Archos announces iOS-compatible smart watches, health trackers & connected home devices

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Electronics maker Archos on Monday preannounced a slew of new products it plans to show off at the upcoming 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, including "Connected Home" and "Connected Self" accessories compatible with Apple's iPhone and iPad.

Archos


The new Archos connected objects are compatible with devices running both Apple's iOS mobile operating system, as well as Google's Android platform. They connect to smartphones and tablets through Bluetooth Low Energy, and are "aimed at enhancing connectivity at home and improving personal health and well-being," the company said.

Most notably, Archos said it plans to unveil a "selection of smart watches" at CES 2014, with pricing starting under $50. The company said the wrist-worn accessories will feature a "pebble-like design."

Archos


Joining its new smart watches are a connected scale and blood pressure monitor. And the Archos Activity Tracker will monitor daily footsteps and calories burned.

These will work with the Archos Connected Self App for iOS, which the company said "will serve as the backbone application for all connected self devices." Using the application, users will be able to view their quick health assessment, track their activity over time, and enable up to 8 users to set goals and increase motivation.

On the company's "Connected Home" side, a new ecosystem of products will also be unveiled at CES 2014. They include a mini camera, motion ball, movement tag, weather tag and smart plug.

In particular, the camera will be the size of just a ping-pong ball, Archos said, and will use Bluetooth Low Energy for long lasting battery life.

These will be controlled through the Archos Smart Home App for iOS, though the company is also planning to release a dedicated, Android-powered 7-inch "Smart Home Tablet" to also bring these accessories together.

Archos


Finally, also set to be unveiled at CES is the Archos Weather Station, which will provide indoor and outdoor climate information, including CO2 levels, humidity, temperature, atmospheric pressure, and environmental noise levels. This device will be controlled through a proprietary Weather Station app that will be available for iOS.

"Mobile devices have become the center of our life and our demand for instant access to information creates the need for even more interconnectivity," said Loic Poirier, CEO of Archos. "Archos' new lineup of connected objects exemplifies the ability to share and access information and represents our vision of creating a universe where all devices complement and work together."

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    jkichlinejkichline Posts: 1,369member
    That watch is uglier than Samesung's.
  • Reply 2 of 11
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jkichline View Post



    That watch is uglier than Samesung's.

    Really? I think it looks sleeker. Not nearly as nice as I would imagine Apple's take.

     

    If it has a heart rate monitor w/o a chest strap, I would consider it. Especially, if it is under $50 and comes in white.

  • Reply 3 of 11
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by christopher126 View Post

    If it has a heart rate monitor w/o a chest strap, I would consider it. Especially, if it is under $50 and comes in white.


     

    Ditto, and if it's got an HR monitor that operates for prolonged periods on dry skin (no gel or moisture), then I'd happily pay over $50.

  • Reply 4 of 11
    jkichline wrote: »
    That watch is uglier than Samesung's.

    You'd need wrist's the size of Hulk Hogan to fit to the Samsung POS, this one may even fit females.
  • Reply 5 of 11
    iWatch uFail.
  • Reply 6 of 11
    Absolutely no interest from me in this self-monitoring trend. So much attention paid to irrelevant information. Are you healthy? Good. Get on with your life already.
  • Reply 7 of 11
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post



    So much attention paid to irrelevant information. Are you healthy? Good. Get on with your life already.

     

    No need to be so hostile. Not everyone's interest is driven by vanity or hypochondria. Perhaps for teenagers and 20-somethings such products are tantamount to ornaments. But if you or your loved ones are so fortunate as to survive into middle age and beyond, you may begin to appreciate being able to monitor heart rate, blood oxygen level, and other personal KPI's.  That wearable technology can make such data easily and affordably available is to be applauded.

  • Reply 8 of 11
    No need to be so hostile. Not everyone's interest is driven by vanity or hypochondria. Perhaps for teenagers and 20-somethings such products are tantamount to ornaments. But if you or your loved ones are so fortunate as to survive into middle age and beyond, you may begin to appreciate being able to monitor heart rate, blood oxygen level, and other personal KPI's.  That wearable technology can make such data easily and affordably available is to be applauded.

    Please do not interpret brevity as hostility. Thank you.
  • Reply 9 of 11
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post



    Absolutely no interest from me in this self-monitoring trend. So much attention paid to irrelevant information. Are you healthy? Good. Get on with your life already.

    The wearable tech market is expected to hit an estimated $20 BILLION by 2017. A ton of people, including myself, are very interested in this segment. 

  • Reply 10 of 11
    blah64blah64 Posts: 993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TeaEarleGreyHot View Post

     

    No need to be so hostile. Not everyone's interest is driven by vanity or hypochondria. Perhaps for teenagers and 20-somethings such products are tantamount to ornaments. But if you or your loved ones are so fortunate as to survive into middle age and beyond, you may begin to appreciate being able to monitor heart rate, blood oxygen level, and other personal KPI's.  That wearable technology can make such data easily and affordably available is to be applauded.



    As someone in your described demographic, I'd love to be able to monitor various aspects of my health, but no way no how would I ever allow that data to be hosted or analyzed by any 3rd party. That's a hard stop, end of story. It's difficult to impossible to anonymize data when it comes from or through your mobile device. Merely attaching location information to this data is enough to identify individuals with a very high probability of success.

    What someone needs to build is a device (or set of devices) that allows someone to monitor their own movement and health vitals and store the data locally on their own computer. That will be the breakthrough.
  • Reply 11 of 11

    Archos' history of selling a half-finished product then selling the updates to it to make it properly functional kills any attraction to their products a techie with a memory might have.

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