Peloton has added a new armband to its lineup of fitness devices and it offers greater comfort than the chest-based heart rate monitors. The Peloton Heart Rate Armband is priced at $90 and will be appropriate for tracking workouts using its optical heart rate sensor. It is also easier to use than the chest strap which requires precise placement and a moistened contact point.

The Peloton Heart Rate Band will be a great device for persons with mobility issues who may find it difficult or outright impossible to use chest-based heart rate monitors. It is available in the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, while other regions could subsequently get access to the device.

The Peloton app provides greater depth for the heart rate armband, with several functions and data analysis available via the app. The Peloton Heart Rate Band also works with other devices like treadmills, and Bike models.

Interestingly, the armband is also compatible with other products that recognize common Bluetooth heart rate monitors although there is no ANT+ support.

The price of the Peloton Heart Rate Band ($90) may be on the high side in comparison with current heart rate bands. The corresponding Peloton chest strap is priced at $49, while arm-based bands might be ineffective for some persons.

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Peloton, the American exercise equipment, and media company is currently facing financial trouble which has led it to cut costs, product prices and is even rumored to soon lay off 41% of its sales and marketing staff.

This situation has arisen due to giants like Apple entering the health and fitness business rivaling Peloton’s business model by providing digital classes under Apple Fitness+ at cheaper prices with the Apple One bundle. Peloton has also told employees that products such as the Bike, Bike+, and Tread will be out of production for between six weeks and six months.

In a recent press release, Peloton CEO John Foley said that the company is now “taking significant corrective actions to improve our profitability outlook and optimize our costs.” Following this statement, the company’s stock has plummeted by 24 percent and now floating around 85 percent below where it was trading this time last year.

These recent unfavorable events for Peloton look like a prelude to an acquisition by a bigger company like Apple, on which The Information has reported that “If Peloton is to have a future, it would be better off as part of a bigger, more diversified company. Apple is an ideal candidate to take on that project. It has the Fitness+ subscription service for classes and it markets the Apple Watch as a device that can help with jogging and other exercise activities. It could close Peloton’s stores and sell the equipment through its own stores. And hey, after today, Peloton’s market capitalization is down to $7.9 billion. Cook could pay for that by dipping into the change jar in his kitchen.”

The idea of Apple acquiring Peloton is now making the rounds on investing forums and even being picked by financial adviser websites like The Motley Fool. For now, it remains just an idea as no news of the companies actually being interested in this course of action has surfaced. However, we will keep a close eye on the matter for any notable developments.

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(via MacRumors)

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Recently, rumors are swirling around that Facebook is developing a clone version of the popular Voice-based app Clubhouse. Now, a new report by The Information says that the Californian giant is also entering into the world of Smartwatches.

According to the report, Facebook is making a Smartwatch with emphasis on Messaging and Fitness. It may be called the ‘Facebook Watch’ but it’s just a guess and not confirmed yet. We already know that the company isn’t new to the world of Smart devices. In fact, it has launched a VR headset under its subsidiary Oculus VR.

Anyway, the company is said to focus on Message interaction in the Smartwatch. Users will be able to communicate with their friends on platforms like WhatsApp and Messenger. Now, you might wonder if it will require a Smartphone for integration and sync.

For this, Facebook seems to have a solution. The Watch will reportedly come with Cellular connectivity support so you don’t have to barge into your phone every time. This also suggests that the company is going to revamp the social media Apps for the tiny Wearable screens more.

Speaking of which, the report says that although the Watch will run on an Open-source version of Google’s Android, Facebook is working on its own Operating System. And the OS could debut in 2023 along with the Second-Generation of this Watch. In that year, the company is also reported to bring an AR Glass.

That said, apart from Messaging, Facebook is also said to be focussing more on Health features that will be present in the Smartwatch. Some of them are extensive Workout plans/Data, Track workouts, interact with Trainers, and integrate with Fitness services like Peloton.

The wearable segment is said to get a big boon in 2021 and beyond. Just like the report says, Facebook seems to have found the right choice of segment to venture into as Smartwatches are becoming equally important like Smartphones.

Going by the trend, we can also expect other features like Heart rate monitoring(PPG), Blood Oxygen(SpO2) and Stress monitoring, aggressive pricing(maybe around $399 to rival Apple Watch 6).

Facebook’s Smartwatch will reportedly go on sale sometime next year i.e., 2022 so we will have to wait for a few months to start seeing leaks about it.

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