Magellan’s Echo Fit is a watch with all the fitness fixings, and a six-month battery

By Andy Boxall January 5, 2015

magellan echo fit news family 1 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Magellan Echo Fit may look like a smartwatch, but it’s primarily a fitness tracker, aimed at people who enjoy a variety of sports, but want a little more functionality than that of a basic fitness band. The Echo Fit is designed to be worn all the time, comes with sleep-tracking as standard, and has the option of a heart rate monitor.

Updated on 01-05-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in further spec details on the Echo Fit

It connects to your smartphone using Bluetooth, and can stream data in real-time, ensuring you’re kept informed of your performance. Magellan says the Echo Fit is happy tracking running, hiking, cycling, golf, and other activities. It’s possible to customize the data received to your preferences.

Echo_Fit_Family_1 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Outside of specialist tracking, the Echo Fit counts your steps, how many calories burned in a day, and how much distance you travel. A weekly summary complete with averages is generated, including data gathered on quality of sleep, and collated inside the Echo Utility app. Because the Echo Fit is a watch, and not basic a fitness band, it has revolutionary features such as showing the time and the date. (Amazing!)

Shortly after release, the Utility app will receive an update giving it notification alerts from your phone. It’ll show SMS, email, and call alerts, plus notifications from social networking apps. The Echo Fit is compatible with iOS and Android smartphones, along with a variety of fitness apps including RunKeeper, Golf Pad, Strava, and the MapMy family of apps.

Perhaps best of all is the Echo Fit’s battery. Rather than needing a charge every other day, it uses a coin-cell battery, which should be good for at least six months. There are two versions of the Echo Fit. The simple model costs $130, while the version with a heart rate monitor is slightly pricier at $180, and both will be available in blue, black, grey, or pink. We’ll take a look at the Echo Fit at CES, and will bring you more details in the near days ahead.

Article originally published on 01-05-2015

Topics

Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Deals

Razer Anzu smart glasses deal knocks $140 off the price tag

The Razer Anzu smart glasses placed on top of an open book.

While smartwatch deals have slowly claimed their place in the mainstream, smart glasses haven't turned out to be as popular. Gaming-focused brand Razer, however, is trying to renew interest in smart glasses with the Razer Anzu, which you can currently purchase from Best Buy at $140 off. If you'd like to give them a try, they're available for just $60, less than half their original price of $200.

There have been failures like the Google Glass and Snap Spectacles, and hopeful attempts like Oppo's Air Glass and Apple's secretive project, but the Razer Anzu smart glasses take a different spin on the wearable device by designing them for indoors. While they come with polarized sunglass lenses, their clear lenses are more useful with their blue light filter, which protects your eyes from screen glare to prevent discomfort even after hours of playing video games or working from home. The smart glasses, which also have a built-in omnidirectional microphone and speakers, may also be more comfortable to wear for an extended period of time compared to headsets and headphones. You'll enjoy smooth, stutter-free sound with the Razer Anzu's low latency audio with a 60ms Bluetooth connection.

Mobile

The best Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 screen protectors

Person holding skateboard while wearing the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.

A new, sleek design and digital bezel help the Galaxy Watch 4 stand out in the crowd and set it apart from the traditional style of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. Whether you've picked up a 40mm model with a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED screen or opted for more screen real estate with the 44mm model, that stand-out design needs protecting from scratches and knocks. That means it's time for our picks of the best Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 screen protectors, with something to suit all budgets.

These screen protectors will all fit the 40mm or 44mm models of the Galaxy Watch 4. If you've got a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, these won't fit.
Spigen Glas.tR EZ Fit Screen Protector

Wearables

How to remove watch links from the strap on your new watch

how to remove watch links fossil q explorist

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all smartwatch. If your wrists are on the smaller size, then you may find that your new smartwatch is dangling from your wrist and sliding up your forearm. No need to worry — it's a common problem. Chances are there are at least one too many chain links on the strap, but adjusting a metal-link smartwatch band isn't as difficult as you might think — and doesn't usually require a trip to the jewelers.

We'll take you through everything you need to know and the tools you'll need handy to remove links from your smartwatch so it fits snugly on your wrist.