Withings brings ECG measurements to your wrist for $130, updates watches and health monitor hardware
Withings, the French fitness company that was acquired by Nokia in 2016 and then sold back to Withings co-founder Éric Carreel the following year, has launched three new products at CES: the Move ECG, a fitness watch with an built-in ECG, the Withings Move, a basic analog fitness watch, and the BPM Core, a standalone health monitor.
Move ECG
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The Move ECG is an analog watch that comes with fitness tracking features and an ECG (electrocardiogram) monitor. In addition to tracking steps, pace, sleep patterns, and workouts (on connecting to an external GPS), the watch will also track cycling trips and measure elevation (these last two features are new to this year's lineup). The watch has a dedicated dial showing how much of your daily goal you have completed. More detailed information can be viewed in the Health Mate app, compatible with both Android and iOS. With a battery life of 12 months and water resistance of up to 50 meters, this is a fairly low maintenance wearable. It's currently under review with the FDA and CE and is expected to go on sale sometime in Q2 2019 for $130.
To use the ECG, you grip the watch's bezel
Withings Move
If you strip away the ECG from the Move ECG and bump up battery life to 18 months, you get the Withings Move. This 38mm analog watch will track your activities and sleep via the Health Mate app. Like the Move ECG, it will track steps, sleep, and workouts. It's available for pre-order for $70, with shipments expected from February 5th. There are five color options currently on sale, with plans to roll out a Moto Maker style customizable watch later in the year.
Five color options for the Withings Move
BPM Core
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The BPM core is a standalone health monitor that can measure blood pressure, record an ECG, and works as a stethoscope to track valvular health. An upgrade from the regular BPM, which just measured blood pressure, the BPM Core connects to your phone via WiFi or Bluetooth, and charges via microUSB (apparently Withings didn't get the memo). Like the Move ECG, this is expected to launch in Q2 2019, once FDA and CE approvals come through. It will retail for $250, as compared to $99 for the legacy BPM.
The BPM Core is slightly more advanced than the blood pressure monitor you picked up from CVS
Some of us couldn't help but feel a bit envious when the Apple Watch Series 4 launched with a wrist-based ECG reader. With the launch of the Move ECG, Android users now have a wearable with an ECG too. The jury may still be out about just how useful the ECG is in day-to-day life, but those with a history of heart disease or atrial fibrillation (AFib) will be happy to have a way to track it over time.
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