Consumer wearable devices are a growing market. According to a recent report from Berg Insights, the category that includes fitness trackers, smart glasses, and smartwatches will have shipped 64 million units worldwide by the end of 2017, up from 8.3 million in 2012.
As the biggest consumer shopping season of the year begins, the fitness tracker arms race is heating up, and the longtime developers in this category -- and some new players as well -- are rolling out their latest updates. Many have all new devices for sale, while others are introducing new features to their existing products.
A few companies are notably missing from this list. BodyMedia's Core 2 Armband -- the fashion-forward followup to the Jawbone subsidiary's upper arm-worn tracker -- missed its originally announced August launch date and still hasn't emerged. Withings, which entered the activity tracker fray this summer, has no news about its Pulse device and Striiv is similarly silent. We'll be keeping an eye out for those announcements.
In the meantime, read on for some big holiday plays in the consumer health wearable space.
Samsung Galaxy Gear
In early September, Samsung launched its newest phone, the Galaxy Note 3. And with it, the Korean electronics company launched the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Though not exclusively a health wearable, the Galaxy Gear launched with integration with a number of fitness apps including RunKeeper, MyFitnessPal, and Azumio's Argus. The watch itself includes both an accelerometer and a camera, which the various tracking apps make use of to track movement and enable manual food tracking. The device sells for $299. Samsung has previously announced a dedicated fitness tracking device for the wrist, the Samsung S Band, but that product is not yet available.
Nintendo Wii Fit U Fit Meter
With the launch of its notable fitness game Wii Fit for the Wii U, Nintendo also quietly launched its own fitness tracker, the Fit Meter, for users of the game. The Fit Meter, a clip-on device worn at the hip, can hold its own against other wearable devices. It tracks steps, elevation, goal, time, temperature, and METs. It can also display all of this data in graph form in the Wii Fit game screen. The device went on sale November 1st for $19.99, although to use it, purchasers must already have a $300 Wii U. And, going by the Wii's struggling sales figures, not too many people do.
Fitbit Force
The latest generation of Fitbit adds just a few things to the Fitbit Flex, the company's previous wristworn tracker. For one thing, the Force has an on-screen display which both allows it to serve as a watch and differentiates it from competitor Jawbone. It also adds an altimeter for tracking elevation, which should improve the accuracy of the device. Future updates to the device will add a smartwatch-like functionality: users will be able to get alerts about incoming calls on the Fitbit Force. It sells for $129.99.
Fitbug Orb
For holiday shoppers on a budget, Fitbug launched its long-awaited $49.99 Fitbug Orb in October. The device, which can be worn on the wrist, as a clip-on device, or as a pendant, tracks steps, aerobic steps over time, distance, calories burned, speed and sleep. It uses Bluetooth Smart to sync the data to a free app on the user’s phone or computer.
Nike+ FuelBand SE
Despite being only the second generation of the device, the recently launched Nike+ FuelBand SE isn't hugely different from the old FuelBand (of Kanye West fame). The device comes with an improved motion tracking algorithm and sleep tracking -- a first for the FuelBand. The device looks similar to the first generation FuelBand, and sells for the same price -- $149.
Basis Band
The Basis Band, a $199 fitness and heart rate tracker, didn't come out with a new device, but did launch a firmware and app update that might make the device more attractive to holiday buyers. The Basis Band now automatically tracks and identifies running, walking and biking, tracks those activities, and can estimate data for periods of time when the user forgot to wear the device. This kind of passive tacking and activity differentiation is big right now because Apple can track different kinds of movements with the M7 motion coprocessor included on the new iPhone 5s.
Misfit Shine
Misfit Wearables doesn't look like it will have a new device by the end of the year, although the company is apparently working on something in the sensor-laden clothing space for the near future. But the company has been making a series of significant software updates to its Misfit Shine tracking device. In the latest, the company added an improved sleep tracking algorithm to the software, a way to check the life of the device's coin cell battery from the app, and improved syncing capabilities. The Shine sells for $120.
Jawbone UP 24
The Jawbone UP 24 improves on its predecessor in one big way: it finally adds wireless syncing. The company is partnered with internet aggregator IFFFT and has talked about ways in which this realtime data syncing could let Jawbone talk to other connected devices. The tracker's design hasn't changed much, but it did lose three hours of battery life with the addition of Bluetooth. The new Jawbone UP 24 is available for $149.99, though the original is still on sale for $129.99 as well.
