LG had a lot to show at CES this morning, and while not all of it
will be exciting to you lot (washing machines, refrigerators and the
like were on top), they did have a couple of new interesting things to
show off that you’ll probably be interested in. First up is the LG
LifeBand Touch, an item that was leaked not too long ago. it’s a fitness
band.
The LifeBand Touch is more than just a fitness tracker, though. LG’s
actually integrated a tiny OLED display inside this thing to give you
more information than your average fitness band. The
OLED display not only feeds you workout-related info, but also allows
you to see the time, see who’s texting, see who’s calling, and change
music on your smartphone.
On the fitness side, the LifeBand Touch will record your steps,
distance and calories, and can also get a vibe about your heart rate as
long as you’re using LG’s heart monitor headphones.
It’ll sync all that info back to your smartphone through the use of
Bluetooth. The LifeBand Touch also features a three-axis accelerometer
and an altimeter so it can accurately record your position and altitude
during your workouts (something not even Nike’s FuelBand can claim). The
LifeBand Touch will go on sale in the second quarter of this year for
$180, and the heart rate monitor headphones will
come in at that same price. That’s a whopping 47 thousand naira for this
entire package, though if you’re looking for a serious fitness tracker
that is compatible with Android, you won’t find many others better than
this.
LG also gave us a glimpse at something they’re calling Home Chat.Simply put, it’s a way to
“communicate” with various home electronics and appliances using your
smartphone. Sending a photo to your TV will make that photo pop up on your TV, for instance. And if you need to check on that load you put into the washer machine before you
left, you can type “what are you doing?” and the washing machine will “write” you back with details about its washing cycle. Home Chat will obviously require LG’s own connected products
(those with LG Link technology), so unless your entire home is already
outfitted with LG TVs, washing machines, driers and refrigerators,
you’ll need to go out and spend big money to take advantage.