Withings announces activity tracker, air quality sensor

Withings Smart Activity Tracker. (All rights reserved)

Smart scale maker Withings has jumped on board the wearable health tracker trend with the announcement of its own device at this year's CES in Las Vegas. In addition, its new smart scale tracks, of all things, air quality.

The Withings Smart Activity Tracker, weighing a feathery eight grams, features a built-in heart rate sensor. But rather than track heart rate continuously like the Basis Band and BodyMedia's FIT armband, Withings's new gadget tracks heart rate when a wearer places a finger on the back of the device before or after workouts. Similar to Fitbit, the Withings tracker also measure quality and duration of sleep -- and the device syncs with an app that collects and stores data in real time.

While the tiny device is no larger than the size of a USB drive, it features a touch screen. Users can toggle the display to view steps taken, distance covered, stairs climbed, calories burned, etc.

Also announced at CES, the company's latest smart scale, the Withings Body Analyzer, measures heart rate and -- interestingly -- air quality. The rationale, according to the company, is that in confined spaces, such as your bedroom, CO2 can accumulate, which can lead to poor air quality and consequently, poor health.

The Body Analyzer won a CES 2013 Innovations Award and will sell for $149.95. No price is set for the activity tracker, but both devices are slated for release in the first quarter of 2013.

www.withings.com

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