Skip to main content

The Babolat Pop tennis tracker wants to improve your game

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re serious about your tennis, you may want to get hold of Babolat Pop, a sensor-packed smart wearable designed to track your game on the court, right down to its finer strokes. Looking like a regular wristband, the Babolat Pop sits on your dominant hand. Once there, it will track your activity during a tennis game, from basic metrics like the speed of your swing to more in-depth analysis of things like spin and style.

This information is then sent wirelessly to your connected smartphone or another mobile device, which allows you to break down the information stroke by stroke. While it won’t offer you detailed coaching tips, it will tell you about the consistency of your game — and provide enough numbers that the more competitive “quantified self” enthusiasts will have something to battle over.

Recommended Videos

The gadget was created by Babolat, a French tennis, badminton, and squash equipment company that dates back to 1875. Working with Babolat was the French tech company Piq, which has created smart sensor tech for a number of sports; Piq and Everlast built a boxing robot last year. Piq also built the world’s first connected ski.

The Babolat Pop actually launched a couple years back, but Babolat has continued to update the mobile app in the time since then. Its latest app update came out in February, adding a few bug fixes to improve the overall tennis experience.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The app boasts two main features: “Activity” and “Challenge.” The former tracks your court time, complete with the number of shots that you take. The latter meanwhile adds an extra gamified element (as if playing tennis wasn’t enough of a game!) by letting you compete with friends and other players around the world. You can even get your Piq score, a combined number made up of your various metrics, ranked in the global community.

Here in 2018, there are plenty of wearable sports trackers to choose from — with the market-leading Apple Watch Series 3 seemingly adding new sports by the day. If you’re looking for a good tennis-focused tracker, however, this smart device is definitely worth checking out. You might also want to check out sports sensor company Zepp’s Head Tennis Sensor for an alternative digital coach.

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
Xiaomi’s newest wearables may make you want to ditch your Apple Watch
Xiaomi Smart Band 8.

Xiaomi has launched two new wearable devices, the Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro and Xiaomi Smart Band 8. These gadgets are perfect for anyone who wants an excellent smartwatch or fitness tracker to keep tabs on their wellness and fitness goals. They arrived just days after Apple launched the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

The Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro looks like a stylish, durable smartwatch that could be perfect for anyone looking for advanced health and fitness tracking. The watch boasts a classic smartwatch design, with a 1.43-inch always-on AMOLED display that Xiaomi says is clear and easy to read.

Read more
Here’s why scientists really want you to clean your smartwatch
The side of the Apple Watch Ultra with the Solo Loop band.

As smartphones became mainstream over the past decade, multiple research papers popped up, documenting how extremely filthy they can get. Fresh research from the University of Arizona said that smartphones can be 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat. Another paper published in Nature claimed that microbial infection is so bad that robust public health and biosecurity protocols are needed to minimize the risks.

But over the years, another class of personal devices has become a part of our daily lives — health wearables such as smartwatches and fitness bands. Researchers at Charles E. Schmidt College of Science of Florida Atlantic University studied various types of wearable straps and discovered that nearly 95% of them were contaminated with various forms of bacteria.

Read more
Whoop 4.0 vs. Oura: Which screenless health tracker should you wear?
Whoop 4.0 band alongside the Oura Ring.

Do you want a health, wellness, and fitness tracker that doesn’t have a screen? Then you would be wise to consider the Oura Ring and the Whoop 4.0, as neither will bother you with notifications or show you the time. But both have extensive health-tracking capabilities and in-depth apps, all for a similar price.

I’ve worn the Oura Ring for more than a year now, and have used the Whoop 4.0 wristband for about six weeks, so I’ve got a good idea of how the two compare. Which should you spend your money on? Let’s find out.
Wearing the Oura Ring and Whoop 4.0

Read more