The Apple Watch 6 is all set to be revealed this fall – potentially next month – with the new watchOS 7 that was detailed at Apple's WWDC keynote. While it's going to include a range of health and wellness features, there's some doubt as to which functions will actually make the launch, with rumours that the wearable will lack the blood pressure monitoring functionality that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 has had approved.
But it looks like there's a new contender in town that is looking to rule the roost as the new go-to fitness wearable, and it comes courtesy of Amazon.
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The Halo health and wellness band turns the existing concept of wearables on its head by ditching the display and offering all of its users' information on the corresponding app. The sensor module is tucked away behind the woven fabric band which is available in three colours, with additional silicon options to choose from. The colour of the module itself corresponds to the woven strap colours, with black and onyx; blush and rose gold; and winter and silver colourways.
You'll find that the Halo can do all of the things you'd expect from a fitness tracker, and the module contains an accelerometer, heart rate monitor, temperature sensor, an LED light, and two microphones with an on/off button, but the latter is used for a unique wellness feature that analyses the wearer's tone of voice to "help strengthen communication," and let you know when you're coming off as an a-hole, presumably.
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There's no GPS, Wi-Fi, or cellular connectivity, and if you were expecting to be able to walk around with Alexa on your wrist, you'd be wrong. But the Halo has other fitness trackers beat with the app functionality, which uses your phone to grab a 3D scan of your body to measure body fat percentage; The Verge reports that the data is deleted off Amazon's servers as soon as the 3D scan is created and sent back to your phone, so you shouldn't have any security concerns around that.
The Halo can also track your sleep, as well as steps, but its approach is more holistic than its rivals, and is definitely geared towards mental well-being as well as physical with the unique design,app integration, and functionality.
The distraction-free device costs $99.99 and pairs up with the app which offers its more advanced-features on a subscription basis for $3.99 per month. It's currently available as part of Amazon's invite-only early access program for a reduced price of $64.99.
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Shabana worked at T3.com as News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). She's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down here at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies. If you have any tech or gaming tips, shoot over an email or DM her on social media.
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