HTC has launched its Grip smartband at MWC, in collaboration with US fitness company Under Armour. Under Armour traditionally make sports clothes and accessories, but the company also recently acquired the MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal and Endomondo fitness tracking apps, and launched its own UA Record app.
HTC has worked with Under Armour to create a device that works with the UA Record app, which is available on Android and iOS, and the result is the HTC Grip.
The Grip smartband links via Bluetooth to UA Record to “allow athletes to take the next step up in their sports performance and post-match analysis to make themselves better athletes.” It has five sensors and built-in GPS to accurately track your exercise, and what HTC describes as a 'high-class display that allows you to see from almost any angle” - useful to get a quick glance at the display when you're running, for example.
The smartband has a soft touch inside for comfort so that sweat can be easily wiped away, and a 100mAh battery that should last 2-3 days, but with GPS enabled, it will only last about 5 hours. The smartband's 1.8in OLED display has a 32x160-pixel resolution, and the unit is IP57-rated against water and dust ingress.
All the samples at MWC were locked away in glass cases, so we suspect they were engineering prototypes or mock-ups rather than finished products. The Grip will launch in the US first, with other countries to follow – but there have been no announcements regarding European availability yet.