A Fitbit Ring Would Make So Much Sense

Ever since Samsung introduced the Galaxy Ring, I’ve wanted Google to make a smart ring. I initially imagined it would beryllium a Pixel Ring — thing that would fresh into nan existing wearable portfolio that includes nan Pixel Watch and Pixel Buds. But astatine a caller roundtable pinch nan heads of Google’s Health, Fitbit and Wearables businesses, I was presented a much compelling possibility. When CNN’s Lisa Eadicicco asked nan mobility connected everyone’s mind astir whether Google would grow its wearable merchandise portfolio pinch different types of gadgets, nan reply amazed me.

After first giving an expected “nothing to stock arsenic yet” response, Sandeep Waraich, nan elder head of merchandise guidance for Google Wearables, pointed towards nan Fitbit family. “We spot there’s a large opportunity pinch a discrete instrumentality that lasts very agelong [and] has a elemental acquisition that’s very focused connected wellness and fitness.”

Waraich continued by saying “today, Fitbit has a beautiful robust portfolio but it has not been refreshed for a while, truthful that’s wherever we spot opportunity and we person been profoundly reasoning astir bringing nan correct experiences.” He did not uncover overmuch much upon further pushing, but 1 point became clear to me. If Google were to make a smart ring, it would beryllium portion of nan Fitbit family.

That makes a batch of sense, if you see nan activity trackers that Fitbit is synonymous with. They are reasonably basal wristworn devices that do small much than count your steps, way your bosom complaint and occasionally vibrate to show you to look astatine your phone. You could opportunity they’re unsophisticated, but they’re besides elemental and service very circumstantial purposes. Plus, they past everlastingly — clocking betwixt days and weeks connected a charge.

As personification who loathes wearing immoderate instrumentality to bed, I’m disappointment astatine nan deficiency of options disposable to maine for sleep-tracking. Bed sensors don’t look to get very meticulous data, while bedside radar aliases mobility detectors (like nan Nest Hub aliases Amazon’s retired Halo RIse) person been mostly abandoned by their makers. A smart ring, for illustration nan Galaxy Ring aliases Oura, are effective and comfortable solutions.

The point is, a batch of my integer information is housed successful Google services. I’m a Gmail girl, and I salary rather a batch each period for a generous magnitude of Drive storage. A Google-powered slumber locator appeals to my information hoarder tendencies.

Throw successful nan truth that Fitbit has agelong led nan measurement successful meticulous and blase slumber and activity tracking, and a Fitbit Ring’s imaginable grows significantly.

Of course, there’s ever nan consequence that, should Google make a smart ring, it mightiness springiness up connected nan merchandise aft a fewer years, rendering my information aliases instrumentality useless. Just look astatine the Google graveyard. I will opportunity that Waraich and his colleagues look to spot a early wherever group person aggregate devices that service various, circumstantial purposes. A smartwatch and smart ringing could some coexist arsenic useful accessories that provender into a person’s main device, which these days is usually a smartphone. In summation to those gadgets, group apt besides ain laptops, TVs and tablets — screens of each sizes.

In consequence to a follow-up mobility connected nan taxable of a multi-device lifestyle, Google’s wide head of Health and Home Rishi Chandra said “There’s nary uncertainty we request to maximize nan devices you already have.” But he added “there’s nary uncertainty successful my mind there’s going to beryllium caller shape factors that will exist.” He cautioned, though, that “it’s excessively early to person conviction,” stating that presently nan squad is successful nan “experimentation phase.”

“We are experimenting,” Chandra said. What comes retired of that experimentation and what sticks astir yet depends connected developments successful nan manufacture that nary 1 tin assuredly predict. I do think, though, that fixed nan company’s expertise successful simple, straightforward activity trackers, a Fitbit Ring would not beryllium excessively overmuch of a stretch. Plus, nan truth that nan Oura Ring is now successful its 4th procreation and that it and nan Galaxy Ring person proven to beryllium worthwhile devices show that location is simply a marketplace for this category.