Withings is known for its connected medical devices, and this expertise, not surprisingly, has been ported to the company’s smartwatches. Earlier this year, the company unveiled the Move ECG, a hybrid smartwatch with a built-in ECG unit. Now, Withings is ready to release the watch to the world, starting first in Europe.
The Withings Move ECG plays a dual role — as both a classic timepiece and fitness tracker. The analog watch face is simple, but its classy design hides the fact that the watch is also is a competent fitness tracker. The Move ECG uses connected GPS to track activities like running and biking outdoors. It also can be used indoors to track exercise sessions, as well as to measure steps and stairs climbed. Owners can wear the watch 24/ 7 thanks to its 12-month battery life. Since you never have to take it off, you never have to worry about missing a workout session — or a good’s night sleep.
Sleep tracking is one area where the Move ECG stands out from the competition. The watch tracks the duration of your sleep, as well as the quality, breaking it down into awake, light sleep, and deep sleep. The app also assigns each sleep session a score that you can use to quantify the quality of your sleep. This sleep information is used for more than just calculating your sleep score, it also helps you start your day. The Move ECG can be configured to wake you up with gentle vibrations at the optimal point in your sleep cycle. Withings even offers an 8-week sleep starter program to help you improve your sleep.
The Move ECG also monitors a person’s cardiovascular health. The ECG feature includes three electrodes with two hidden inside the body of the watch and one in the bezel. When users want to make a measurement, they can press the side button and touch two sides of the bezel to start the recording. After 30 seconds, the recording then is analyzed by an algorithm designed to detect irregular heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation. The recording appears in the Withings Health Mate app, where it is classified as either an abnormal Afib or a normal sinus rhythm. Measurements are stored in the Withings app and can be sent to a doctor or health care professional as needed.
The Withings Move ECG is available now at withings.com and European retail partners for 130 British pounds or euros ($143 U.S.). The device syncs to the Withings Health Mate app and is compatible with iOS and Android. It is expected to debut in the U.S. by the end of the year following approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
