To expand its line of activity trackers, Switzerland-headquartered Garmin International, Inc. announced a new wearable device on May 16.
The Vívosmart HR+ is designed to keep track of users' heart rates and movement while simultaneously using GPS. This makes it ideal for everything from tracking runs to monitoring step-climbing throughout the day.
The device is shower-safe with a water rating of 5 ATM, and it has a sunlight-readable display. Its battery lasts up to five days while in watch/activity-tracking mode (with 24/7 heart rate monitoring, no GPS). If users have GPS capabilities turned on, the battery lasts up to eight hours.
The device is available for shipping today starting at $219.99. It comes in colors including black, gray, purple and blue.
"With a compelling combination of GPS, wrist-based heart rate, long battery life and water resistance, the Vívosmart HR+ was designed to keep up with users' active lifestyles," said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. "Wherever your day takes you the Vívosmart HR+ is made to help motivate and track all your active moments."
The idea behind integrating GPS capabilities is to allow users to track distance with more accuracy. This especially comes in handy for runners who prefer to run outside or change up their routes. The Vívosmart HR+ also includes Garmin's Move IQ technology, which automatically detects activity for more accurate tracking throughout the day. It's designed to automatically detect types of motion such as elliptical work or swimming.
Finally, the Vívosmart HR+ picks up where many of Garmin's other devices left off with its Bluetooth connectivity. The device can connect to compatible smartphones with Bluetooth to stream notifications directly onto the wearable from afar. Everything from text message alerts to email notifications can be picked up by the Vívosmart HR+.
Garmin Connect, the company's app for its wearable gadgets, provides a sense of community to Garmin users as well. Here, device owners can connect with friends and family who also use Garmin products to view fitness stats and participate in challenges. Users can earn "badges" for their fitness accomplishments as well, just like Fitbit owners on their virtual community.
Garmin, which is known for its activity trackers, also develops products for the automotive, aviation, marine and outdoor industries.
