Withings adds blood oxygen monitor to the Pulse O2 activity tracker

Love it or hate it, there’s no denying the wearable gadget game is heating up. Most major tech companies are trying their hand at activity trackers, smartwatches or workout monitors – and let’s not forget there’s iWatch announcement from Apple expected to drop at any minute now that could blow everything else out of the water. So it makes sense that those already creating decent products will be adding new features everyday in attempt to compete.

Withings has been one of the pioneering tech companies when it comes to wearables and today it announced that its latest activity tracker, the Pulse O2, will be getting an upgrade to include a blood oxygen monitor.

The device could already count your steps, tell you how many stairs you’ve climbed and the minutes that you’ve been active, monitor your sleep patterns, check your heart rate and motivate you to get out more. But now the device also uses a rear-mounted lens to track your respiratory function. The new wrist strap addition will now enable the device to monitor your blood oxygen levels with the lens, turning it into a much more comprehensive and state-of-the-art option than many of its competitors.

It’s a shame the wrist strap isn’t a little more slimline, but considering it’s built with those into fitness in mind rather than a regular user, the chunky strap might be necessary in order to keep the Pulse O2 as secure as possible while you workout.

Find out more about the Pulse O2 here.