Misfit, the wearables company that was recently purchased by the fashion brand Fossil Group, is back with new products for 2016. Just like many other technology firms, Misfit is using CES 2016 to get their new products off the ground. The Ray is the company’s new $99 fitness tracker that is designed to be stylish as well as functional. Building on top of previous Misfit products, the Ray will never need recharging, a replaceable battery needs to be changed every six months or so, that’s it! A refreshing take on activity and sleep tracking, the Ray looks like a sleek little wrist-worn tracker.
Misfit has placed a 3-axis accelerometer inside of the Ray, as well as a vibration motor and the unit is water-resistant up to a depth of up to 50 meters. While not as fully-functional as something like a FitBit Charge HR or Microsoft Band 2, the Ray does feature text and call notifications as well as a nudge here and there when you’ve been inactive for too long, something office dwellers like ourselves might appreciate. For $99, it doesn’t appear that there’s too much on offer here, but Misfit is keen to remind people that this also works with Misfit Link. Link is an app that can turn a compatible Misfit tracker into a remote control of sorts, allowing users to perform simple tasks with their wrists-mounted trackers such as taking a selfie, controlling connected lighting and more through pre-programmed taps.
The Ray will be available in Rose Gold as well as Carbon Black and while it won’t ship or hit shelves before “Spring 2016” people can pre-order them now at Misfit’s website. At 12mm in diameter and 38mm in length, the Ray is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible as well as stylish. For those that are looking for a fitness tracker that’s stylish as well as functional, without being over-the-top or too ostentatious on your wrist, the Ray might be a decent choice to look into. For $99 however, there are rechargeable fitness bands that offer more features, but Misfit is hoping the convenience and good looks of the Ray and other products will win in the face of more features.
