LAS VEGAS -- Tuesday at CES 2016 was chalk full of product launches and interesting demos. However, while most made a beeline for Digital Experience (Pepcom) Tuesday evening, we checked out the Discover Blue, Bluetooth event, which took place right around the corner at the Mirage Hotel.
Among many interesting products, we were intrigued by several wearables that could have some very practical uses for different people. Here’s a rundown of these products, which include the Helix Cuff wearable, the Hexoskin fitness wearable shirt and the GymWatch fitness watch.
Helix Cuff
Helix Cuff is a wearable that serves as on-the-wrist storage for a pair of companion Bluetooth headphones. At first, the Helix Cuff appears to just be a funky bracelet, but when you open its top, you will find the headphones inside. It’s intent is to keep the headphones untangled and out of the way when not in use.
Powered by a Qualcomm chip, the Helix Cuff Bluetooth headphones support Bluetooth 4.1, high-quality stereo audio, multipoint connectivity, which allows the headphones to connect to two devices at once, and noise reduction technology.
Accessing the Helix Cuff headphones is as simple as opening the top latch and rolling the headphone cord off of the cuff in a matter of seconds.
The only downside to this product would likely be its minimal 3-hour battery life.
Still, many appear to be behind the attractive and fashion forward concept, as the Helix Cuff raised $264,205 on Kick Starter on Sept. 9.
The Helix Cuff was announced Monday at CES Unveiled, and will hit markets in March. The wearable is currently available for pre-order, selling for $199 and $299 for a special gold edition.
Hexoskin
The Hexoskin is a literal wearable that helps users track their fitness goals and progress by just putting on a shirt. The Hexoskin is made of a high performance Italian fabric, and has sensors woken into the underside of the shirt, which track a users’ vitals and fitness performance with close contact to the skin. Users can try Heart rate, breathing, sleep and overall fitness, among other metrics.
Unlike many fitness watches, which manufacturers claim can and should be worn to bed to track sleep quality, the Hexoskin can be worn simply as a nightshirt to perform this function.
Accompanying the shirt is the Hexoskin app, which includes the full range of metrics tracking, provided by the shirt. However, Hexoskin also works with many of the leading fitness apps available on iOS, Android and Windows.
Hexoskin is already on the market, with an adult version selling for $169 and a child’s version selling for $149. Styles include a tank top for women and men and a long sleeved style for cold outdoor terrain.
GymWatch
The GymWatch would be a dream fitness watch for those who want more than to just count calories or track distance. The fitness watch tracks users’ performance with more repetitive exercises, such as weigh training. It counts proper reps and alerts users of improper form and function of exercises.
GymWatch tracks over 900 specific exercises. Users need only wear the fitness tracker on the body part being worked out. For squats, GymWatch would go on the legs, for bicep curls, GymWatch would go on the arms.
GymWatch connects to smartphones via Bluetooth and can work in tandem with other iOS and Android fitness apps. There will also be a GymWatch stand-alone app releasing in the spring. The device charges via USB and can last between 10 and 30 days on a single charge.
GymWatch is currently available and selling for $99.
