Wearable devices are becoming more popular and they are currently available in may form factors, from smart rings to smart clothing. One of the most popular form factors is unsurprisingly, the smartwatch, as people have worn watches around their wrist for a very long time. Pebble released one of the first modern smartwatches and they have been building their portfolio based on that. Their smartwatches are not the most feature packed, but they offer batteries that last for much longer than others, several connectivity options and access to various apps. The way Pebble futureproofed some of their latest offerings was making them compatible with bands created by third-party developers who could integrate all sorts of new functions into them.
Not many of these smart bands have become available, but TYLT, a company that specializes in wireless charging technologies has now created a smart accessory for the Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel that offers interesting features. The accessory is called Vœ Pulse, and it is not quite a smart band, but it attaches to the accessory port of those watches, it is more of a polycarbonate case that houses the watch. It brings fitness tracking to the Pebble watches as it integrates a heart-rate monitor that uses green light sensing technology, it can be used in Passive mode, measuring heart rate every 30 minutes or Active mode will register data every 10 seconds. Obviously, the company integrated Qi Wireless Charging capabilities, so it will work with any compatible charger without needing cables. Since Pebble recently introduced the Pebble Health app, the Companion app of the Vœ Pulse uses some data of the API to add heart rate monitoring to the Pebble Health so it can be later exported to apps like Google Fit.
This accessory is available as part of a Kickstarter project, the Vœ Pulse can be bought alone for $49 or with a watch band with black or blue color options for $59, of course, there are some savings in both cases for early birds. Deliveries are expected around August 2016 and there’s a beta program that will deliver the case and the band a little sooner. Shipping is free in the US and $5 for the rest of the world. There’s a $100,000 goal and currently, the company has collected under 20% with 29 days left to support the campaign.
