechnology.com/

 

[Kaido]

This is crazy:

http://www.engadget.com/2016/01/20/smartphone-accessory-3d-scans-your-food-to-count-calories/

​Smartphone accessory to 3D scans your food to count calories! It's an Indigogo crowdfunded project:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/nutriray3d#/

$200 for a scanner. Pricey, but worth the investment if you are into tracking your food!