HTC, a global leader in innovation and design, today unveiled its first high-performance, smart fitness tracker, the GPS-enabled HTC Grip™.
Powered by UA Record, the new health and fitness network from Under Armour designed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, Grip fuses HTC’s renowned design with powerful, accurate tracking across a range of sports and activities, allowing athletes to set personal goals, then smash them.
Compatible with Android and iOS devices, as well as Bluetooth-enabled accessories like heart-rate monitors, Grip extends its functionality, providing additional performance data to the Under Armour Connected Fitness™ platform.
The HTC Grip comes with a 1.8 inch PMOLED display with a resolution of 32 x 160 pixels and it has 90 pixels per inch and it features a 100 mAh battery and these are more technical specs of the HTC Grip:
| Small | 51.9 x 68.2 x 22.5 mm , Inner circumference: 145.54mm |
| Medium | 60.98 x 74.57 x 22.5 mm, Inner circumference: 169.76mm |
| Large | 68.92 x 85.24 x 22.5 mm, Inner circumference: 199.51mm |
| Display | 1.8-inch inch 32 x 160 PMOLED mono flexible display with capacitive touch |
| Platform | RTOS |
| Processor | STM32L151QDH6 |
| Memory | 16MB Flash, 8MB SRAM |
| Battery | 100 mAh rechargeable battery |
| 2.5 days battery life or 5 hours w/GPS activated | |
| Sensors | Sensor Hub (STM32F411), G-sensor, Gyro, Compass, GPS, Light sensor |
| Connectivity | BLE (Bluetooth 3.0 and 4.0), USB charging cable |
| Other | Vibration notifications, IP57 Dust & Water Resistant, Shock Resistant (compliant with MIL-STD-810G 516.6 Procedure I, IV) |
The HTC Grip will retail for $199 when it launch in the spring, you can find out more details about HTC’s new wearable device at the link below. The neon yellow color on the inside of the band is a dead giveaway that the Grip is a sports tracker, and the device is equipped with sensors to measure your movements for various activities (running, cycling, etc.).
Importantly, it has built-in GPS so it can track your location when your smartphone isn't close by — runners especially will find that feature useful. Of course, any tracking wearable needs an accompanying app, and HTC decided not to start from scratch and instead partnered with Under Armour to take advantage of its platform, a partnership announced back in January.
The UA Record app is on iOS, Android and the web, although it isn't integrated with Apple Health or Google Fit... at least not yet. HTC opted not to include a heart-rate monitor on the Re Grip for a simple reason: The company doesn't think wrist monitors are very accurate.
For the sports enthusiast, that accuracy is important, and HTC recommends third-party chest straps. HTC emphasizes that the Grip is intended to be a powerful and durable tracker even when your phone is nowhere near it, boasting 2.5 days of battery life when GPS is turned off, and 5 hours when it's on.
Even though the band doesn't need your smartphone, it's even more useful when it's close, displaying call and text notifications on the 1.8-inch PMOLED screen as they come in. The Re Grip is the second product to fall under the Re sub-brand, which is a key focus for the company as it looks to finally stop struggling and fully break out of its niche.
HTC strongly hints that several more Re products are in the pipeline, and the Re Camera may get a rebrand at some point so its name is less functional. As for the Re Grip, it looks and feels like a strong first step into the wearables market, although by picking the most conventional of products (a tracking band) it's still a baby step. We look forward to the ecosystem growing.
