Stylish Withings Activité watch tracker goes up for pre-order at $450

When we first heard about the Withings Activité watch tracker in June, a price of $390 was on the cards; now that pre-orders have officially opened for the wearable device, the cost has been set at $450. That’s above the price of your average Android Wear smartwatch (the LG G Watch R retails for $300) but you get plenty of style and sophistication for your cash.

If you want something that looks more like a watch than a cut-down smartphone then the Withings Activité might be just what you’re looking for. Encased in scratch-proof touch-sensitive sapphire glass and a stainless steel finish, the watch is water-resistant and uses a standard watch battery — that means it can last for 8 months, at which point you replace it and start again.

There are no phone notifications or email alerts on the Activité — the only smart functions are its fitness tracking capabilities, which can keep an eye on how many steps you take throughout the day and the quality of the sleep you’re getting (there’s a smart vibrating alarm that can wake you up in the morning too). All of this data syncs wirelessly with an accompanying smartphone app that lets you review your progress and set new goals. Only an iOS app is available at the moment but an Android version is on the way.

Other features include the ability to instantly detect when you go swimming and automatic time zone switching when you’re traveling around the globe. If you’re prepared to put your $450 down for a Withings Activité then there are black or white models available. Delivery is promised before the general launch at the end of November, though the wearable device is currently listed as out of stock, so you might have to hang on a little longer.

G Watch R News: LG’s stunning round Android watch makes its way to South Korea first

LG’s second Android Wear smartwatch, the G Watch R, is about to go on sale. Revealed at the beginning of September, news of the new device’s launch is beginning to spread. Here’s what we know so far.

Updated 0n 10-08-2014 by Andy Boxall: LG has set the G Watch R’s release in South Korea for October 14.

When the G Watch R was announced, we were told to expect its eventual release to come around October time. Now, the company has confirmed in a blog post it’ll be up for sale from October 14, but sadly, only in South Korea at the moment. Local network Olleh already has the G Watch R on its website, where it has been priced at 352,000 won, which matches early rumor reports.

Initial speculation published by Korean news source ETNews, indicated the G Watch R would be out on October 16, while ZDNet Korea weighed in and said the watch would be on sale on October 7, although possibly restricted to pre-orders through certain retailers.

Both reports stated the price would be around 352,000 won, which equates to approximately $330, making the G Watch R about $70 more expensive, locally, than the first G Watch. In the U.S., the G Watch costs $230, so we could estimate the G Watch R’s price to be between $270 and $300 when it finally goes on sale.

The G Watch R shuns the angled design of the G Watch, and wraps a circular 1.3-inch P-OLED touchscreen in a metal body, complete with a leather strap. This gives the G Watch R a more traditional “watch” look, over the slightly geekily styled examples that have dominated the smartwatch scene over the past year.

LG’s round smartwatch will be the Motorola Moto 360’s first true competitor, coming equipped with Android Wear, a heart-rate monitor, a clever power-saving feature, and a cool style all of its own. We were impressed when we gave it a try at the IFA tech show.

Now all we have to do is wait for an international release date. We can’t imagine LG wanting to wait too long, given the Moto 360’s increasing popularity, and recent UK launch.