Smartwatch Pioneer Pebble Relaunches With Apple Watch Alternative
Eric Migicovsky, whose smartwatch startup Pebble Technology Corp. was bought by Fitbit in 2016, is returning to the space with a new company, Core Devices LLC, and two products modeled after Pebble's original hardware.
'I'm not trying to sell this to everybody,' Migicovsky said of the the new devices in an interview. 'It's for the people who don't feel served by Apple Watch, Pixel Watch or Garmin,' he added referring to popular models from Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Garmin Ltd.
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Tom's Guide
2 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
Garmin Forerunner 570 review
The Garmin Forerunner 570 is a great sports watch that offers reliably accurate tracking and a host of useful training and smart features. It's also gorgeous, with upgrades to the AMOLED screen and a range of colors available, making it the best-looking Garmin watch I've tested. However, it is very expensive. The Forerunner 570 is $100 more than its predecessor, the Garmin Forerunner 265, and a lot pricier than rival watches from other brands, like the Suunto Race S and Coros Pace Pro. Given that it lacks some important features you can get on the best sports watches at a lower price, like offline maps and ECG measurements, the Forerunner 570 relies too heavily on its attractive design to justify its price. The Garmin Forerunner 570 launched on 15 May 2025, and all models of the watch cost $549.99 / £459.99. It comes in two sizes — 42mm and 47mm — and there are three colors available for each size. It is the successor to the Garmin Forerunner 265, with Garmin changing the first number in the name to make it clearer that the Forerunner 570 sits between the Garmin Forerunner 165 and the new Garmin Forerunner 970 in its range. The Forerunner 570 is $100 more than the Forerunner 265 cost at launch, and the older watch is now regularly available for $349. It's also expensive compared to mid-range watches from other brands, with the Coros Pace Pro and Suunto Race S both costing $349, and the Polar Vantage M3 costing $399. Forerunner 265S Forerunner 265 Forerunner 570 (42mm) Forerunner 570 (47mm) Price $449 $449 $549 $549 Case size 41.7 x 41.7 x 12.9 mm 46.1 x 46.1 x 12.9 mm 42.4 x 42.4 x 12.9 mm 47 x 47 x 12.9 mm Screen size 1.1 inches 1.3 inches 1.2 inches 1.4 inches Resolution 360 x 360 pixels 416 x 416 pixels 390 x 390 pixels 454 x 454 pixels Weight 39g 47g 42g 50g GPS battery life 24 hours 20 hours 18 hours 18 hours Smartwatch battery life 15 days 13 days 10 days 11 days Touchscreen Yes Yes Yes Yes Speaker/Mic No No Yes Yes Garmin is not a company known for making bold design statements with its watches, so the bright bezels you see on some models of the Forerunner 570 are a move that separates the watch from the rest of its range. I tested the 47mm Forerunner 570 with a yellow bezel and translucent white and turquoise band, and loved the look of the watch. The white 42mm model with a raspberry bezel is another standout in the range. The bezel is made from aluminum, which gives the Forerunner 570 a more premium feel than the Forerunner 265. All in all, the design updates are significant, and there are still black models available in both sizes for those who dislike the more colorful styles. Along with brighter colors, the watch also has a brighter AMOLED display than the Forerunner 265. The nits aren't specified, but I found it to be more vivid on the wrist than the older watch, and easier to read in bright sunlight. The Gorilla glass display is also larger on the new watch, and the 1.4in screen on the 47mm Forerunner 570 is as large as any in Garmin's sports watch range — it's the same size as the display on the 51mm model of the Garmin Fenix 8. It's still a lightweight watch that's comfortable to wear 24/7, and it's good that there are two sizes available; the 47mm is a pretty large watch, so those with smaller wrists might prefer the 42mm model. The Forerunner 570 houses Garmin's Elevate Gen5 heart rate sensors, which are the latest and best optical sensors in the brand's line-up and have proved more accurate (for me) in testing multiple watches than the Elevate Gen4 sensors on the Forerunner 265. However, despite this Gen5 sensor being used to take ECG measurements on other Garmin watches, including the cheaper Garmin Venu 3, the Forerunner 570 isn't able to do this. Other sensors include a barometric altimeter and pulse oximeter, and the GPS chipset allows for dual-band tracking. You can pair external sensors via Bluetooth and ANT+, including cycling power meters. Another new feature of the design is a microphone and speaker, which you can use for voice commands and to take calls. The Forerunner 570 has a 5ATM waterproof rating suitable for pool and open-water swimming, and 8GB of storage. This is mainly for music rather than maps, with offline maps being one of the biggest missing features on the watch. Compared with the Forerunner 265, the Garmin Forerunner 570 has 23 new sports modes, including obstacle racing, gravel biking and several new outdoors-y modes, like fishing, hunting and rucking. Another new addition is Garmin Coach's Triathlon training plans, which you can use to help you prepare for a multisport event, and you can also now create structured multisport workouts to follow — in the past, you could only create workouts for a single sport like running or cycling. All of the sports modes are customizable and show a wealth of data throughout activities. The detailed training analysis you get afterwards can help you ensure you're working at the right level to get fitter and faster. A new addition on the analysis front is training load ratio, which trickles down from more expensive Garmin models and shows the balance of your recent training against your long-term chronic training load. The Forerunner 570 can also estimate how well adapted to heat or altitude you are, which has been another feature available on more expensive Garmin models previously. It also estimates your race times, VO2 max and how ready you are to train each day. There are some features you don't get on the Forerunner 570, such as the new running tolerance stat and running economy tracking introduced on the Forerunner 970. But it's a comprehensive sports watch that will satisfy athletes of all levels with the data it offers. To test the heart rate accuracy of the Forerunner 570, I compared it to the reading from a chest strap on each of my runs, using the Garmin HRM200 and Garmin HRM600 linked up to other watches. For GPS accuracy, I compared it to several other watches during my testing, including the Garmin Fenix 8, Forerunner 970 and Forerunner 265, and looked at the GPS tracks after runs to check for errors. After around 150 miles of running and 80 miles of indoor cycling, plus various strength and yoga sessions, I've yet to see a significant error in either GPS or heart rate tracking from the Forerunner 570. It has matched the heart rate reading from a chest strap more or less beat for beat and produces reliably accurate GPS tracks, including at a twisting city half marathon, where it was more accurate than the Forerunner 265. The Forerunner 570 is designed to be worn 24/7 and tracks stress, steps, calories, active minutes and floors climbed throughout the day, plus sleep and heart rate variability (HRV) overnight. You can set targets and display the stats that matter to you most on your watch face, and you can also turn on move alerts to notify you if you're stationary for long periods. The combination of sleep tracking and overnight HRV measurements has been a good indicator of how well I've rested each night, too. Any kind of extra stress on the body, like a few too many alcoholic drinks or illness, both of which have cropped up during my time with the watch, impacts HRV in particular and lowers your sleep score. In contrast, healthy living and reliable bedtimes send them shooting up, which is a useful extra motivation to focus on getting better sleep where possible. The bright display on the Forerunner 570 does hit its battery life hard, and I had to charge it every three to four days when having the always-on screen enabled. That's with daily outdoor runs, other workouts and notifications coming into the watch. It's less than I get from the Forerunner 265, which lasts me four to five days with the always-on screen enabled. When I toggled on the raise-to-wake setting for the display outside of activities, the watch lasted me over a week on a charge, so you can extend its battery life quite easily, if you're prepared to forego the convenience of the always-on screen. It still outlasts smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 10 comfortably, but other AMOLED sports watches, like the Suunto Race S and Coros Pace Pro, last longer on a charge. The Forerunner 570 backs up its smartwatch-style looks with several useful smart features, including NFC payments, MP3 music storage and the ability to link up with streaming services, including Spotify and Deezer, so you can transfer your playlists to listen to on the watch without your phone. These are all features available on most Garmin watches now, but the mic and speaker on the Forerunner 570 are not so common across the range. You can use these to take voice notes, give commands like 'start a timer', and interact with your phone's voice assistant. It also has access to the Garmin ConnectIQ app store, which has a few useful apps and extra data fields for your activities, and you can now adjust the font size on the watch to be larger. While it isn't a full smartwatch, lacking cellular connectivity and the huge app stores available on Apple and Android wearables, the Forerunner 570 covers the most important bases. When it comes to smart features, Garmin devices are well ahead of Suunto, Coros and Polar. The Forerunner 570 has Garmin's Incident Detection and LiveTrack safety features. Incident Detection can notify your emergency contacts if a fall is detected during an activity, or if you hold the light button down, LiveTrack allows you to share your location with key contacts during activities. You can also use the watch to follow breadcrumb trails for routes sent over from the Garmin Connect app, with turn-by-turn directions, but you don't get offline maps on the Forerunner 570. This is a feature Garmin still reserves for its top watches, starting with the Forerunner 965 and Forerunner 970, while other brands, including Coros, Polar and Suunto, have made maps available on mid-range watches that are cheaper than the Forerunner 570. Garmin's maps and routing features are the best available on sports watches, so it's a disappointment that the Forerunner 570 doesn't get them, given the price increase and the fact that it has storage that could be used for maps. Unless you are completely won over by its design, which is a welcome change from Garmin's traditional styles, I don't think the Garmin Forerunner 570 is a smart buy at full price. That's even though I certainly enjoyed using it and have no complaints about its performance. There are simply better value options within Garmin's range and from other brands, in my opinion. There are some useful upgrades on the Garmin Forerunner 265, including a better HR sensor. But the 265 is what I'd buy for $200 less, because it's still a great sports watch with an attractive design. Perhaps an even more compelling alternative is the Garmin Forerunner 965, which is only $50 more than the 570 at full price and often reduced to $499. It has maps and longer battery life than the 570, though it lacks the 570's mic and speaker. The Suunto Race S and Coros Pace Pro are not as good-looking as the Forerunner 570 but offer better battery life and offline maps at a much lower price while also being reliable sports trackers. I love what Garmin has done with the design of the Forerunner 570, but its good looks needed to be backed up by more features to justify the high price.
Miami Herald
16 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Apple Watch, Fitbit rival stuns with bold message
Every once in a while, I love flipping someone the bird. Not in a road-rage kind of way - more like a quick, sarcastic "you've got to be kidding me" gesture to a friend. A wink wrapped in rebellion. Almost always followed by a laugh. There's something strangely satisfying about how universal it is. One finger, no explanation needed. It's a little bit edgy, a little bit absurd - and totally human. Related: Apple and Fitbit face new challenge in the fitness space So when a health tech company built an entire campaign around the idea of "giving them the finger," I had to look twice. Then I watched the ad. The visuals are simple but striking. Real people doing real things: playing piano, hiking mountaintops, dancing tango. They wear the brand's product proudly on their index fingers. But this isn't about gadgets or step counts. It's about something deeper. What starts out looking like another sleek wearable ad suddenly hits you with a message that feels rare in the wellness space: a celebration of aging, intention, and showing up. And while I'm still at the ripe age of 31, I felt this ad - in all the right ways. Image source: Oura The brand behind the message is Oura - maker of the discreet, data-rich smart ring that competes with Apple Watch and Fitbit. Their new campaign, titled "Give Us the Finger," is a bold play on both language and values. It nods to the ring's strategic placement on the index finger, where it captures more consistent health data. It's also a quiet rebellion against the age-obsessed, perfection-driven culture that dominates the wellness industry. The ad doesn't lean on young influencers or professional athletes. Instead, it features everyday people immersed in moments of strength, skill, and focus. Related: Oura launches genius features to take on Apple, Fitbit, and Whoop And the campaign is narrated with intention, not to highlight hacks or high scores, but to emphasize vitality, presence, and clarity as we age. "Give Us the Finger" becomes a rallying cry - a cheeky but earnest invitation to wear your commitment to health in a place people can see. And just like that, the bird becomes a badge. Oura isn't just selling a wearable. It's trying to redefine how we talk about aging, and it could pay off big. According to McKinsey & Company, nearly half of surveyed consumers have bought a fitness wearable, and 70% in the U.S. and UK say they've spent more on healthy aging over the past year. People are investing in tools to feel better, longer. Oura is positioning itself right at the heart of that shift. Rather than chasing trends or flashy features, the company is doubling down on purpose. With sleep, recovery, and readiness insights, Oura focuses on building long-term habits. It's a different pitch than Apple or Fitbit, and I am here for it. In a crowded space filled with sameness, "Give Us the Finger" actually says something: aging isn't something to fear, but something to wear with pride. Related: Popular fitness tracker users angry following product launch The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Tom's Guide
Exclusive: I spoke to Apple about its cycle tracking features and how it has the potential to change lives
I've been writing about fitness tech long enough to remember when menstrual tracking was first added to a device. It was the Fitbit Versa back in 2018. At the time, it seemed groundbreaking. Seven years later, the gender gap in female healthcare still exists all over the world, but thankfully, cycle tracking is no longer seen as an add-on. Smartwatch developers have realized that for the 1.8 to 2 million users who menstruate each month, cycle length and regularity are key indicators of their overall health. But where does Apple, the creator of one of the most popular smartwatches on the planet, come into things? Apple added a skin temperature sensor to its Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra, giving users more accurate ovulation data. More recently, Apple added a new pregnancy feature, allowing wearers to get useful insights until they're 12 weeks postpartum. Plus, as a company, Apple prides itself on keeping its users' data private — something more important than ever in a post-Roe era. To find out more, I sat down with Apple and spoke to the medical professionals behind the cycle tracking feature, as well as those working with patients on the frontline, to hear how the data collected has the potential to change lives. We've rated the Apple Watch 10 as the best Apple Watch for most people, with all of Apple's health tracking features, a skin temperature sensor, and the option to choose from two different bezel sizes. Your menstrual cycle can be a key indicator of your overall health. Cycles that are unusually long (more than 40 days) or irregular, for example, have been linked to infertility, coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Far more than just knowing when to expect your period, keeping track of your cycle can help users notice any changes and get help faster. Both heart and wrist temperature can help with ovulation predictions. First temperature, because you do change post-ovulation. We rely on heart rate data a little less, but you can also see some deviation and get more accurate data Once you've set up cycle tracking on your Apple Watch, you can review your cycle history at the click of a button, and export it or send it to your doctor should you need. Dr Asha Chesnutt, who works on Apple's clinical team, explains how the cycle tracking is at the heart of the health app. Heart health data, for example, improves the device's cycle predictions, although you'll need to turn this on if you'd like to use it. 'Both heart and wrist temperature can help with ovulation predictions. First temperature, because you do change post-ovulation, and you can usually see that. We rely on heart rate data a little less, but you can also see some deviation and get more accurate data,' says Dr Asha. Doctors like Dr Asha work with Apple's development team, helping to give users information about their health in an understandable format. 'You wouldn't believe how much time went into deciding on those colors,' Dr Asha says, talking about the different colors reflecting your period predictions and ovulation estimate on the Health app. 'I've taken care of patients for long enough to make it a thing I always ask — 'how is my patient going to use this? What's helpful to them? What's not helpful to them?' We're always thinking about that.' Understanding what's normal for you and your body can help you spot patterns. If your Apple Watch notices a pattern of irregular cycles, infrequent periods, prolonged periods, or persistent spotting, you might receive an alert or notification about a possible cycle deviation. Cycle deviations might be down to stress or lifestyle changes, as well as medical conditions such as PCOS, thyroid disorders or conditions such as endometriosis. Cycle deviations might be down to stress or lifestyle changes, as well as medical conditions such as PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome), thyroid disorders or conditions such as endometriosis. U.K.-based Dr Raj Arora explains how this data is helping women get life-changing diagnoses faster: 'I always say to patients, don't wait for it to happen. Actively get involved. Track your cycles. When we're talking about something like endometriosis, which has a 10-year wait time for a diagnosis normally, we're now seeing patients coming to us saying I've tracked all my symptoms on my Apple Watch, I have regular periods but they're really heavy, I'm in a lot of pain and I'm missing work, my mind is already going straight into should we scan or do bloods for this. "Without that data, as doctors we'd be sending patients away for two months, and asking them to bring back a diary of symptoms. It's just expediting things. It's helping patients advocate for themselves. ' I'd be remiss to talk about Apple's cycle tracking without mentioning its long-term research study into menstrual health and its relationship to other health conditions. Recent data from this study looked at the current trend of cycle syncing — the idea of syncing your exercise routine to your menstrual cycle. The study looked at more than 22 million workouts across more than 110K participants and found that daily exercise minutes were similar, no matter the cycle phase. Participants who reported regular menstrual cycles did more exercise minutes per day overall, compared to participants with irregular cycles. Participants with regular cycles typically had 20.6 minutes of exercise per day. Participants with irregular cycles typically had 18.6 minutes per day. This study is the first long-term research study of this scale into menstrual cycles. The study aims to advance the understanding of the relationship between the menstrual cycle and gynecologic health conditions like infertility, menopause, and PCOS, to inform the development of new products, as well as early screening for conditions. I'll admit, spending time with Apple looking behind the scenes at the development of these health features was an eye-opener. Far from being a device you wear to track your steps or answer a phone call, the watch on your wrist has the power to give you a deeper insight into your overall health. But where does Apple hope to be in the future? Dr Asha answers, 'What I hope it changes is the narrative from being just a bystander when it comes to your health. Up until now, you have waited until you have symptoms before you see a doctor. We want you to be totally driving your narrative, and driving the fact that you want to check your vitals and stay healthy for longer. I want people to think about what they can do today to keep their body healthy and more active for longer.' The overriding message I was left with after a morning with Apple was that the health features on its devices aren't just ticking a box. They are cleverly constructed algorithms, designed by doctors, for patients. The most powerful message, however, is that the data sitting in the Health app on your iPhone can help you stay healthy for longer, get a diagnosis faster, and allow you to advocate for yourself in an appointment with your healthcare provider.
