Alongside its Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch and the new Galaxy S5 , Samsung has announced the Gear Fit, a fitness band that will take on the likes of Nike, Fitbit and Jawbone when it hits the market on April 11. The device weights 27 grams and includes a heart rate monitor, pedometer, sleep tracker and a 1.84-inch Super AMOLED curved display for displaying notifications.
Samsung expects the Gear Fit’s battery life to last about 3-4 days on typical usage, though minimal usage could stretch up to 5 days. As far as sensors go, the water and dust-resistant band includes an accelerometer, gyro and heart rate monitor. The Gear Fit’s changeable straps come in black, orange and “mocha grey.”
While you can use the Gear Fit as a standalone device, you’ll want to connect it to one of 20 Galaxy devices to get access to alerts for calls, emails, texts, calendars.
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Bluelounge updates its super-handy MiniDock iPhone charger with a Lightning connector
Bluelounge has become a favorite around TNW for coming up with the handiest things while keeping design at the forefront. When the company introduced its MiniDock, it was a buy-on-sight for me. The MiniDock is a USB docking station for your iPhone that plugs directly into your stock wall adapter, relieving the need for cords. Today, Bluelounge has updated the MiniDock to include a lightning connector for the iPhone 5.
The MiniDock is a simple piece of equipment, but it’s rather genius in its implementation. For instance, I tend to keep mine plugged in in the kitchen, so that I can dock my phone into it when I’m cooking, doing dishes or otherwise engaging in some activity that would endanger my phone if it were just sitting on the counter top.
Like everything else from Bluelounge, the design of the MiniDock is second to none. It’s tiny, so you can easily stuff it into your bag for a trip or at work, and it manages to stay especially stable in the AC adapter, helped in no small part by the iPhone 5’s minuscule weight.
The MiniDock is still available in 30-pin for those of you who perhaps are waiting out the next generation of the iPhone, but adding the Lightning adapter just completes the line for the company. You can pick it up directly from Bluelounge for $39 .
Budget Archos 80 Xenon tablet surfaces with an 8 IPS display and stock Android out of the box
Archos is expanding its range of cheap ‘Elements’ Android tablets today through the Archos 80 Xenon , a new 8-inch slate with a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor.
The tablet runs on Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, although it’s worth noting that there’s also a MicroSD slot for up to 64GB of additional space.
As mentioned, it offers an 8-inch IPS touchscreen at a display resolution of 1024×768. It’s not going to be the most detailed or bright screen on the market, but it should be acceptable in most lighting conditions.
There’s a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera for taking shots on the move, although a mock-up image given to us by Archos doesn’t show a counterpart on the front. So if you’re interested in jumping on Skype or Google Hangouts with the family, you might be better off looking elsewhere.
The device is 3G and WiFi-enabled, however, and will be available from June for £159.99 ($244.80 USD), putting it right in contention with the entry-level Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire tablets.
Interestingly, Archos describes the 80 Xenon tablet as an “Un-SIM-locked” device, which means that it can accept SIM cards from any operator. Archos hasn’t confirmed it, but that could mean voice calls similar to the Samsung Tab 3 , which would make it an infinitely more compelling proposition.
Android enthusiasts will also be pleased to hear that the device runs stock Android; so while it might have a few custom apps running from the outset – the usual bloatware, in other words – there’s no irritating skin or custom animations to put up with. We’re looking at you, TouchWiz and HTC Sense.
Unlike some of Archos’ other entry-level tablets, the 80 Xenon also comes with a full suite of connectivity options, including Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi, a GPS transmitter and an FM radio.
From a technical standpoint, the Archos 80 Xenon is far from revolutionary. If you want to stay connected using as little money as possible, however, it might be worth a look. It also follows the Archos ChefPad , a peculiar 9.7-inch Android tablet built specifically for chefs and cooking enthusiasts.