The HTC Grip was the smart fitness tracker that HTC had unveiled at MWC15. It is a GPS-enabled device powered by UA Record, a new health and fitness network from Under Armor designed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Grip fuses HTC’s tracking abilities across a range of sports and activities, allowing users to set and beat their own personal goals. It is compatible with both Android and iOS devices as well as other Bluetooth-enabled accessories like heart-rate monitors like the Under Amour A39. The Grip is able to provide performance data through the use of Under Armour Connected Fitness platform.
HTC has made some crazy stunts this MWC15, first showing us how lazy they have been with the HTC One M9 and then revealing that they have had their hands full with other projects like the HTC Vive. Now, they have boldly released their HTC-branded fitness tracker that promises some serious performance for serious athletes. Why didn’t they just make a smartwatch, I mean it makes sense. Their target market were user who wanted a premium smartphone in their hands, I would say people who would want to make a statement or use a very genuine looking device to organize their schedules or as a phone to do business. Wouldn’t a smartwatch be a much better fit to the current crowd the M8/M9 are targetted at? I have to agree that there is a serious influx of smartwatches in the market today. but I have high belief that HTC would’ve been able to pull off a smartwatch design unlike any other. A fitness tracker just seems a bit out of place.
“Our partnership with Under Armour has allowed us to direct our combined ambition, talent and passion towards developing new ways to empower athletes to make the most of their training every day. Grip is our first product to offer deep integration with UA Record, providing an experience that will surpass the high standards of even professional athletes.”
— Drew Bamford, Corporate Vice President of HTC Creative Labs
“HTC is an exciting partner for Under Armour and Grip, designed by HTC and powered exclusively by UA Record, is just a taste of what’s to come in the next year. Together we’re looking forward to exploring new ways to empower and inspire athletes of all levels and to rewrite the rulebook of performance tracking, training and improvement.”
— Robin Thurston, SVP, Connected Fitness, Under Armour
So instead of wishing HTC made a smartwatch instead, I am going to be as objective as I can with the HTC Grip and give me thoughts based on how I think it would fit into our lives as a fitness tracker.
The Grip is supposed to be designed to comfortably support even the most extreme training regimes, contoured to the shape and form of your wrist without any discomfort, the waterproof band houses a curved PMOLED display that displays the time, distance and notifications while on the move. For those with small hands, don’t worry, it comes in three sizes. It’s funny how HTC has advertised that this little band is “waterproof, making it perfect for tracking every step, from the gym to the shower and beyond”. What am I supposed to make of this statement, that they made it waterproof just so you can add in those extra 50 steps it took you to get from the field to the shower? HTC might have gone a little off the rails here but I’m pretty sure their waterproofing would’ve been better marketed as being able to swim without having to take it off or not having to worry about running in the rain with it, not “to the shower and beyond”.
Let’s take a gander at what’s on the inside. The Grip runs on a RTOS platform (Real-Time Operating System) on top of aSTM32L151QDH6 (Link provided in case we have any electronic engineers in the audience) which is capable of processing real-time data as it comes in without buffering delays, meaning this little band promises some robust performance capabilities without processing time requirements longer than a tenth of a second. It has a 1.8-inch 32 by 160 PMOLED mono flexible display with capacitive touch. For memory we see a 16MB flash storage as well as 8MB of SRAM. There is Bluetooth Low-Energy 4.0 on board as well as a variety of sensors connected to a STM32F411 — which is basically a sensor hub to calculate FLOPs, powered by a 100 mAh rechargeable battery that promises 2.5 days of battery life or 5 hours with the GPS activated. I kind of wonder if this thing would heat up on your hand, just considering the hardware within this little band was made for some pretty robust power efficient tracking. It is IP57 Dust & Water Resistant and Shock Resistant, compliant with the MIL-STD-810G 516.6 Procedure I, IV. Oh, this thing has vibration notifications as well. The Grip comes with auto-sleep detection, periods of deep and light sleep are recorded with a view to help the wearer develop a sleep pattern that will enhance the performance of an athlete for peak fitness and performance.
The HTC Grip comes with an app that synchronizes performance data with UA Record, allowing you to draw up analytics based on the intensity of your workout sessions as well as the impact it has on your performance. You can also get updates from professional athletes, nutritionists and trainers who are also using the HTC Grip. If you do not want to feel demotivated by how much better the professionals are doing compared to your own workout regime, you can also make your personal motivation a team effort whilst supporting your friends with their goals by sharing your stats and competing in challenges that are configurable with the HTC Grip.
Would I get one? Probably. But, ultimate frisbee is a hell of a sport and I’m probably going to end up destroying the HTC Grip while it’s on my wrist. Maybe, if I had it in my hands for review I would be able to give a better opinion. But, just based on the press release, I can tell that this little fitness tracker has some robust features and some serious hardware inside.
Still kind of bummed that they made this instead of a smartwatch though.
