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Earphones Filled With Health and Fitness Sensors Ready to Flood the Wearables Market

Chupa Chupa

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
PocketSand11 said:
Why would I want to know my heart rate? Having played a musical instrument, I can check accurately enough just by putting my hand on my chest if I really want to know for some reason.
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Well, for those of us who take our running or other exercise seriously, there are 4 specific heart rate zones ranging from couch potato to imminent heart explosion. OK, technically it's minimal - about 50% of heart max, weight loss, about 65%, aerobic, about 80%, and anaerobic, 90%+.

We need to know what zone we are in to know if we aren't working hard enough or too much depending on what we are trying to accomplish. This is especially important when targeting aerobic or anaerobic workouts because they do different things to the body. So that's why a heart rate monitor is a great tool. Right now a heart strap is the most accurate method, but it can be uncomfortable and a PITA. So just popping in earbuds would be a huge improvement IF its as accurate as a strap.
 
T

Tech198

Cancelled
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
2,151
What the hell....

I hope the actual product is allot smaller, and designed differently,

That would be awfully uncomfortable.

Some of us need the iWatch more than "the only earphone's you'll ever use"

The whole bio-metric thing... i don't want one of these anywhere near my ear... It's like Terminator where u have a gizmo implanted..

Humans are now officially extinct.
 
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rcp27

macrumors regular
May 12, 2010
212
19
IJ Reilly said:
You are getting warmer. The Apple "watch" was created by the rumor industry completely out of whole cloth. The hard evidence or even the logic supporting this concept is completely absent.
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Not entirely, the watch rumours started after, at the launch of the 6th generation iPod nano Steve Jobs made a throwaway joke that, "one of our board of director members is going to clip it onto an armband as a watch." That joke was the creation of the iWatch rumour industry.
 
IJ Reilly

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
1,496
Palookaville
rcp27 said:
Not entirely, the watch rumours started after, at the launch of the 6th generation iPod nano Steve Jobs made a throwaway joke that, "one of our board of director members is going to clip it onto an armband as a watch." That joke was the creation of the iWatch rumour industry.
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Seems like a reach to me. Steve made that remark when the iPod nano was released four years ago, and a small aftermarket for nano wristbands popped up briefly. I don't remember seeing any references to Apple planning a product for more than incidental use as a watch until a year or so ago, after Tim Cook made a reference to Apple's interest in wearable tech in an interview. That remark was paired with the smart watch products already on the market and quickly morphed into the completely fictitious "iWatch" product.
 
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nemanjaj

macrumors newbie
Dec 31, 2010
12
0
Chupa Chupa said:
We need to know what zone we are in to know if we aren't working hard enough or too much depending on what we are trying to accomplish. This is especially important when targeting aerobic or anaerobic workouts because they do different things to the body. So that's why a heart rate monitor is a great tool. Right now a heart strap is the most accurate method, but it can be uncomfortable and a PITA. So just popping in earbuds would be a huge improvement IF its as accurate as a strap.
Click to expand...

Check out Mio Link - wrist band. In my experience - better than chest band because it does not rely on the electrical contract. It is also doing like what these headphones are trying to do - optical measurement of blood flow. It integrates with BT4 and ANT+ standards...

Though, price is a bit steep - but search around - there are coupons for 10$ off.

As for the headphones - are they going to be able to get enough juice from the port? The mio link from its battery can be powered around 8 hours.... so I would say it actually takes quite a bit of electricity to power it.

I would like if Apple would integrate it into iWatch - but with a better battery life... And especially if the style of the watch was "suit compatible" style.
 
Jethryn Freyman

Jethryn Freyman

macrumors 68020
Aug 9, 2007
2,329
2
Australia
Maybe this is why they want to connect future headphones via the Lightning port. Carry data.

That, or they'll work some special circuitry inside the headphone port that will be backward compatible with standard 3.5mm connectors.
 
G

garcastle

macrumors newbie
Aug 17, 2014
4
0
Philly
Kind of funny that these medical-wanna-be companies will claim to sense heart rate when they actually detect Pulse rate and not heart rate. In a perfectly healthy person, they should be the same but in someone with cardiac issues (who is perhaps more the target audience for pulse and HR) the pulse can be lower since the heart is not functioning as well as it might.

Not that the average person gives a rat's butt, but someone with a poor ticker might. Besides it's easy enough to label what their product does correctly and not mis-label it.

If the headphones "listened" for the heart beats, then that might be valid but while it's producing music that would be unlikely.

Cheers,
G.
 
R

r-m

macrumors 6502a
May 7, 2010
597
46
garcastle said:
Kind of funny that these medical-wanna-be companies will claim to sense heart rate when they actually detect Pulse rate and not heart rate. In a perfectly healthy person, they should be the same but in someone with cardiac issues (who is perhaps more the target audience for pulse and HR) the pulse can be lower since the heart is not functioning as well as it might.

Not that the average person gives a rat's butt, but someone with a poor ticker might. Besides it's easy enough to label what their product does correctly and not mis-label it.

If the headphones "listened" for the heart beats, then that might be valid but while it's producing music that would be unlikely.

Cheers,
G.
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I don't understand the difference?
When I use one of the apps that uses my camera light to detect colour changes on my finger to give me a "per minute" figure, what's that giving me? Pulse rate or heart rate?
 
I

icerabbit

macrumors regular
Jul 2, 2006
230
266
It shouldn't be an issue for Beats with Dr Dre to match & surpass that functionality, right? :rolleyes:

Anyhow.

I'm genuinely curious to see what Apple will announce and release in the next 2-3 months. Whether many iWatch and new iPhone rumors, mockups and supposed parts pan out in the real world
 
G

garcastle

macrumors newbie
Aug 17, 2014
4
0
Philly
r-m said:
I don't understand the difference?
When I use one of the apps that uses my camera light to detect colour changes on my finger to give me a "per minute" figure, what's that giving me? Pulse rate or heart rate?
Click to expand...

Anything on your finger, or wrist, or arm, or ears would be pulse because it is using the pulse of blood to that area. The heart can beat and not produce an additional pulse for that beat.

Normally, who cares, it's close enough to HR. But when a company is marketing it, then they should at least use the correct term. :^)

It's like when Anheuser Busch came out with an Ale that was "top fermented". All ale is top-fermented that's the definition of ale. Lager yeast sinks, ale yeast rises LOL and they prefer different temperatures but will both brew at either temp range.

Probably just marketing people in both cases.

Cheers,
G.
 
R

r-m

macrumors 6502a
May 7, 2010
597
46
garcastle said:
Anything on your finger, or wrist, or arm, or ears would be pulse because it is using the pulse of blood to that area. The heart can beat and not produce an additional pulse for that beat.

Normally, who cares, it's close enough to HR. But when a company is marketing it, then they should at least use the correct term. :^)

It's like when Anheuser Busch came out with an Ale that was "top fermented". All ale is top-fermented that's the definition of ale. Lager yeast sinks, ale yeast rises LOL and they prefer different temperatures but will both brew at either temp range.

Probably just marketing people in both cases.

Cheers,
G.
Click to expand...

ah, thanks for clarifying. I never knew!
The App I use on my iPhone is called "Heart Rate" (app name on my home screen) and "Instant heart rate" as the main title in-app. Gives me results in bpm and lists as a "Heart Rate" entry on the timeline.

I guess, like you say, most people won't care as it's close enough.
Anyone that really needs to know would use a proper heart rate monitor (mobile ECG is the only way I can think to describe what I'm thinking of) that measures every xx minutes.

I ordered The Dash because I like the sound of everything it does (audio features and sensors). To use it as a guide for exercise.
 
RightMACatU

RightMACatU

macrumors 65816
Jul 12, 2012
1,423
1,132
192.168.1.1
PocketSand11 said:
Your heart rate? This paranoia is getting ridiculous. One of the few times I'll use this: :rolleyes:
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Your lack of knowledge does not put the rest of the world in a state of paranoia. It's time for you to start reading up on the types of data that these devices are now transmitting, in the clear.
 
bazinga!!

bazinga!!

macrumors regular
Apr 25, 2012
101
3
Belgium
And soon we will all pretend to be doctors because we can follow some simple measurements.. I'm afraid people will focus too much while working out on all of these metrics, without even knowing how to interpret them.
 
Chupa Chupa

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
bazinga!! said:
And soon we will all pretend to be doctors because we can follow some simple measurements.. I'm afraid people will focus too much while working out on all of these metrics, without even knowing how to interpret them.
Click to expand...

With that logic aspirin shouldn't be sold w/o prescription.

These kind of metrics have been available to the public for well over a decade. It's not new, just the way the device collects the data in a more transparent, less onerous fashion.
 
F

fredf

macrumors 6502
Oct 31, 2008
277
1
I don't know where this tech takes us.
Those who already work out own whatever (and more) than they need. Aside from .... maybe a heart rate monitor....what else do you need to work out?
Reach a sweat and maintain it for 30 minutes.

And while some are stocking up on this high tech, relatively useless stuff, we have the highest obesity rate in the world with the majority of people in absolutely terrible shape.

The is a total disconnect going on. Or, rather, first and second class citizens.
 
PocketSand11

PocketSand11

macrumors 6502a
Jun 12, 2014
688
1
~/
RightMACatU said:
Your lack of knowledge does not put the rest of the world in a state of paranoia. It's time for you to start reading up on the types of data that these devices are now transmitting, in the clear.
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Secret mind reading devices in the earbuds, Alex Jones says. I should have known all along.
 
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