Roger Fingas
Withings on Tuesday announced the addition of automatic swim tracking to its iPhone-compatible Activite and Activite Pop smartwatches via a firmware update, with plans to further expand the feature in "coming months."
Both products are water-resistant to a depth of 164 feet. The addition means that in order to record a swim, wearers need only jump in the water and start swimming for data to be synced when the watches connect with a paired iPhone or Android device.
The Activite and Activite Pop are functionally identical, but the former is made out of high-quality materials, including Swiss-made steel, sapphire glass, and a leather strap. Owners must actually switch to a bundled sports band to take the Activite swimming, whereas the Pop is ready out-of-the-box.
The standard Activite costs $450, while the Pop is $149.95.
Swimming support is a relatively rare feature on fitness trackers. Even flagship trackers from Fitbit and Jawbone don't have the technology, and Apple generally advises against getting the Apple Watch wet beyond sweat and rainstorms. Unofficial tests have seen the Watch survive tough underwater conditions, but there is no option for swimming in the device's Workout app.
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4 Comments
I had an Active Pop but had to return it. In my experience it was inaccurate recording sleep: in one case a very long nights sleep of more than 12 hours was recorded as just 4 or 5 hours, it did not always synchronise with the iPhone software and then I had a bad rash on my wrist after I wore the watch in the bath.
I take my Apple Watch Sport swimming all the time; deepest is 9' at my neighborhood pool. Never any issues. I have ideas as to why Apple hasnt touted the waterproofing but still can't firmly think of why it hasnt been talked about more.
Best thing about the pop is 8 months (that's not hours, days or weeks) of battery power. And then just simply swap a standard watch battery that cost $1
[quote name="oberpongo" url="/t/187096/withings-iphone-compatible-activite-activite-pop-watches-get-automatic-swim-detection#post_2745177"]Best thing about the pop is 8 months (that's not hours, days or weeks) of battery power. And then just simply swap a standard watch battery that cost $1[/quote] the next best thing is its clean and elegant styling made possible by removing what isn't needed and hiding all the things that make it smart I think if Jony Ive secretly studies any other smart watch this would be the one