Heads up mountain climbers, long-distance bike trekkers, and anyone who may have some issues with breathing at times: There is now a wearable fitness tool that can tell you your blood oxygen level along with all the other important data exercise and fitness-minded folks need to know.
The Withings Pulse 02, a step up from the wearable maker's initial Pulse device, does everything that Pulse did and adds the oxygen feature for those who may need to monitor such a vital sign during training or when dealing with an illness. The original Pulse tracks fitness elements such as calories burned, steps walked, distance jogged and even a climber's elevation.
In addition to the blood oxygen monitoring the Pulse 02 monitors a person's sleep.
"The Pulse O2 offers an empowering experience, as you are able to better yourself by making informed choices," states the product website.
The new device arrives at a time when wearable fitness products are rolling into market on a steady stream and everyone, from Google to start-ups, are clamoring for a piece of a burgeoning market. A new IDC study predicts shipments of wearable technology will hit 19.2 million this year and keep growing to hit 112 million in 2018.
At the time of the report, early April, the study noted that Nike's FuelBand and Fitbit devices are leading the surge. But Nike's play in the wearables market may be ending given recent reports last week that Nike had laid off FuelBand hardware developers and may be looking to partner with someone on future fitness wearable devices. One report claims Nike will be focusing on the software side of fitness devices.
That may give Pulse 02, and other vendor products, a fast door into the market if Nike does take leave. For those already with a Pulse, there is no need to buy the newest one at $119.95, as Withings says current users can get the 02 feature in a free update.
