Burlingame, California-based Misfit, formerly Misft Wearables, today launched Misfit Flash, its second wearable device that tracks various activities and sleep. The sub-$50 Flash's pricepoint isn't the only difference between it and Misfit's original device, Shine. Flash is made out of "soft-touch" plastic instead of the Shine's stainless steel body. Flash comes in a variety of colors including "lemon-lime Zest, funky Fuschia, and minimalist Frost," according to the company.

Similar to its predecessor, Flash operates on a coin cell battery and does not require charging. It automatically tracks steps, calories burned, distance, sleep quality and duration, cycling, and swimming. To enable swim tracking, the new device, like the Shine, is also waterproof. It also can be worn in a number of ways: around the wrist or clipped to pants, a shirt, shoes, a lapel, or attached to a keychain. 

The Flash's user interface appears similar to Shine with a ring of LED lights, but the lights are red in the new device. The entire face of the Flash is also a single button. It syncs wirelessly to the Misfit App on iOS and Android devices.

In the US, Flash will go on sale for $49.99 at Best Buy, Target, Amazon, Walmart and other stores in October. The company is also taking preorders at its site. Shine, which commercially launched late last year, is now available in tens of thousands of stores in more than 40 countries, according to the company.

Earlier this month Misfit offered up its Misfit Developer Toolkit to enable other health apps and devices to integrate Misfit’s data into their products. So far, more than 30 companies have partnered with Misfit to use the developer kit. Misfit went further than most with its developer toolkit, the company's offers Misfit’s cloud API, the device’s SDK, and the company’s scientific library, which includes Misfit’s sensor algorithms and software analytics. Beddit was one of the first companies to take advantage of the tools with a co-branded sleep tracking device.

While Flash is the only other wearable device from Shine, the company has introduced a steady stream of accessories and new colors for the Shine, including shirts with a pocket for the shine, socks with Shine pouches, and an ornate Shine case that takes the form of a necklace called Bloom.

Two of Misfits co-founders Sonny Vu and Sridhar Iyengar also co-founded medical device company AgaMatrix, which, with its partner Sanofi, launched the first iPhone-connected glucose meter iBGStar. Since founding Misfit, Vu has hinted that the company would move beyond activity and sleep trackers and into the world of medical devices.