Skip to main content

Samsung putting finishing touches on fitness tracker that doubles as jewelry

Most mainstream companies who’ve made wearables in the past few years haven’t exactly paid attention to the fairer sex. Samsung’s first wearables weren’t the most attractive devices, but with the Gear S2 and the latest rose gold Classic version of the smartwatch, the company has started getting into fashionable wearables for women. Its latest concept device is an unnamed fitness tracker that can transform into a ring, bracelet, pendant on a necklace, or even a cuff link.

The tracker looks like a small, rounded square. It’s slightly larger than a dime, and it has a semi-glossy finish and chamfered edges that catch the light. It currently comes in three colors: a bluish-silver hue, a rosy tint, and something in the near-black range. The dime-sized module snaps into a slim silicon band, a metal ring, a cuff link, or a pendant to be worn as a necklace. The versatility is another first for Samsung in the wearable world, and this puts the device more in the realm of a piece of smart jewelry.

There’s an LED in the center that can light up with notifications, theoretically. It’ll sync up with your phone via Bluetooth and a companion app. In the app, you’ll see your distance walked, calories burned, step count, and so on. The app looks pretty much like every other Samsung fitness app that’s out and it syncs up with S Health. At this point, sleep tracking isn’t included, though it could be in the future. Samsung is still working out what it hopes to do with the tracker.

Another version of the fitness tracker concept is bar-shaped and has a vibration motor inside that could be used for notifications or an alarm in the morning. Both concepts charge wirelessly with a charging cradle. There’s no word on battery life yet.

Samsung didn’t reveal any official specs, price, or the release date for the wearable yet. We expect to see this information relatively soon, since it looks like a near-to-final product.

Editors' Recommendations

Malarie Gokey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…
Life Fitness adds Samsung Galaxy Watch integration to cardio workout machines
life fitness samsung galaxy watch integration

Life Fitness wants to make it easier for Samsung users to track their health and fitness. The company has announced that its full line of premium cardio equipment, including treadmills, ellipticals, and more, can now connect with Samsung Galaxy Watch devices through the Discover SE3 HD console that's built into the machines.

With the Samsung integration, users will be able to simply tap their Galaxy Watch to the console to sync their data. When connected, the watch will send heart rate data to the machine, and when the workout is finished, users will be able to see details about the workout on their watch. Information includes workout duration, heart rate, and calories burned. Of course, users will have already been able to see that information through workouts on their device, but thanks to the integration, the data should be a little more precise.

Read more
HP is putting Tile trackers in its Elite Dragonfly laptops
best laptops ces 2020 hp dragonfly 5

Lost laptops may soon become easier to find. And lost HP laptops in particular, could become easier to find thanks to a new partnership announced this week.

According to a press release, a new partnership between HP and smart location company Tile will result in the release of Tile-enabled HP Elite Dragonfly laptops beginning in early 2020. In an effort to make “everyday devices like laptops findable,” Tile’s smart location services are expected to be integrated into HP’s Elite Dragonfly laptops via “a new Tile Windows app.”

Read more
Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 impressions: All the fitness tracker you need
Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 is one of the best value sport-tech products available, and one of the only fitness bands you should consider buying. Why? I question whether the fitness tracking band still has its place in the world of wearables at all, since many phones will count steps, and all smartwatches do that and plenty more. If you really want one, why splash out on anything more than a basic version, when spending more will bring you closer to the cost of a decent smartwatch?

Xiaomi’s latest fitness band is 35 British pounds, or about $40 if you import one to the U.S., where it’s not officially available. The Fitbit Inspire HR and the Samsung Galaxy Fit both cost $100, yet have the same level of functionality and the same general design. Let’s talk about that first, as design is perhaps a word that doesn’t really apple to the Mi Smart Band 4 or its competitors.
Design
Like almost every fitness band, the Mi Smart Band 4 has a main module wrapped up on a silicone band that’s held on your wrist using a pin-and-hole fastener. The style isn’t too attractive, and is best hidden away from sight under a sleeve, unlike a watch. It’s slim and lightweight, at only 22 grams. I’ve worn this one for several weeks, during the day and night, often alongside a watch and I didn’t really notice it was there. The module pops out of the band, so you can change it for one in a different color, or to charge it when the battery runs out.

Read more