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HTC enters the fitness tracking buzz and expands VR with new kit

By Liu Hongzuo - on 6 Jan 2016, 1:22pm

HTC enters the fitness tracking buzz and expands VR with new kit

The HTC Vive Pre with its controllers (left) and the UA HealthBox fitness tracker kit by HTC and Under Armour (right).

With fitness wearables and Virtual Reality (VR) technology being two of the biggest talking points at CES 2016 and as of late, HTC decides to tackle both growing technologies in a single launch with the UA HealthBox fitness system, and redesign of their VR kit, the HTC Vive Pre.

HTC Vive Pre

HTC Vive Pre, the second version of the HTC Vive.

The 2016 HTC Vive Pre is the next step to the continuous efforts of HTC’s involvement in VR technology, as well as a refinement of the original VR kit, the HTC Vive. The new HTC Vive Pre headset is redesigned for better comfort to the wearer, in a more compact form factor and updated strap design for stability and balance. It now features foam inserts and nose gaskets, providing a more secure fit while retaining compatibility for users with existing eyewear. The HTC Vive Pre also features an improved visual system with brighter displays and image refinement to provide better clarity for the VR user.

The main headgear for the Vive Pre.

Major upgrades also include a front facing camera on the HTC Vive Pre – this camera allows you to continue interacting with the real world without removing the VR headset, allowing you to engage in quick simple tasks, such as grabbing a drink or a finding a seat without the need to remove the headset.

The Vive Pre's controllers.

Adding more quality-of-life changes are its revamped controllers. They now come with updated ergonomics, featuring softer edges, better weight balance, new textured buttons for tactile interaction, and grip pads for in-hand comfort. The overhaul also brought in new dual stage triggers for smoother object interaction, and haptic feedback on the controllers to let the HTC Vive Pre users feel their virtual world interaction. The controllers also come with rechargeable lithium polymer batteries with a micro-USB charging port, and it gives the user four hours of run time before requiring a recharge.

Physical and hardware changes aside, the HTC Vive Pre will also now support the SteamVR tools, which are developed by Valve for their own VR headset. This allows the HTC Vive Pre and its developers to utilize tools that are optimized for Steam, granting them better access and compatibility to Steam games.
The HTC Vive Pre is scheduled for a commercial April 2016 launch. Meanwhile, HTC and Valve will make another 7,000 units available to developers.

UA HealthBox

The UA HealthBox contains all the parts that make up the entire fitness tracking kit - the UA Band, UA Heart Rate, and UA Scale.

HTC collaborates with American sports clothing company Under Armour to bring us the UA HealthBox, a system designed to provide fitness junkies a well-rounded fitness tracking experience with various tools. The design and manufacturing of the HealthBox is done by HTC, while the devices run on UA Record app to provide important fitness data to its users. The HealthBox system requires an Android or iOS smartphone for full functionality. In it, comes three parts: a UA Band, a UA Heart Rate, and a UA Scale.

UA Band.

The UA Band takes after the fitness tracking bands we are familiar with. It automatically tracks activity and it’s designed for all-day, every day wear. The band comes with an advanced workout mode with a display that stays on during exercise, and there’s an LED indicator for your heart rate zone, which works when the UA Band is also paired with the UA Heart Rate.

UA Heart Rate.

The UA Heart Rate is a separate heart rate monitor (HRM) that’s compact in size. Designed to be non-intrusive during exercise, and unlike other fitness monitors, the UA Heart Rate comes separately (with its own strap and sensor) because HTC and UA wanted their HRM to provide a more accurate calculation of calories burn and HR. The UA Record app allows the user to customize heart rate zones as well.

UA Scale.

Finally, the UA Scale is a Wi-Fi enabled weighing scale that measures body weight and body fat percentage. Circular in design, it uses a sheet of glass coated in conductive paint that captures the readings. A total of eight users can utilize the scale, and it also syncs with the UA Record app to help users track their weight trends.

The UA HealthBox set comes in one color scheme – black with red undertones, resembling the Under Armor theme. It will be available in the U.S. starting from 22 January 2016 at Under Armor shops, followed by an international rollout later in 2016. The entire UA HealthBox retails at US$400 (~S$ 572.59).

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