Kardia is a set of heart-monitoring sensors that can be fitted on smartphones, and the AliveCor is working on new ones for the Apple Watch. For some, that's already interesting, but for others, what's more striking could be is the person who's unveiling it – Vic Gundotra, the former senior vice president of engineering at Google who's now the CEO of the startup company.
First things first, the device is a convenient way for patients who need to regularly check their heart condition, and according to the people behind it, it can provide an "accurate" electrocardiogram (EKG) reading in just 30 seconds. The company also says that each one will have the Food and Drug Administration's seal of approval.
"AliveCor sits on the other side of the FDA line. We are not a fitness product. This is not a toy. We're talking about people's lives," Gundotra tells Re/code.
Now, Kardia will be available as a smartphone case or attachment, a swappable band for the Apple Watch and a coin-shaped accessory that can be secured on the Apple wearable tech.
The cases are believed to be designed for only the iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, but Kardia plus the related app are supposedly compatible with the majority of Android handsets too. If things don't work out on this department, there's the EKG monitor plate called the Kardia Mobile that can be affixed to the back of any device, but regarding how it sticks, nobody knows yet.
While it seems like any other fitness tracker in the market at first glance, it's not. It's more of a health device that tracks a person's shortness of breath, palpitations and diet, sleep and exercise habits. AliveCor also points out that it can record what the wearer is feeling during a test so that they can easily share detailed results to their doctors.
Kardia Mobile is priced at $99, the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s case at $109 and the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s case at $114. They are available at AliveCor's website. About the Apple Watch version, it still needs a go signal from the FDA before any pricing detail will turn up.
It's also worth mentioning that Gundotra was reportedly one of the candidates to be Google's new CEO, but as everyone knows, Sundar Pichai was picked thanks to his ideas to move forward with Chrome and Android. He left the company soon after.
