Finally, HTC and Under Armour’s partnership has yielded results. Same time last year, we said that the two would be working together to create fitness related digital products. The smartband was delayed twice already–first in July and once again last October. We were hoping HTC would announce something before 2015 ended but we were told early December that the two were still working on a Bluetooth connected scale.
It’s been a wild year for HTC but finally and officially, the company is ready with the UA HealthBox. It’s a new connected fitness system that manages a person’s health and fitness. It can be used to monitor and measure different aspects of a person’s everyday life including nutrition, fitness, sleep, and other activities. Powered by Under Armour’s UA Record, this UA HealthBox features a heart rate monitor, fitness band, and smart scale that are all integrated with the app. UA Record displays a person’s activities via a dashboard.
Health and fitness management can be a challenge but HTC and Under Armour are set to deliver an easy solution in the form of this UA HealthBox. Included is the UA Band wearable device that must be worn at all times. It monitors sleep, workouts, and other daily activities. There’s also the UA Heart Rate that monitors heart rate and intensity especially during workouts. It can calculate the amount of calories burned.
There’s the UA Scale that monitors weight and body fat percentage readings. It’s a WiFi-enabled scale that syncs with the UA Record app. It can save data of up to eight people.
The UA HealthBox system allows automation of data tracking, as well as, “provides custom health and fitness experiences designed to guide you towards your goals” as described by Under Armour’s Chief Digital Officer Robin Thurston.
So this UA HealthBox is the one we’ve been waiting for. HTC boasts that it’s different from other systems because of the fact that it’s a “comprehensive connected system”. We’re interested to know how this will work but we have to wait a few more weeks.
The $400 UA HealthBox complete with a UA Band, UA Heart Rate, and UA Scale will be available starting January 22 in the United States. You can pre-order for one now on several Under Armour stores or online at www.UA.com and www.HTC.com.
