Adidas announced on Wednesday the release of a new smartwatch targeting runners, putting some additional competition in the wearable exercise devices with Nike’s Fuelband and the Fitbit Force.
According to Paul Gaudio, the vice president in charge of Adidas’ interactive division, the Adidas smartwatch is focusing on making the best running watch as apposed to competing in the smartwatch space with Google and Apple. The Adidas smartwatch includes the ability to connect through Bluetooth with a smartphone but will require less dependency by incorporating flash storage for music right on the wrist-worn device. It also has features to give real-time feedback to the user while exercising by tracking heart rate and motion, and then producing vibrations or audible feedback through headphones.
The watch isn’t coming cheap however with an expected price tag of $399. Compared to the Nike Fuelband it comes with more features built in, but the question will be if it is enough to warrant the price. The new device is scheduled to be released November 1.