Samsung wants you to take fitness tracking and stick it in your ear.
The electronics giant on Thursday unveiled the Gear IConX, a pair of wire-free earbuds that stand out because they combine health tracking with music listening. One bud fits into each ear, and they sync using a Bluetooth signal.
The $199 Gear IConX, available in a couple of months, will include sensors to record heart rate, speed, distance, workout duration and calories burned. The buds will include 4 GB of memory to store music playable even without a smartphone, but can also stream tunes from a nearby phone.
The IConX is part of Samsung’s push to play catch-up in the smartwatch and activity tracker markets. Samsung edged Garmin last year in the number of units shipped — according to research firm IDC — but still trailed Fitbit, Apple and China’s Xiaomi.
During a recent press preview in San Francisco, Samsung also unveiled the Gear Fit2 wristband, an update of the model introduced in 2014.
Samsung executive David Ng, echoing a strategy that smartwatch pioneer Pebble adopted last month, said his company hopes to lure customers by focusing on the main reasons people wear smartwatches and activity trackers.
Ng, wearables product manager for Samsung Electronics America, cited research that showed 75 percent of people listen to music while exercising. And gym memberships, race registrations and national park visits are increasing.
“These devices that are coming out take those two ideas of fitness and music and combine them into one,” he said.
The IConX buds each weigh about as much as a quarter and will come with three ear gels to fit into different ear sizes.
“These are engineered to work even in the most vigorous activities,” Ng said. “Let’s say you’re playing basketball, or you’re on a run or you’re on a bike ride. Your head’s moving a lot.”
During demonstrations with reporters that did not involve strenuous activity, the buds fit snugly and did not fall out.
The earbuds’ batteries are supposed to last 3.6 hours while playing audio stored on the device, which comes with a combination storage case and charger. Streaming music wirelessly from a phone will drain the batteries in about 90 minutes.
Lacking a display screen, the IConX is set up through a smartphone and controlled with finger swipes and touches. A noise-canceling feature can be switched to “ambient sound mode,” which uses the microphone to pass audio through to the listener even while music plays.
As a result, wearers riding a bike or running in traffic can hear honking cars or emergency sirens. During the demonstration, the IConX funneled ordinary conversations over music.
The $179 Gear Fit2 is a traditional activity tracker, with a 1½-inch curved display screen that is slightly smaller but with sharper resolution than the screen on its predecessor. It works with Android 4.4 phones and is no longer limited to Samsung’s own Galaxy phones.
The Fit2 will be available online and in stores next Friday.
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