Smart fitness devices are but one subset of the growing wearables category in mobile tech, but they’re a testimony to the desire of consumers to get fit, have ways to monitor their fitness, and so on. Samsung has pioneered the move of major tech giants into the smartwatch category with one smart fitness band (the Gear Fit) and four smartwatches (Galaxy Gear, Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, Gear S) in recent memory, but it seems as though the company intends to stretch its reach – if a new patent is any indication.
A patent Samsung filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) shows that the Korean manufacturer intends to create a slim and trim fitness tracker that can double as a loop string. It’s likely that the loop could be used to hang the device up on something when not in use (ex.: the consumer isn’t exercising), but it may be the case that the clasp attached to the end may allow the individual to wear it around the neck (though the patent does not include statements about the fitness tracker’s jewelry use) or as a keychain holder for the user’s keys (when he or she is out and about in the elements).
The patent, titled “Mobile communication device” and filed in March 2014 and published yesterday (April 21, 2015), shows that Samsung’s got fitness tracker manufacturers in mind with this device, with the company citing “JawBone’s” UP3 and UP Move fitness trackers, Xiaomi’s Mi Band fitness tracker, Misfit’s Shine personal fitness tracker in the patent.
Other patents, such as one from August 2014 (titled “Flexible communication device with a display”), show that the “loop” created by a fitness tracker apparatus could be placed across the shoe during fitness, while another seems identical to the trademark JawBone design for its smart fitness trackers and comes with a heart rate monitor on the band.
We’re not surprised that Samsung wants to extend its reach into the smart fitness tracker market; like all wearables, there is certainly a place for it. We’ve seen Samsung come up with some innovations in the wearables space, and we’re anxiously awaiting something along the lines of a Nike FuelBand or JawBone Up smart fitness tracker in the future – with the trademark Samsung touch in tow.
