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Fitness smartwatch firm Basis Science reportedly in buyout talks with Apple, others

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Basis Science, makers of the Basis Health Tracker Watch, is reportedly up for sale and has been discussing buyout deals with big-name tech companies like Apple, Google, Samsung and Microsoft.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Basis has been actively seeking a buyer for its health tracking smartwatch business over the "past few weeks" and has talked with Apple, Google and possibly others about an acquisition, reports TechCrunch.

Basis is supposedly shooting for a "sub-hundred million" dollar price target, which narrows down potential buyers to a select few with deep pockets and serious interest in entering the health tracking device market. Barring a buyout, Basis could go for round C funding, the people said.

As for the product itself, the Basis Health Tracker Watch is loaded with sensors to keep track of a user's heart rate, motion, calorie expenditure, sleep cycle and changes in skin temperature and perspiration level. An app manages the raw data and allows for deeper metrics analysis compared to competing devices.

Apple is widely rumored to be working on a so-called "iWatch" that some believe will incorporate health-monitoring functions similar to those included in the Basis product. The Cupertino, Calif., company has been on a hiring spree over the past months, snapping up new hires with backgrounds in medical sensors and health technology.

Google, too, has been rumored to be eyeing an entry into the wearables sector with its own smartwatch device, though not much is known about the product's specs or capabilities. It has been speculated that the Internet search giant could be angling for an entry into the mobile hardware sector with a Google branded wearable.

While Apple and Google were named as front-runners in the reported Basis buy, Samsung and Microsoft may also be interested, sources said. Samsung could be looking to bolster sales of its Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which has seen lackluster sales, while Microsoft's intentions are largely unknown.



40 Comments

mdriftmeyer 20 Years · 7395 comments

``Someone must love me! Really love me! Please? Okay listen up folks, we got steamin' hot watches that need to go before we go belly up. Know what I mean, Jean?''

solipsismx 13 Years · 19562 comments

In many ways this does seem right up Apple's street, or at least the rumours of what Apple is working on. [IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/38505/width/350/height/700[/IMG] On the pros side the silver and black view from the top doesn't look have bad and I like what appear to be the always-on sensors, the motion sensor that will turn the display on when it senses when you're lifting to check the time, and 4-day battery life to start. On the cons side it's extremely thick, recommends against using when you swim (even though they show an image of a guy surfing), and only has BT2.1. [IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/38506/width/350/height/700[/IMG]

nkalu 14 Years · 315 comments

If the price is right, this will be a good buy for Apple, considering all the rumors about "iWatch".

whatisgoingon 16 Years · 283 comments

They see the steamroller coming, and would like to be invited on-board instead of crushed under the front. Seriously, it looks like it would be dumb for Apple to buy these guys, Apple would just be buying their engineers/programmers because their watch would be redesigned from scratch. And their design doesn't exactly scream "Apple", so what's the point?