Polar’s A360 is a high-end fitness tracker at a competitive price

[Wireless News]

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/iJW8PVAhrEYj04x72KWRZA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztmaT1maWxsO2g9ODY7cT03NTt3PT EzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/digital_trends_973/267605e1a735694d625154c03c84d482 (http://news.yahoo.com/polar-a360-high-end-fitness-101545840.html)Finland-based Polar Electro developed the first wireless heart-rate monitor in the late ’70s, and hasn’t strayed from fitness training and monitoring equipment since. It makes a-heart-rate-measuring waistband, cycling computers, armband GPS, and stride sensors of all shapes and sizes. A little more recently, though, the company dipped its toes in fitness trackers with two Bluetooth wearables, the Loop and-V800. The only problem? The steep price and feature gap: The budget-conscious, $120 Loop lacked GPS and a heart-rate sensor,-features exclusive to the-$445 V800. But that’s changing with the Polar A360. Related: Polar unveils the Loop 2, an entry-level wearable for everday fitnes tracking Polar’s new A360 is the company’s way of bridging the gap between its affordable Loop 2 fitness band and its high-end V800. More than that, though,-the A360 is Polar’s first attempt at competing-squarely against-mainstream premium fitness-trackers like the Fitbit Surge, Jawbone Up4, and Microsoft Band. It’s priced competitively at $200 and, much like others in its product category, features sensors-that-track-workouts and sleep-with some degree of accuracy. The A360’s hardware is, for a wearable fitness tracker, par for the course, Polar says. It’s got a color touchscreen, a vibration motor, interchangeable bands, a waterproof stainless steel and glass design, 100 mAh battery — Polar says it can track activity up to two weeks, and an optical heart-rate monitor. That may all sound humdrum, but Polar says its heart-rate technology is second to none. It’s in-house and proprietary, the company says, and uses an algorithm “optimized for the hardware.” Presumably, that means the-A360’s beats-per-minute readings are a little more accurate than your average smartwatch, though-we’ve yet to put the company’s claims to the test. Related: Afraid of getting lost? The Polar M400 watch will help you get back on track The -A360’s software features set it apart, too. For example, Smart Coaching personalizes workouts with “practical” guidance, suggesting activities to help you meet daily goals —-i.e., “walk for 50 minutes or jog for 20 minutes” — and it rewards you when-you complete your goals. The A360 ties into Polar’s Flow management system, as well, so your daily activity, steps, calories, workouts, and sleep are synced to the Polar mobile app and-the Web. From there, you can analyze the data in adjustable time slices. If you’re training with a-coach and opt into Polar’s Flow for Coach, you can get feedback on workouts and new training routines, or even share live heart-rate data. And like any modern-day activity tracker/smartwatch hybrid, the A360 can show notifications from a Bluetooth-paired smartphone. All your incoming calls, calendar alerts, and messages will show up on your A360. Notifications are an iOS-only affair for now, but Polar says that Android support is-due to hit sometime in November. The A360 comes in small (in white and soon pink), medium (in black and soon pink), and large (in black and soon blue) sizes.-Interchangeable silicon wristbands will be available next year in an array of colors, including white, black, green, pink, and blue.



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