Latest news with #Fitbits
Business Mayor
08-05-2025
- Health
- Business Mayor
Fitbit rival launches two new trackers – just don't look at the prices
If your Fitbit is getting a little long in the tooth and you fancy upgrading to a newer fitness tracker from a different company, you might want to consider two new wearables from Whoop. The US firm has just launched the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG, sequels to the cult favourite Whoop 4.0, a screenless device that clips into a strap and is designed to be worn on the wrist 24/7. Unlike Fitbits and other trackers that prefer steps and calories, Whoop focuses on collecting health data to inform you about strain and recovery, two metrics that you will rely on if you work out frequently and want to know if you should rest that day or go for it at the gym. Without a screen, the Whoop 4.0 proved less distracting to buyers compared to an Apple Watch, and the band's popularity was helped thanks to marketing campaigns featuring Rory McIlroy, Virgil Van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo, who is an investor in the company. The new Whoop 5.0 is seven percent smaller than the 4.0 and is designed in the same way as a small plastic nub with sensors that sit against your skin. Whoops sells many different straps that you can use to switch up your look, and the small device can also be worn in Whoop's apparel such as bras and shorts, as well as bicep straps. The 5.0 keeps all the current features from the 4.0 but boosts battery life to 14 days, a marked improvement over the four to five on the old model, and adds a new Healthspan tool in the app for iPhone or Android that Whoop says offers 'insights and guidance on how your daily habits impact your long-term health', and is a 'new way to quantify your physiological age and slow your Pace of Aging'. The Whoop MG is identical to the Whoop 5.0 but adds an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor – the 'MG' stands for 'medical grade' – so you can check your heart health on demand and even share the data with your doctor. This has been cleared for use in the UK, as is required. 'The Heart Screener detects signs of Atrial Fibrillation (Afib), a leading cause of stroke, and provides Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications (IHRN) for greater peace of mind,' said Whoop. Other new features that both bands have, and a Whoop spokesperson confirmed to will also work on the older Whoop 4.0, are blood pressure insights, women's hormonal insights, an update to improve sleep tracking, access to optional features not yet released via Whoop Advanced Labs, as well as improved fitness tracking. No Whoop bands have built-in GPS, so they are not the best option if you want to track your run routes. Instead, the device builds up a view of your strain and maps out data related to your heart rate variability, skin temperature and other metrics. I've used Whoop 4.0 for about two years and have found the insights genuinely useful. The app is more accurate at telling me if I am ready to exercise compared to Fitbit's Daily Readiness score, and I like that it is not a distracting piece of tech. No screen equals no notifications. The big catch for Whoop is the price. You can't buy just the tracker, instead having to opt for an annual subscription. With the new release, Whoop has split these subscriptions into three pricing tiers, as described by the firm below: Read More Amazon to sell Hyundai vehicles online starting in 2024 WHOOP One: Professional-grade fitness insights at our best price at £169 per year WHOOP Peak: Advanced health, fitness and longevity insights designed to help you perform at your peak, longer. Priced at £229 per year WHOOP Life: The most powerful WHOOP ever, delivering medical-grade health and performance insights. Priced at £349 per year You can only buy the Whoop MG on the pricey Life tier. £349 per year is a heck of a subscription fee. You could just buy an Apple Watch instead for that price, with no ongoing fees. It makes the Whoop 5.0 and MG very interesting devices as they offer a very different approach to most wearables. You just have to really enjoy the data and insights to commit to those subscription prices. Current Whoop 4.0 customers can pay £49 to upgrade to the Whoop 5.0 hardware, or £79 to get the MG, plus any difference in annual billing. You can purchase a Whoop device and subscription from Whoop's website. READ SOURCE
CNET
05-05-2025
- Health
- CNET
Garmin's Impressive Venu 3 Just Dropped to Its Record-Low Price
Smartwatches are a great asset for fitness buffs and those looking to stay motivated on their wellness journey. It measures many things, such as heart rate, step count and sleep patterns. But tons of excellent options are on the market, making it hard to pick one. And of course, top models can be pretty pricey, so it's worth seeking out deals when you're ready to upgrade. Garmin's Venu 3 is one of our top fitness smartwatch choices, especially for Android users. It's compatible with Android and iOS and discounted to just $350, thanks to a $100 price cut at Amazon. That's the lowest price we've seen for this model and the first discount of the year. We aren't sure how long this deal will last, so it's wise to act fast. The Venu 3 offers comprehensive health and sleep metrics, and unlike some competitors in the marketplace, you won't need a subscription to access the reports. The large screen is a nice feature, and it has an impressive battery life, lasting about a week on a single charge, according to CNET expert Lisa Eadicicco in her hands-on review. You'll also get all the fitness features you expect from a top-tier smartwatch. However, there are some downsides, such as the small app ecosystem, lack of a home button and slow app downloads. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. If you're looking to track your health and fitness goals, the Venu 3 is a great choice -- especially at this price. Other options are available if this model isn't the one for you; check out the best deals on Fitbits, Pixel Watches, Galaxy Watches and Apple Watches. Why this deal matters Garmin's Venu 3 smartwatch lists at $450, and this $100 reduction drops it to an all-new low price. Since this model is one of our highest smartwatch recommendations, it's a good time to pull the trigger if you're considering investing in a capable wearable. We recommend taking advantage of this deal while you can.
Business Mayor
01-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
My favourite Fitbit is less than £100 in deal that beats Amazon and Currys
There are many excellent options if you are in the market for a smartwatch in 2025, but there are far fewer great fitness bands available to buy these days. Tech firms have plenty of pricey, large screened smartwatches with all the bells and whistles ready to sell, but in recent years it has become harder to find a simple, Fitbit-like activity tracker. Thankfully we do still actually have Fitbit, even if the company is now owned by Google. Fitbit's best fitness tracker is the Fitbit Charge 6, and it's currently on sale from EE for £99.99, a decent £40 saving on its £139.99 RRP. At the time of writing, this is cheaper than £109 at Currys and £108.99 at Amazon. Even Google's own price isn't as good at £109.99. I have extensively tested the Charge 6, both at launch in 2023 and more recently, and found it an excellent device. It's slim, lightweight and has great battery life, plus it has built-in GPS for tracking run routes and even supports Google Wallet for contactless payments. It's all the best bits of a smartwatch in a smaller form factor for a cheaper price, which appeals massively to me. I'll always opt for the more compact version of a tech product if I can, and the Charge 6 is basically a Fitbit smartwatch but in a smaller body. The Charge 6 even comes with a more advanced heart rate sensor compared to older Fitbits, and benefits from clever software Google also uses in its Pixel Watch lineup to improve the sensor's accuracy. You can even use the onboard Bluetooth to beam your heart rate to compatible gym equipment including some treadmills, if you want to. View the Fitbit Charge 6 deal at EE here You do miss out on some things by not going for a smartwatch such as an Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch, though. The Fitbit has no third party apps, so you can't control music playing on your phone (unless you use the Google-owned YouTube Music), and there's no way to download apps for things such as Starbucks or Uber. But you can track more than 40 different workout types and sports, which means the Charge 6 is a focussed fitness tool rather than a distracting extension of the time-suck that is your smartphone. You can wear the tracker 24/7 thanks to decent battery life (I get at least four days at a time) and the fact it's waterproof, so you can wear it in the shower. It's also slim enough to be comfortable at night, and I enjoy the insights of the Fitbit app into my sleep quality. One thing to bear in mind is the most revealing and useful sleep data is locked behind a paywall. Though most features are available in the Fitbit app for iPhone and Android free of charge, you need to pay £7.99 per month to get absolutely everything. Perhaps you can justify that spend for a few months with the £40 you'll save on the Charge 6 when it's just £99 from EE. READ SOURCE
Forbes
30-04-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Suzanne Kalan Has Given Your Wellness Ring A Glow-Up
Diamond jewelry designer Suzanne Kalan has just given your Oura ring an upgrade — and it's bringing luxury jewelry vibes to health tracker rings. Wellness-related wearable tech has become a part of everyday life for many of us. Health tracker rings like Oura represent a chic and discrete alternative to Fitbits and smart watches to measure daily activity, steps and calories burnt, but for anyone with a taste for luxury jewelry, they could certainly do with a style upgrade. EnterLos Angeles-based diamond jeweler Suzanne Kalan, who has created a capsule collection of ring jackets in yellow, rose and white gold designed in her signature diamond Fireworks motif, to wear with health tracker rings. Clusters of baguette diamonds, gold-lined for comfort, elevate the plain tech bands and add some much-needed sparkle to transform them into a luxury style statement. Designed to hug a health tracker ring between two bands of diamonds, the ring jackets were conceived to take wearers from workout to wine bar, after Kalan noticed that clients were self-conscious about their fitness tracker rings. 'So many women would show me their rings, then quickly hide their hands and say 'Don't look at my tech ring!',' she explains. 'That's when I knew — there had to be a way to make these rings something you want to show off.' Fitness tracker rings are wearable technology that can measure heart rate, sleep patterns, temperature, activity and even stress levels, allowing people to monitor the state of their body each day, through a linked app. Members wear a ring and pay a membership fee, to have their data measured through sensors hidden inside the band. Spotted on health-conscious celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Prince Harry and Gyneth Paltrow, Oura is the market leader with 80% market share. Other smart ring brands in the space include Ultrahuman and Samsung's Galaxy Ring. In terms of design, health tracker rings are often sleek, minimal cigar bands, ready for a little extra diamond dazzle. Where one luxury jewelry designer has gone, hopefully others will follow. Starting at $5,000, the ring jackets are available online at and at Harrods, London.
Filipino Times
26-04-2025
- Health
- Filipino Times
Teens who sleep earlier show better brain function, study finds
Teenagers who sleep earlier and longer may perform better in school and daily thinking tasks, a new study has found. Researchers discovered that even small differences in sleep schedules could have a big effect on a young person's mental abilities. The study looked at over 3,000 teens and found that those who went to bed the earliest and had the longest sleep scored higher in reading, vocabulary, and problem-solving tests. These teens also had lower resting heart rates while they slept, which is often a sign of better health. 'We think that it's the sleep driving the better cognitive abilities, in part because we consolidate our memories during sleep,' said Barbara Sahakian, a professor at the University of Cambridge. The research was done by Sahakian's team and experts from Fudan University in Shanghai. It used data from the U.S.-based Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, where teens had brain scans, took cognitive tests, and wore Fitbits to track their sleep. The study grouped the teens into three sleep patterns. Those who slept the earliest and longest had an average of seven hours and 25 minutes of sleep. Even then, none of the groups reached the recommended 8 to 10 hours of sleep advised by sleep experts. Experts suggest avoiding phone or computer use in the evening and staying active during the day to help improve sleep. Good sleep habits may support better memory, focus, and thinking skills, which can help teens in their studies and daily life.
