14 DAY TRIAL // A big part of Google’s I/O conference yesterday was dedicated to wearables. The search giant officially introduced Android Wear and showed a few demos having the LG G Watch, Samsung Gear Live and Moto 360 at their center.
But the company isn't all about smartwatches, but it is also targeting wearables. With this in mind, Google unveiled the Google Fit health tracking platform, which should act as an aggregate for information fetched from a host of wearable devices.
Google Fit will be used to help users monitor their heart rate, blood sugar levels, steps taken and sleep quality.
The idea behind the platform is that Google is creating a set of APIs which will allow future fitness/health apps to share data, so the user can take advantage of all the information combined.
The Google Fit partner list includes a host of well-known brands in the industry like Nike, HTC, LG, Withings, Motorola, Noom, Mio, Polar and Adidas.
Even if no device names were made public at the Google I/O, it appears the first Google Fit health-centric band has already made an appearance into the wild.
The Adidas miCoach Fit Smart is a new fitness tracker that has been spotted paying a visit at the FCC and has also showed up at LegalForce, plus in a retail listing with Keller Sports (as seen at Engadget).
So, we get to check out the product thanks to a few images showing the new fitness band, which looks like a combination between Nike’s Fuelband and Adidas’ earlier miCoach Smart Run.
The device has an LED display, but other hardware specifications are so far unknown. However, the FCC documents do mention that the band will be connected to other gadgets via Bluetooth 4.0. Judging by the photos, it appears the heart rate sensor might be positioned on the back.
Since Adidas was named by Google one of the official partners for Google Fit, it might make sense to assume this is one of the first devices making use of the platform.
But in all possibility, the miCoach Fit Smart might as well be a revamped version of the miCoach Smart Run and nothing more. But the presence of the “Fit” moniker indicates something might be up.
Until any real official information comes, take this story with a grain of salt, but since Nike is slowly pulling away from its Fuelband business, Adidas might be the next best thing to look towards.