Fitness Watch New Developments for 2013 By HRWC
Bozeman, MT (PRWEB) August 05, 2013 -- Fitness watch units are experiencing a revolution, thanks to nanotechnology and smartphone interfaces, according to the Heart Rate Watch Company.
"Companies including Garmin, Magellan, WearIt, Suunto, Polar and others are all trying to position based upon the consumers ability to interface their data with mobile technology in real-time", says Rusty Squire, President of the Heart Rate Watch Company.
The Garmin Edge 510 bike computer was launched in early 2013 and would upload all data and maps in realtime to Facebook, or Garmin Connect, thanks to embedded Bluetooth Smart. Polar came out with several Bluetooth Smart chest straps including the Polar H7 and H6.
Very recently, the WearIt advanced sports watch, due out in late 2013, announced a fitness watch that would contain Wifi capability, 4GB of memory and a motherboard making it capable of data sharing from any hotspot. "What is interesting about WearIt is that the watch can conform to any sport, golf one day and cycling the next, all based upon app selection", says Squire.
The Magellan Echo announced last week is a sports watch that will run off iPhone apps and allow you to change screens and even change music directly from the watch.
"At the heart of all this acceleration is nanotechnology, small GPS chipsets and the ability to now have a watch that is more powerful than early computers were", says Squire. He adds, "From an industry perspective, it is fun to observe, but the WearIt caught our attention because it can literally do everything - navigate, sports, connect to the Web - you name it".
"These types of developments are forcing older players in the industry to evolve because if they do not, they will die, which is great for consumers", says Squire.
WHAT IS NEXT?
"We've seen touchscreen in fitness watches for several years now but I still have yet to see one that is voice activated and controlled", says Squire. He adds, "Building the more advanced integrated watches smaller for women also appears to be a challenge, but in general, the watches are getting a little bit smaller every year".
"Up until now, the Smartphone industry has generally been the tail that wags the dog when it comes to fitness watches", says Squire, who has consulted for several investment banks on the topic of sports watches. He adds, "Convenience and size are one reason watches have remained popular, so as long as they continue to evolve with the features consumers are looking for that trend is not likely to change anytime soon."
Rusty Squire, President, Heart Rate Watch Company, http://www.heartratewatchcompany.com, 866-586-7129, [email protected]
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