At the start of the year, many tech observers were speculating that
2013 would be all about the smartwatch, and while many new models have
indeed landed in stores, the flood of wrist-worn gadgets many had been
expecting has failed to materialize.
So how about 2014? Well, Nike, for one, is gearing up to enter the
smartwatch sector in the first half of next year, according to
DigiTimes, a Taiwan-based tech site which, it should be noted, has
something of a hit-and-miss record when it comes to reports of this
nature.
Building on the success of its fitness-tracking Nike+ FuelBand and
more recent FuelBand SE device, and taking it beyond its 2011-launched SportWatch,
the expected smartwatch is in trial production at Flextronics
International, a source – hopefully a reliable one – told the tech site.
With Nike’s current digital-based sports offerings, such as its FuelBand SE device,
pairing only with iOS devices, its upcoming smartwatch will highly
likely come with the same compatibility as a bare minimum, though it’s
of course possible it may choose to expand it to Android and other
platforms, too.
A smartwatch from Nike would follow in the footsteps of rival sports
firm Adidas, which last month launched its $400 Smart Run wrist-worn
device. Its new fitness-focused smartwatch runs Android 4.1.1 and comes
with a 1.45-inch, 184 x 184 color touchscreen, 4GB of storage, and a
remarkable 14-day charge in casual mode, though admittedly this drops
dramatically in other modes.
The Smart Run’s GPS technology gives users access to on-screen stats
for speed and distance, and logs running routes, as well. The watch also
offers heart-rate analysis using built-in optical technology, and also
counts your steps.
DT has contacted Nike for more information on its reported smartwatch and we’ll be sure to update if we hear back.
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