And finally: Samsung Galaxy Fit e quietly launches as cheaper Fitbit rival

All the lighter stories you may have missed this week
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Yeah, you know what time it is. It's And finally, the place to find out what else has been happening in the wearable tech world this week.

Grabbing the headlines was news that Apple has rolled out a new watchOS update that brings new watch faces and ECG support for the Series 4 in more countries. Renders allegedly showing off the Mi Band 4 reveal the next gen tracker's big new features, while Mobvoi introduced a TicWatch S2 that now comes in a new shade. A new Apple Watch band patent also suggests the smartwatch maker is looking at improving health monitoring from the wrist in a very innovative way.

Read this: Big VR news of the week you might have missed

We've saved up a few lighter stories for you to tuck into if you need that extra hit of wearable tech goodness. So, let's get into it.

Samsung Galaxy Fit e quietly launched

And finally: Samsung Galaxy Fit e quietly launches as cheaper Fitbit rival

Samsung has finally made its Galaxy Fit e budget fitness tracker available to buy, with the wearable popping up on the company's website for .

Unveiled alongside the Galaxy Watch Active and pricier Galaxy Fit back in February, Samsung didn't dedicate a lot of time to its cheapest wearable. We now know that it will be a cheaper alternative to the likes of the Fitbit Inspire and the Garmin Vivofit 4.

In terms of features, the Fit e measures in at 18.9mm thick and weighs just 18g with a 124 x 64 resolution PMOLED display. The tracker is water resistant up to 50 metres, letting you wear it in the water, and has a battery life of up to seven days.

It'll offer the standard fitness tracking features like counting steps and automatic sleep tracking, with a heart rate monitor also packed in for that extra layer of biometric data. It'll automatically recognise and track a host of activities including walking, running and dynamic training. Away from fitness, it will display phone notifications including calendar appointments and texts.

It has all the makings of a great cheap fitness tracker, one that comes in cheaper than its closest rivals and one we're looking forward to testing in the near future.

If you're after a fitness tracker, check out our guide to the best budget fitness trackers you can buy right now.

If you don't need the latest model, the older Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro is also being sold for its lowest ever price by Amazon, no doubt helped by the launch of the Galaxy Fit e.


North Focals smartglasses now snooze when you're having a chat

And finally: Samsung Galaxy Fit e quietly launches as cheaper Fitbit rival

North's Focals are some of the most stylish smartglasses we've tried on and the team behind them have been very active in improving what you can do with them.

Its latest update, which rolled out this week, adds a new Conversation Mode with the aim to better blend in with your environments. With this new mode turned on, notifications will be automatically snoozed if you're talking or listening to people speak around you.

When you're done with your actual conversation, the glasses will catch you up with what you've missed. The glasses do not record conversations or store them in the cloud or servers, they're now simply able to identify when you'd rather not be bothered by notifications flashing up on your smart specs.

North Focals not your cup of tea? Read our pick of the best smartglasses you can buy now and the ones that are on the way.

Firstbeat unveils Sport Sensor for team tracking

And finally: Samsung Galaxy Fit e quietly launches as cheaper Fitbit rival

Firstbeat is best known for powering the heart rate and training analytics tools found inside of Garmin, Huawei and Withings wearables. Now it's launching its own piece of wearable tech.

The Firstbeat Sport Sensor is designed with sports teams in mind, letting coaches track player's heart rate as well as Aerobic and Anaerobic Training Effect in real-time, which can be viewed inside of a companion iPad app. It's powered by Suunto's Movesense platform, which the sports watch maker recently opened up to interested developers who wanted to speed up the process of making their own wearable devices.

The Sport sensor is available to pre-order now as part of Firstbeat's sports team package if you're interested in kitting your team out with them.

Looking to spend some money on some new wearables? Check out our latest reviews including a sporty Samsung smartwatch, a great standalone VR headset and a wearable thermostat.

Smart football scarfs set to replace your match tickets

Wearable tech might be more prevalent for the players right now, but Solos wants to redress the balance after debuting a smart football scarf to help supporters feel more connected in the stands.

Supporters of Spanish La Liga side Real Sociedad were the first to trial a smart scarf at the club's final game of the season. The scarf is embedded with Solos' technology, which connects wirelessly to the user's smartphone. They can then enter stadiums without a physical ticket, pay for food and drink and it'll offer rewards in the way of food and drink offers and VIP experiences. It's also hoped that use of the technology will help supporters know they're picking up official club merchandise.

There's no details as yet when other clubs will be able to offer up a smart half and half scarf next time you head to a game.

Casio's Pro Trek smartwatch now a better fit for anglers

And finally: Samsung Galaxy Fit e quietly launches as cheaper Fitbit rival

Casio's Pro Trek range is the only smartwatch that offers a dedicated fishing mode, and now it's upping the fishy stakes thanks to the arrival of a massively revamped Fishbrain Wear OS app.

The new app for anglers was designed with the help of Casio to ensure it's well optimised for the Wear smartwatch. The new app adds Google Assistant support so you can log catches with your voice. A new BiteTime feature offers a machine learning powered fishing forecast, letting you know the best time to catch a specific species of fish. There's also new weather summary and location tracker features to help you find the ideal angling location.

It's available now for Casio Pro Trek WSD-F30 watches and it'll also work with other smartwatches running on Google's Wear OS operating system.

Looking for more great apps? Check out our rundown of the best Wear OS apps.




How we test



Michael Sawh

By

Michael Sawh has been covering the wearable tech industry since the very first Fitbit landed back in 2011. Previously the resident wearable tech expert at Trusted Reviews, he also marshaled the features section of T3.com.

He also regularly contributed to T3 magazine when they needed someone to talk about fitness trackers, running watches, headphones, tablets, and phones.

Michael writes for GQ, Wired, Coach Mag, Metro, MSN, BBC Focus, Stuff, TechRadar and has made several appearances on the BBC Travel Show to talk all things tech. 

Michael is a lover of all things sports and fitness-tech related, clocking up over 15 marathons and has put in serious hours in the pool all in the name of testing every fitness wearable going. Expect to see him with a minimum of two wearables at any given time.


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