Read our full Goccia Fitness Tracker review.
If the idea of a fitness tracker appeals to you, but the thought of wearing a wristband does not, then your choices are relatively limited. However, a new Kickstarter campaign may provide the device for you. It’s called the Goccia, which means drop of water in Italian, a name which refers to its discrete size and styling. The company which produces it, G-Wearables, says we’re looking at the world’s smallest, and simplest, fitness tracker.
Updated on 04-04-2013 by Andy: Added in confirmation G-Wearables aims to have Android device support ready for launch.
Made from aluminum and Gorilla Glass, the tiny device measures 18mm wide, and can be worn either in a small clip, a necklace, or in a subtle wristband. It weighs only three grams, so you won’t even know its there. There’s no display, only a series of LEDs indicating how close you are to meeting your daily goal. This means the battery, although small, lasts for 14 days on a single charge. There are no ports, so the Goccia is waterproof, and it’s wirelessly recharged.
You may be wondering, if there are no ports, how the Goccia syncs with your phone. Surprisingly, it doesn’t use Bluetooth, and instead the company has chosen something called LED light syncing technology. It works by placing the Goccia on your phone’s front facing camera, when data is transferred using the built-in LEDs. It’s this unusual tech which keeps the overall size and power consumption of the device down.
What will the Goccia track? Naturally, it’ll count your steps and estimate the calories you’ve burned, but is also capable of tracking specific sports such as swimming, cycling, tennis, skiing, climbing, golf, and even horse riding. The little gadget will also track your sleep, and will automatically switch between night and day modes.
Initially, the Goccia was only compatible with the iPhone and iOS, with Android support listed as a stretch goal on the Kickstarter page. Since then, plenty of requests for an Android app to come sooner have been made, and the team confirmed it is now aiming to have one ready for launch. It’s preparing code for the LED sync technology which takes the time on Android, according to an update on the Kickstarter page.
Unusually for Kickstarter campaigns, we shouldn’t have long to wait for the Goccia. The planned shipping date is May. If you’re quick, you can grab an early bird offer which gives you the Goccia, the clasp, and the wireless charger for $60, considerably less than the $95 regular price. Go up to $75 and a cotton wristband accessory comes with the package, or pledge $95 to get a leather band too. At the time of writing, the Goccia has amassed $10,000 of its $50,000 goal, with 21 days still to run.
Article originally published on 04-03-2014
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