With all the sports wearables on the market, there are not many that are designed with swimming in mind. Polar, a leader in wearables sports tech, is updating its current M600 smartwatch to Android Wear 2.0 later this spring. With the update comes the ability to keep track of indoor swimming metrics.
Beyond the standard distance and pace, swimmers using the Buy Now can see a real-time look at their strokes per minute and strokes per pool length. The smartwatch can even determine the type of stroke being used. Whether swimming freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly, the M600 will keep track of it.
The Polar M600 was designed with sports training in mind, yet retains a sleek design to fit in with daily use. For detecting heart rate, it features Polar’s custom LED optical technology and algorithms to give a consistent, accurate reading. Other features within the watch include integrated GPS, 24/7 activity tracking, and Polar Smart Coaching. With an updated battery life of 36 hours, the Polar M600 promises not to die when it is needed the most.
In addition to swimming, the M600 gains the ability to access the Google Play store from the watch itself. Apps can be downloaded and operated directly on the device. Google Assistant will also allow users to get the most out of their watch. Don’t like how the watch face looks? Customize it to your liking. Tired of reaching your phone for every email or text? Now you can reply directly from the watch itself. Even social media feeds can now be accessed.
The update to Android Wear 2.0 will be available this spring to all Polar M600 users. For those without, this sports watch can be found Buy Now in black or white varieties. Further customization is available through additional Buy Now in black, red, or white for $30.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.