The past year has seen the arrival of a number of new fitness gadgets including Jawbone's Up, Wellcore's NewYu, Fitbit's Ultra, and Basis' Band. It's about time that one of the fitness gadget industry's incumbents answered back. This week Garmin did. It made its first move into the world of mobile fitness apps.
Garmin unveiled its first mobile fitness app, Garmin Fit, for iPhone and Android this week. The $0.99 app works in conjuction with a $49.99 ANT+ wireless adapter to track running, cycling, and heart rate metrics collected via Garmin wearable sensors.
According to Garmin's website, compatible accessories include its Foot Pod, both the regular and premium heart rate monitor, and speed/cadence bike sensor. Garmin currently only offers the ANT+ adapter for the iPhone, but the Android version of the app will allow users to track time, distance, speed, and calories burned.
The ANT+ adapter plugs into the iPhone and transmits data from wearable sensors via short range wireless. Last June, ABI reported that by 2016 there would be 80 million wearable wireless fitness sensors on the market. In the report, analysts cited the establishment of short-range wireless standards, including ANT+ and Bluetooth, as a key reason for spurred growth.
The workout data collected by Garmin's app can then be uploaded to the free Garmin Connect online fitness community. The data is aggregated as charts, graphs, reports, and map representations of the route traveled during a workout, gathered via GPS.
"Garmin Fit is the ideal solution for users who are new to the fitness tracking landscape and for those looking to stay totally connected," stated Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales, in a press release. "To be able to utilize Garmin's powerful fitness accessories with the same device that plays music, makes calls and uploads workouts automatically to share and analyze, makes Garmin Fit a must have app."
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Read the press release after the jump.
PRESS RELEASE -- Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. GRMN -1.70% , the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced Garmin Fit(TM) for iPhone and Android -- its first fitness app that lets users track metrics such as speed, pace, distance, time, calories and with the help of Garmin accessories displays heart rate and cadence. Garmin Fit also maps and automatically uploads workouts to Garmin Connect(TM). Garmin also introduces its ANT+(TM) adapter for iPhone allowing users to use their Garmin ANT+ accessories with their iPhone.
"Garmin Fit is the ideal solution for users who are new to the fitness tracking landscape and for those looking to stay totally connected," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "To be able to utilize Garmin's powerful fitness accessories with the same device that plays music, makes calls and uploads workouts automatically to share and analyze, makes Garmin Fit a must have app."
Whether running on a local trail, cycling around the neighborhood or traveling for business Garmin Fit makes it easier than ever to see how far, how fast and where users have been. Garmin Fit ensures users will never be stuck without a way to track their workouts even when they forget to charge their Forerunner(TM) GPS enabled watch or fail to pack it for a trip. With the tap of a button Garmin Fit displays time, distance, pace and calories and even allows users to control their music from within the app. Never miss that important call - during a workout users will also be able to view and answer incoming calls and text messages without interrupting Garmin Fit ($0.99 USD).
Upon completion of a workout, users will be asked to name the activity and will have the opportunity to input notes about how the workout went or what the weather was like. The data will then be automatically sent to the user's account in the ever-expanding and free Garmin Connect(TM) community ( http://connect.garmin.com ). Here users can quickly and easily log their workouts, track their totals, set goals, share workouts with friends and family and participate in an online fitness community of more than 70 million activities around the world. Garmin Connect displays metrics such as time, distance, pace, elevation and heart rate. This information is shown through charts, illustrations, reports and a variety of map representations including street, photo, topographic, and elevation maps. Garmin Fit will display the previous 30 days of Garmin Connect history as well as charts directly on users' smartphones -- giving them an extra tool to achieve their goals.
With Garmin's ANT+ adapter for iPhone, available now at www.Garmin.com ($49.99 USD), users will be able to monitor and record their heart rate and cadence directly on their phone when paired with those optional accessories. One such accessory is a footpod sensor -- which allows users who are training indoors to track their speed, pace, distance and run cadence.
Garmin Fit is the latest solution from Garmin's expanding fitness segment, which focuses on developing technologies and innovations to enhance users' lives and promotes healthy and active lifestyles. Whether it's running, cycling, or other athletic pursuits, Garmin fitness devices are becoming essential tools for athletes both amateur and elite. For more about features, pricing and availability, as well as information about Garmin's other fitness products and services, go to www.garmin.com/intosports , www.garmin.blogs.com and http://twitter.com/garmin .
About Garmin International Inc.
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. GRMN -1.70% , the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications -- most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin's products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin and Forerunner are registered trademarks and ANT+ and Garmin Connect are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 25, 2010, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html . No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
