Sony Mobile has finally announced the much-rumoured SmartBand 2. The main new feature it brings over its predecessor is the inclusion of advanced heart rate tracking. The tracker gives you a better insight to your fitness through accelerometer and heart rate sensors which monitor pulse and heart rate variability. The SmartBand 2 will launch across 60 countries from September 2015 at a price point of around €119.
A great feature for runners is an independent mode that can continue to track your data without a smartphone. Another neat feature is the use of 3 coloured RGB LEDs for notifications. Different colours can be used for different notifications such as incoming calls or messages. It also has a gentle vibrating alert that will let you know if you’ve strayed more than 10 metres from your connected device.
The SmartBand 2 uses silicone wrist straps that can be interchanged with other colours. The SmartBand 2 Wrist Straps will be available in Black, White, Pink and Indigo colours. It has a removable core that is IP68 certified which gives it the highest level of water resistance. The SmartBand 2 also utilises capless microUSB charging for convenience.
Other specs include NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, 256KB internal embedded flash memory, 32KB RAM and a 58mAh battery good for 2 days use (or 5 days with STAMINA mode enabled). It will work with both Android (4.4 and later) and iOS (8.2 and later) devices. Sony has created host apps for the SmartBand 2 on both Android and iOS (see screenshots below). However, on Android, the Lifelog app can also be used.
SmartBand 2 (SWR12) white paper
Sony SmartBand 2 press pictures
SmartBand 2 host app for Android (left) and iOS (right)
Via Sony Mobile Blog and Sony Developer World.
