I know what you’re thinking and I thought the same thing too. But this little activity tracker is different from the others, I swear.
Withings’ Smart Activity Tracker does just about everything the Fitbit, FuelBand and UP can do, like track the number of steps taken, calories burned, distance traveled and “quality” of sleep, but it also measures your heart rate and the number of strides run. All in a tiny little package (43.3 x 22.1 x 8.3mm) about the size of the Fitbit One or a generic flash drive. Oh, and it (supposedly) supports Android right out of the gate along with the last two to three generations of every iOS device.
If you’re unfamiliar with Withings, they make the WiFi Body Scale that tweets out your weight along with a blood pressure monitor and baby things.
So this new Smart Activity Tracker claims to have a two week battery life thanks to Bluetooth 4.0 aka Bluetooth SMART and will sync your data to the Withings Health Mate App. It can be worn on your upper arm (bicep) for working out and tracking sleep and can also be thrown in your pocket as is or on your belt via the clip.
An OLED display lets you navigate the menu and screens via touch. On the backside is a heart rate sensor that does exactly that like the Basis watch. Charging the device is achieved through the micro USB port. It’s unclear if the SAT has an altimeter like the Fitbit One or Striiv Play but it claims to calculate “the number of stairs climbed” based on the “users’ body composition.”
Like the UP, the SAT also has an inactivity reminder but instead of buzzing you on the device, it sends an alert to your paired device. Not quite as elegant but I suppose most of us are tethered to our phones anyway. And unlike the UP or Fitbit, it doesn’t have an alarm to wake you from your slumber.
No word on pricing or availability. [Withings]