Garmin has just revealed a new smartwatch, heart rate monitor and serious changes to the Connect app in a big CES announcement

Date:
Mon, 08 Jan 2024 19:09:37 +0000

Description:
Garmin Lily 2 smartwatch, HRM Fit and overhauled app unveiled at CES this
year here's what we know.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Garmin has revealed the Garmin Lily 2 smartwatch and Garmin HRM-Fit heart
rate monitor at CES 2024 , along with a revamp of its popular Garmin Connect app.

The Garmin Lily 2 and Lily 2 Classic (a variant model with different
colorways and Garmin Pay NFC payments enabled) are petite, fashionable
slender watches weighing from 20.6g with a fabric or leather strap, designed to look like slim traditional womens watches. They feature a hidden display, with the 240 x 201px screen showing a simple wallpaper-style pattern until tapped.

This is very different to the Forerunners, Fenix and the rest of the best Garmin watches , which tend to trend towards having always-on displays. The Lily 2 seems to have moved away from that in a conscious choice to create a less connected, hybrid aesthetic like the Instinct Crossover or Nowatch .

The Lily 2 differs from its predecessor, the original Garmin Lily , in that
it (thankfully) has on-watch GPS, so its much better for runners and
cyclists.

The Lily 2 sports up to five days of battery life and plenty of features common on Garmins cheaper watches, including womens health and cycle
tracking, sleep scores, Body Battery (but not the more advanced Training Readiness score) and a pulse oximeter to check your blood oxygen levels.

The Lily 2 is available now from the Garmin website , costing $249.99 /
249.99 for the Lily 2 and $299.99 / 249.99 for the Lily 2 Classic, with Australia prices TBC. HRM-Fit heart rate monitor (Image credit: Garmin )

Garmins HRM-Fit is its newest addition to the best heart rate monitors line, said to be created for women featuring a clip-on design tailored to fit
medium and high-support sports bras.

Like other Garmin heart rate monitors, its designed to connect to Garmin smartwatches and Edge cycling computers to transmit accurate real-time
workout information. Its said to pack up to one year of battery life and
costs $149.99 / 139.99, with AU prices TBC. Garmin Connect (Image credit: Future)

This is exciting. Garmin Connect is bringing major changes to its app, in a move rolling out to beta users from today. Joe Shrick, Garmin's VP of
fitness, calls this change a simplified design bringing more relevant
insights to each customer to inform and inspire them.

New categories will include Todays Activity, In Focus, At A Glance, Events, Training Plans and Challenges. Its unknown right now how the layout will differ from the existing list of My Day, Challenges, Calendar, News Feed, and More, but the concept of a simpler app sounds interesting Garmin Connect is often praised for its granularity and statistical depth. While a more streamlined design may help onboard new users, it may draw criticism from established users should it remove too much of that depth.

Fitbit recently had a similar problem, with its new design drawing criticisms for getting rid of some legacy community features, and rolled out five much-needed fixes shortly after.

Were covering all of the latest CES news from the show as it happens. Stick with us for the big stories on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays
to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And dont forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor! You might also like Belkins auto-tracking iPhone stand is here to revolutionize mobile content creation Samsung's world-first transparent micro-LED display is at CES, and it's like a hologram JBL's new wireless earbuds are crammed with next-gen features, including a screen on the case



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/garmin-has-just-revealed -a-new-smartwatch-heart-rate-monitor-and-serious-changes-to-the-connect-app-in -a-big-ces-announcement


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)